I don't understand your qualm about the level design, I'd rather a Zelda game be dense than overly expanse. Breath of the Wild will fail if its specific biomes lack personality- this is why the landmarks are important parts of the landscape as well as engaging aesthetics.
There's probably a nice balance to strike. I'm hopeful that BoTW has an expansive world you can get lost in to enjoy the scenery, but the individual villages have a lot of dense secrets and interactions to explore. This might be asking too much though...