There is something in that review that I very often see in reviews and I just can't agree with that as criticism, that being something along the lines of "has every staple of every AAA game, like crafting and stealth". I mean, that is the genre and it's what people like. Hell, using those broad strokes you can even include games like Sekiro. That is almost like a SNES gamer complaining that Castlevania has jumping from platform to platform from left to right, just like Mario. Every generation has it's popular genres and common elements. You can make a similar point about Celeste following the trend of the multi-multi million sellers DK Tropical Freeze and New Super Mario Brothers U and the thousands of similar games before it. I can get the point if a game straight up lifts another experience wholesale because it is popular, but I don't think there are that many games with a similar experience to TLOU this generation.
As for some of the other non-spoiler points:
-That open world section in TLOU II is something ND has done for their last two games as well (if you really can call it open world). And it actually shows one of the strenghts of ND as story tellers in my opinion. Why does the structure of the game briefly change? It is because at that point in the story, the characters do not have any idea where to go next. Thus, there is a more open level in order for the players to experience that.
-Ellie not having any character development is, for me, a really odd statement. The game is chock full of often elaborate moments that drive her further towards a certain path. And the game shows plenty of internal struggles and motivators. Same for really any of the other characters in the game.
-Ellie and Dina being the same character is just patently false.
-The game is basically two campaigns, with similar pacing as the original. Now I totally get that if you aren't into the plot, that it will drag. And I thought the first half could've used some bigger encounters (to shift the balance a bit more towards gameplay). But I don't think there is a section you can just remove and have the game make the same impact. Spending time with the cast (especially the new characters) is essential for the plot to make any impact on people. But again, I do understand that if you don't feel the plot, then there are large stretches you won't enjoy, because the game is story driven.
I also personally think quiet sections help the impact of action sequences. Like when a prog epic has slow sections between when the guitars start soaring, if that makes sense. But I appreciate that people prefer a game that is more "gamey" for the lack of a better word. For me, Doom 2016 is a game on the other end of the spectrum (very gamey, and very awesome), a couple of brief story moments and the rest is just encounter after encounter. I think there is a place for both.