Part of it is just leveling up your citadel. Some is the game dripfeeds new systems and buildings to you that make things more complicated but also help with happiness. A lot of it is just learning what it takes to keep people happy.
Keep playing on difficulties that feel manageable, and when it starts to feel like you can handle it, then bump up the difficulty then.
I wouldn’t mind but I also maybe wouldn’t use it. Even though I’m with you. Boys fights are fine set pieces but not really my favorite part most the time. I’ve had ribs of fun with with ring and DS3, but what I like about then is the setting, exploration, and tension moving from bonfire to bonfire.
I’m stubborn though and would have a hard time convincing myself that it’s ok to decrease the difficulty and not cheating/missing out on the intended game.
The combat far and away is the weakest portion of TotK, as it was in BotW. They did nothing to make it less tedious. The enemies are damage sponges and weapons are brittle toothpicks.
I think long term I will think back with more fondness to the much shorter open world game without combat called Sable. That game is worth playing if you’re feeling burnout and want a shorter, completable experience.
Maybe it inspired him to get back on the horse, but it looks like his other work to me. Within a Deep First is still one of my all time greats. Played it again last year. I’m excited to hear about this game