They can't win though. People complained there wasn't enough between the dungeons of TP (the later ones at least). If anything this game is more like MM where the dungeons are shorter and spaced out and there's more to do outside.
this game should never be compared to a masterpiece like MM.
that being said backtracking can work, it just needs to be streamlined. having to reopen doors and sitting through unskippable cinematics and fi hand holding are no nos, bad game design. revisiting areas can be a good thing but those areas can't be a hinderance, SM and MP do this right because you're constantly becoming more powerful and more mobile, you can usually zip through areas you've been through before to get to the new area