the exploration in this game is on par with GoW 2018, Ragnarok definitely stepped that up, but i still disagree with the gameplay. I think this is a great system and its even more on par with GoW in NG+
Like even jsut fighting the primed dominants in this game were more engaging than the full boss fights in Ragnarok. Heimdell and Thor especially weren’t really that difficult or spectacular at all. None of the story boss fights in Ragnarok involved any more strategy outside of cancelling the blue power ups
This game definitely has spectacle over Rag, but I strongly disagree with everything else you're saying.
Gameplay wise, Rag is way more in-depth and varied than this game. This goes without explanation and I dont think anyone is gonna agree with you here. Every fight in this game is exactly the same (achieve stagger status and DPS until dead), and there's nothing outside of combat and story.
And exploration wise both games are pretty shallow, but its literally nonexistent in FF16. There is absolutely nothing to find from exploring the maps outside a side quest area that hasn't been triggered yet. There's no side bosses, no side dungeons, no omega weapon, no unique / relic weapons, there's nothing to find, there's not even anything to see in terms of cool unique areas that older FFs are known for. You see a sparkling item in the distance? You go there and pick it up and its 8 gil.