First impression of Menagerie (Expansion) from someone with ill-formed opinions

My first take: There is a lot going on here, in many different directions. While fun, it comes across as either underdone or overcooked. Not sure which. But that is most likely me being swamped by it all.

Horses and their associated cards are a lot to handle all on their own. Horse is a one-shot Laboratory. And then along with that we get all the Horse-related cards and their varying twists: gainers and trashers and villages and payload and Reaction cards all hooked to Horses somehow. Plus Destrier, which, while not technically tied to Horse in any way, is itself a persistent-not-one-shot Horse (Laboratory) with a varying cost.

All of that is a big chunk to digest. Then there's the whole Exile mechanic. And a new landscape category with another new mechanic in Ways. And a host of new Events. And Stockpile and Supplies, and Black Cat's Curse rush, and Sheepdog's odd ability, and two more varying cost cards that vary in how they vary while being very powerful in Wayfarer and Animal Fair. Plus Hunting Lodge, a different (maybe better?) Minion-Village hybrid.

And other cards (Barge, anyone?) that might be as good or better than any of these in certain circumstances.

It all adds up to be at least as challenging as Nocturne, while more difficult to get a handle on. Too many directions. It is, indeed, a Menagerie.