I can see how people react strongly to this but personally I find it hard to believe if compared side by side anyone would call the current version of Garuda fun in any way compared to the way the designers intended it.

It's hard to detach objective thinking from the desire to get all the light by monotonously shaking the bird for 200 fights. Remember you could get lights in many many different ways this thread is not about that.
Garuda's main purpose is to be fun content and not a light dispencer for the brainless.

I think Ultima hard is still a fun trial to do because there's no way to over gear past the ball phases. You will always have to be on guard for those.