I get what you mean, and I actually agree to some extent. My point is that, especially at the start of the game, side stories shouldn’t feel like separate stories or spin-offs. They should feel like part of the main narrative. In this case, they do make sense, they’re connected to the story, and they already include action, so they don’t feel like filler to me.
Right now, I know the dev has put the side stories aside and is focusing on wrapping up the main story, but I think that if they stopped labeling them as “side stories” and instead included them as part of the main game, it would feel much more cohesive.