Yeah, I feel like the main problem is finding a balance between a linear, story-based experience and a nonlinear, open world experience, which I don't think has truly been hit. Ocarina of Time kind of, sort of had that since the adult dungeons could be done out of order. You don't need the Fairy Bow to complete the Fire Temple (some people even start with that since it's closer to Kakariko Village that the Forest Temple), and while it is required for the Water Temple, the Megaton Hammer is not. The Shadow and Spirit Temples are completely interchangeable since you can get the Lens of Truth, but then navigate the desert to reach the Spirit Temple, which doesn't requ𒁏ire the Hover Boots, and come back to the Shadow Temple later. However, even with that, Ocarina of Time is still a little more toward the linear side.

I'm skeptical of the placement of Breath of the Wild. The memories, while elaborate, take place BEFORE the in-game events, not DURING. Because of that, I feel like lumping those in to say the story is elaborate is cheating. Also, the actual in-game story, while it has good moments, is a mess because of the whole open world concept with most of it꧂ not even being required. The only required events are on the Great Plateau and in and around Hyrule Castle. It's one of my two biggest gripes with Breath of the Wild that makes me feel like it's overrated. Kudos to those who enjoy it, but I just found it middle of the road. In fact, the only reason I finished it at all was the sequel (Tears of the Kingdom), and I only did a second playthrough to refresh my memory for carryover.