>>49272312>>49272394Zelda 2 and LTTP also let you take on a few dungeons in no particular order also. They lowered the scale of openness/non-linearity with each game, but the 3/DS titles dipped their toes back into openness. When I say "play the classic games" I don't just mean S/NES I mean play more than just the 3D ones.
We're just going in circles obsessing over the Zelda pedantry, so consider the following:
Lower the size of the world map. Density > scale. BOTW's fatal flaw imo is the many large pockets of nothing in the overworld. It's a flaw in every open world game I've played, save for maybe the Yakuza series and a few of the GTA titles. I think a condensed and segmented open field would allow for something that's open without feeling vapid. It made sailing in Wind Waker a fun experience. Open world CAN be good, but it should go without saying to not expect anything good to come from Gamefreak.
