>>44616088Even the story-based Zelda games are mostly about exploration and discovery, only TP and SS really drop the ball on that front. Hell, half the Zelda games drop past a deadline before the game starts: games like Link to the Past, Breath of the Wild, and the original Legend of Zelda START with Ganon winning and then have Link pick up the pieces by going to new places and finding dungeons. Open world is a great fit for Zelda (and similarly Metroids), as Zelda basically formed the genre. Hell, just look at how you explore Link's Awakening's overworld with tons of backtracking, multiple routes opening up with each item, and unique art in nearly every area compared to Pokemon's mostly the same assets from Pallet Town on and usually only 1 or 2 ways to go even when you get an HM. Pokemon was made to be a JRPG, not an action-adventure discovery game. That part was tacked on.
