>>715212545
Yes, but for Zelda to achieve "masterpiece" tier it must have more in the bag than just one aspect. It's the same reason why, while I was generous in my list, I don't personally consider Breath of the Wild a masterpiece because all it has is that one thing about the world "feeling amazing", but when you see the story, or play the Divine Beasts or even a lot of Hyrule Castle or the 5 bosses in the game, it... kinda sucks.
So that doesn't mean OoT is perfect either, but it has pretty solid core platforming/combat, great atmosphere and sense of "world", and it's got consistently good dungeon design (yes, including Water Temple) and the story is pretty good on top of that.
But the story isn't just good as in "The Last of Us is also good". It's good as in, the narrative and gameplay hold each other by the hand, so it has a much bigger impact than any scripted event in a Last of Us type game, when you pull the Master Sword out and become an adult, but even beyond that, it's not just your mechanics that have changed, but the world, reflecting the 7 years that passed, and strikingly changing the happy-go-lucky centre to a place of dread, and even taking your childhood home and putting enemies in it... on top of everything else already being pretty good.
it had an attention to detail, but it's really important details that give the game its agenda, about how Childhood is precious, and how growing up isn't just about getting stronger, but protecting the purities around yourself from those who grow up and try to remove that precious childlike innocence of the world.
It's in that sense, along with the epic showdown with Ganon at the end, that the whole game resonates in a way that a lot of other Zeldas, and if I'm brutal, even ALttP, honestlly doesn't.
To me, the top 3 is OoT, MM and WW. The other ones often fall short of really feeling like classics at the end, and I didn't really feel it with BotW either, as special as it otherwise does feel early on.
