Probably everything that doesn't make it an emergent action game where you just rely on a set of core mechanics to do everything.
My favorite thing about Zelda is the diversity of things you will be doing mandatorily. It's all about entering new places full of puzzles and unique boss enemies and trash mobs to me. I don't care the combat isn't advanced. It's good enough that it's fun to do and the enemy variety is really diverse and so are the biomes. You consistently unlock a new real-time mechanic from start to finish that allows you to do new things. That's what gives it a feeling of adventure imo, like the boy pulling the sword from the stone or getting the magic elixir. I feel like I'm doing those things as a player. It's so much more fulfilling than games where you point and shoot at anything that moves or point and clicks where you just do minimal interaction and watch everything happen from afar.
I mostly give you right with that, and youre the first one that focuses on that aspect of the series. Great.
Yeah... the N64 games, when they released where A-OK and better than most other 3D games. With years it just feelt more strict, and less responsive.Speaking personally the lock-on, movement, and "platforming" is incredibly awkward to those not familiar with the 3D games. OoT/MM/WW/TP all fall into this with SS slightly improving upon it and BOTW heavily improving upon that.
Wind Waker improved it somewhat, but did not go far enough. It still fellt better then The old ones, but was at the same time restricted by them. Twilight Princess was a desaster, even on release i did not like how linke feels to controll, neither the sword swinging, running in circles, use of some items, and especially not the wolf.
Skyward sword: better. The game has so many problems, im not shure if the controlls where good. The sword fighting, i really liked, and some items (bow) were great, the loftwind was.... bad.
BotW is the first Zelda in 20 Years to feel great on release. It is still not perfect, but it is what the series should have done 10 years earlier with Twilight Princess.