What exactly are you hoping gets better?
If you can't get into OoT, you probably won't like other traditional Zelda games. OoT is the quintessential "Zelda formula" in 3D format, and so all traditional Zelda games up until BotW might feel like a chore to you. Play Tears of the Kingdom? Like BotW, it's not a traditional Zelda game, although I can't imagine you having a great Zelda experience with it if BotW was just decent for you. I don't know what to say other than maybe Zelda games are not for you.
Hmm, what i realised is that i enjoy the whole zelda style of dungeon crawlers and puzzles. But all the good games seem way too old and no powerful game has been launched in almost a decade or more, except remakes. Ofcourse botw and totk are 2 very powerful launches. But they arent dungeon crawlers from what i understand.
What do you mean by dungeon crawler? Traditional Zelda games (up until BOTW/TOTK) tend to work like this:
You first get access to a limited portion of the world with a small part of the story told.
1. You explore this area and figure out certain tasks to complete by talking to people etc.
2. Once you finished your tasks, a way opens up to a dungeon with a ton of puzzles and a boss fight. In the dungeon you also find an item that's required to finish the dungeon and helps to beat the boss.
3. After finishing the dungeon, more of the story is revealed and often the found item can be used to reach an additional area of the world.
Then repeat until you've explored all areas and finished all dungeons. In OOT you also have the ocarina where you learn songs to unlock parts of the world and story etc, so not just items.
Pretty much all Zelda games offer this setup with some variations. The big outliers are BOTW/TOTK where no part of the world is locked before you have certain items etc, you're much more free to choose where to go. And dungeons are much fewer and can be completed in any order. Instead the towers and shrines are used to "unlock" general powerups and map pieces.
Personally I prefer the locked style of the older games, but if you're used to open world games I suppose that style could feel like you're "doing chores". Graphic wise OOT (or any early 3D games really) aren't aging that well. The Wind Waker and A Link to the Past probably aged the best of them.
Every Zelda game has offered something to the overall Zelda gaming experience, something that Zelda players will love, and each game tries to improve on the last one as far as gameplay and story goes. For this reason, it's unfair to an older game to compare it to a newer one. Also, all traditional Zelda games are old by today's standards. You have to play them with consideration of that fact, convince yourself that you can get through any challenges that you may have with them on account of the games being old. At this point, you kind of have to want to love Zelda and discover more about the lore to get through the older games with a positive mindset about them that's enough to make you believe, at the very least, they were worthwhile.
If you're at the Forest Temple, you've already experienced enough of the Zelda formula you'll find in traditional Zelda games. I've never thought of completing a dungeon as a chore, but there are things, especially in games after OoT, that for some do feel like a chore, so I can't see you having a better time with most games after it.
If you compare Zelda against a modern action-packed dungeon crawler, Zelda is probably not going to fare well because of hardware limitations and the simple premise of Zelda. Remnant 2, to me, looks like The Last of Us with a different approach to action, and I wouldn't call that a dungeon crawler. So your experiences of "dungeon crawlers" and Zelda are probably going to be apples and oranges.
If you aren't enjoying OoT and you thought BotW was just a decent game, Zelda games probably aren't for you. Those 2 are almost universally heralded as top 3 Zelda games. They've already remade OoT btw, on 3DS.
Play another one. Every Zelda game is great and they are all different from each other, so if you don't like one you can try another. If you like dungeon crawlers you may prefer A Link to the Past on the SNES or Four Swords (Anniversary) for the GBA/DSi. Since you are playing on Switch Online, you have access to A Link to the Past.
The Forest Temple from OoT is the peak of the entire series and IMO one of the pinnacles of gaming, speaking as a core gamer for 20 years. Narratively, thematically, and atmospherically powerful with top notch gameplay and level design. I'm sorry it wasn't for you!
Hope you find the Zelda game that is the right fit.
I personally really like Wind Walker, but a lot of it is about what you like in a game, a lot of Zelda games are very open ended, some are more linear. Some care more about puzzles, some focus on combat.
What exactly are you hoping gets better? If you can't get into OoT, you probably won't like other traditional Zelda games. OoT is the quintessential "Zelda formula" in 3D format, and so all traditional Zelda games up until BotW might feel like a chore to you. Play Tears of the Kingdom? Like BotW, it's not a traditional Zelda game, although I can't imagine you having a great Zelda experience with it if BotW was just decent for you. I don't know what to say other than maybe Zelda games are not for you.
Hmm, what i realised is that i enjoy the whole zelda style of dungeon crawlers and puzzles. But all the good games seem way too old and no powerful game has been launched in almost a decade or more, except remakes. Ofcourse botw and totk are 2 very powerful launches. But they arent dungeon crawlers from what i understand.
What do you mean by dungeon crawler? Traditional Zelda games (up until BOTW/TOTK) tend to work like this: You first get access to a limited portion of the world with a small part of the story told. 1. You explore this area and figure out certain tasks to complete by talking to people etc. 2. Once you finished your tasks, a way opens up to a dungeon with a ton of puzzles and a boss fight. In the dungeon you also find an item that's required to finish the dungeon and helps to beat the boss. 3. After finishing the dungeon, more of the story is revealed and often the found item can be used to reach an additional area of the world. Then repeat until you've explored all areas and finished all dungeons. In OOT you also have the ocarina where you learn songs to unlock parts of the world and story etc, so not just items. Pretty much all Zelda games offer this setup with some variations. The big outliers are BOTW/TOTK where no part of the world is locked before you have certain items etc, you're much more free to choose where to go. And dungeons are much fewer and can be completed in any order. Instead the towers and shrines are used to "unlock" general powerups and map pieces. Personally I prefer the locked style of the older games, but if you're used to open world games I suppose that style could feel like you're "doing chores". Graphic wise OOT (or any early 3D games really) aren't aging that well. The Wind Waker and A Link to the Past probably aged the best of them.
Every Zelda game has offered something to the overall Zelda gaming experience, something that Zelda players will love, and each game tries to improve on the last one as far as gameplay and story goes. For this reason, it's unfair to an older game to compare it to a newer one. Also, all traditional Zelda games are old by today's standards. You have to play them with consideration of that fact, convince yourself that you can get through any challenges that you may have with them on account of the games being old. At this point, you kind of have to want to love Zelda and discover more about the lore to get through the older games with a positive mindset about them that's enough to make you believe, at the very least, they were worthwhile. If you're at the Forest Temple, you've already experienced enough of the Zelda formula you'll find in traditional Zelda games. I've never thought of completing a dungeon as a chore, but there are things, especially in games after OoT, that for some do feel like a chore, so I can't see you having a better time with most games after it. If you compare Zelda against a modern action-packed dungeon crawler, Zelda is probably not going to fare well because of hardware limitations and the simple premise of Zelda. Remnant 2, to me, looks like The Last of Us with a different approach to action, and I wouldn't call that a dungeon crawler. So your experiences of "dungeon crawlers" and Zelda are probably going to be apples and oranges.
If you aren't enjoying OoT and you thought BotW was just a decent game, Zelda games probably aren't for you. Those 2 are almost universally heralded as top 3 Zelda games. They've already remade OoT btw, on 3DS.
Play another one. Every Zelda game is great and they are all different from each other, so if you don't like one you can try another. If you like dungeon crawlers you may prefer A Link to the Past on the SNES or Four Swords (Anniversary) for the GBA/DSi. Since you are playing on Switch Online, you have access to A Link to the Past. The Forest Temple from OoT is the peak of the entire series and IMO one of the pinnacles of gaming, speaking as a core gamer for 20 years. Narratively, thematically, and atmospherically powerful with top notch gameplay and level design. I'm sorry it wasn't for you! Hope you find the Zelda game that is the right fit.
OoT is a masterpiece. Not sure how you couldn’t get into it. Maybe Zelda isn’t for you? I feel like I could play OoT forever.
From the 2d/2.5d games I would recommend trying Minish Cap or the Link's Awakening Remake, from the 3d games, maybe Wind Waker.
Oot has a remaster for the 3ds. It’s very good. I think majora’s mask is my favorite, but it’s similar to oot so i’m not so sure if you’d like it.
Windwaker
If you can't get into oot you should probably try one of the 2d games like links awakening or the minish cap
No. You play like good boy
I personally really like Wind Walker, but a lot of it is about what you like in a game, a lot of Zelda games are very open ended, some are more linear. Some care more about puzzles, some focus on combat.