I didn't know the story going on and found it very poignant. It made me cry. Whenever I hear the music I tear up a little. It's a gut punch of music that already sounds very somber yet hopeful combined with the characters embracing their obliteration because they know they'll still exist in your memories. Then when it's all said and done you just see Link on a boat and you realize the reason the art style is different in the intro and outro.

You say "it's linear" like it's some disadvantage. I would gladly play a new linear Zelda again with huge dungeons and plenty of related puzzles. I loved botw and botw2 but it's just missing something, every mechanic, every puzzle is a one-off. Nothing depends on anything else.

I played the original to dead and loved the remake.

Easily my #2 of my favorite LoZ of all time.

Especially the music in this game is just so awesome. I still get goosebumps when I hear the end credits roll or ballad of the windfish. The 8 bit version just blew me away when I first heard it, it's so freaking awesome. The remake was fanatically done, even the end credits scene paid homage to the 8 bit version. Also imho the best version of the LoZ main theme still to this day

Also we see Link's true dream girl, Marin. The first girl in the series we see that showed interest in Link. My headcanon is that, when link ever will meet his demise, he will go and be with Marin forever. In seagull form or whatever they choose.