We even have an ignore feature!Level up? Dont you mean gear up? lol
BOTW is essentially the only zelda I've played so I can't compare it to others in the series.
Yeah the game can be hard like if you go up against an enemy before you're properly leveled, but once leveled up the enemies are easy. The only time I repeatedly struggled (didn't die, I could keep eating food) was when I fought the electric boss and didn't realise the gimmick to killing it.
There's no levels in any of the zelda games except for Zelda II but thats because Nintendo at the time tried to make the 2nd game different from the 1st one (just like Super Mario Bros 2 in the US).
Gearing up in BotW is different from gearing up in the previous zelda games - the previous zelda games only gave you a sword (about 3 in each game - OoT being the exception that gave you a 4th sword), shield (about 3 in each game) and armor (about 3 in each game). Sword increases damage a small amount, shield lets you block certain attacks (depending on the shield you have on) and the armor is the only thing that reduced defense.
In BotW, you had to equip a weapon (not necessarily a sword) of different varieties (Sword, Spear, Hammer, Axe, Boomerang, etc), three different armor pieces (helmet, body armor and leggings) and shield.
On top of that, the gear durability makes the game more enjoyable and gives more challenge than previous games.
Another major difference is the equipment in the other games other than being never broke, they never burnt and never gave you specific stats/features for different situations such as affecting weather (protection), environment (climbing, swimming, etc).
In BotW, you have to strategically use and swap gear from time to time at least from my experience with BotW, I was constantly swapping between gear I had - for an example I had stealth gear (Sheikah gear) when I wanted to avoid enemies or if I wanted to farm fairies/hunt animals, I had the soldier gear when I wanted to fight in combat, I had the climbing gear when I wanted something to use to increase my climbing speed, I had the Zora gear when I wanted to improve my swimming capabilities, I had my Goron gear when I wanted to explore the Death Mountain region, I had my Gerudo gear when I wanted to explore the desert and I had my Rito gear when I wanted to explore a cold environment.
You didnt have to wear anything specific or use anything specific in any other zelda games because nothing affected you.
There's also the introduction of using consumables, being able to forage the world for materials to make items - thats something that the older zelda games didnt have.
I also took advantage of using the environment as an advantage against enemies. Shooting bomb/fire arrows into a bush to create a wind drift so I can fly up to avoid being ganged on or to get a advantage of a high area shot, being able to use the rocks and trees (that were cut down, their logs) as traps or weapons to knock out enemies, to throw items to trick enemies or to distract them
^ None of this, you could do in any other Zelda game.
Hell, you can do crazy stuff such as creating a air car with a mining cart and fly around and do all sorts of crazy stuff. You can solve puzzles by using your own weapons and tools rather than the pre-placed game objects - thats what I did in the shrines, I used my metal weapons as conductors of electricity when I didnt have to use the pre-made game objects (like orbs or w/e their called to conduct electricity)
^ You couldnt do that in the other games because the the other games are linear in fashion and everything you need is already pre-set and you MUST use the pre-set tools to get past certain points in the game - botw gives you more freedom and such.
And I know some of you guys may say the story is weak and not strong - but playing other games in the series, I have to say the Story is way more well done than previous zelda games.
Like Mario, Zelda is a franchise that has its roots in its gameplay rather than its story. There is story in every Zelda game but its minimum and not deeply rooted in narration like other games you may have played. The story is minimal at points you would compare to other games but majority of the lore is told through the voices of the NPCs you encounter , NPCs that arent really main focus of the actual storyline which is to defeat Ganon and save hyrule yadayada.
I saw all the memory experiences in BotW and have to say, it has more story narration than any other Zelda game I played - SS and TP comes close but are not as deep imo.
Anyways, just because a game is easy or "kiddie" doesnt necessarily mean its bad. Especially when you explore the world, listen to the lore through the NPCs and items you find throughout the game (botw and others too), it looks like a kiddie game but has a lore that is pretty dark and grim at times - same thing with pokemon.
I didnt really get into the Zelda series until recently but have to say after playing a lot of the games lately, its easily one of my top 10 favorite franchises right now.
I recommend playing other titles in the series, each one is different in its theme, the way the story plays out and its overall design. Its like playing a Mario game, each game is different from the last. You'll enjoy it for its fun gameplay and overall design - despite how easy or kiddy it may look.
Basically an indie minecraftFar from it - nothing like it at all.
I tried Minecraft but could never get into it - got bored after playing it for a few days with friends.
