Idk if I’d call Link to the Past a step backwards outright just because it returned to a formula that more fans, at the time, preferred. It also pushed a lot of new things and introduced a lot of series staples. But I get why, when looking solely at the formula it seems like regressing. It just turns out that the formula had the perfect ratios of everything the second time around.
There’s a similar pattern in (not Japanese) Mario and Fire Emblem. Make a game, then the sequel changes things up, then the threequel returns to the original formula and refines it a bunch.
Idk if I’d call Link to the Past a step backwards outright just because it returned to a formula that more fans, at the time, preferred. It also pushed a lot of new things and introduced a lot of series staples. But I get why, when looking solely at the formula it seems like regressing. It just turns out that the formula had the perfect ratios of everything the second time around.
There’s a similar pattern in (not Japanese) Mario and Fire Emblem. Make a game, then the sequel changes things up, then the threequel returns to the original formula and refines it a bunch.