There's a specific vibe, like there's a je nai se quois about certain open world games that are have come up post BOTW. PokemonSword/Shield and Legends, Palworld, Genshin, the new Sonic game apparently, etc. Feels like Banjo Kazooie on steroids. Like those had a similar vibe that's distinctly different to Skyrim or Just Cause or Batman Arkham or GTA or Elden Ring but they're all similar to each other? I can't put it into words properly.

Like, I'd say Fortnite Battle Royale is a BOTW-ified PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. And it's not strictly the climbing/gliding, I wouldn't say Spider-Man or Batman Arkham are BOTW-like, nor just the soft(er) animation style, I wouldn't say Raft or No Man's Sky is BOTW-like, nor the combat/crafting system

Although it may not necessarily be strictly a bad thing, to throw a different type of subgenre into a genre that was going to be dominated by GTA/Just Cause/Saints Row like open world, or a Splinter Cell/Assassin's Creed like open world, or a Minecraft/Roblox like open world or an Elder Scrolls like open world, etc.

Sheikah towers were just kinda stolen from Assassin’s Creed. The perches or whatever they were that unveiled the map. Breath of the Wild was heavily derivative of many games before its time. It’s just that they did what they wanted to do fairly well which is why it was a hit.