It's funny how for so many years I've seen Zelda fans complain about Zelda games being too linear and praising games when there was more choice and freedom involved. Then Breath of the Wild happens and suddenly people want Zelda games to be more restrictive again.
I loved Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker and while Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword get a lot right and even excel in areas where the others might not, I've personally always taken issue with their extremely linear progression and closed off design.
For me, Breath of the Wild felt like the kind of game Zelda always wanted to be but couldn't due to the limitations of the times. It may have come as a shock to many, myself included, just how different an experience Breath of the Wild was to previous entries that got complacent with a successful formula established in 1998. But so much had changed since then and in the midst of games like Assassin's Creed, Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, and Red Dead Redemption, Zelda was doing the same exact thing it did in 2006 that was iterating on a game from 1998, but with motion controls.
Breath of the Wild was a necessary reevaluation of the series and while it may have been lighter on structured gameplay and an epic narrative, what it did bring to the table far outweighed what it had lost because nothing was set in stone yet. Breath of the Wild was merely a foundation for what could be, and we're seeing that today with Tears of the Kingdom.
As long as Breath of the Wild's unconventional approach to specific elements doesn't completely eliminate the series' more traditional aspects, I see no problem with the direction the series is heading in, nor do I see why they can't co-exist without the need for the series to take a few steps back for the sake of nostalgia.
Tears of the Kingdom is already proof of this with the inclusion of dungeons and shrines, unique boss fights and enemy variety, and a stronger emphasis on story while still allowing for the complete freedom and exploration of its world. Is it the perfect mix and balance of the old and new? Maybe, maybe not. But it's still a sequel to Breath of the Wild and there's no reason to believe that future entries won't strike a better compromise that brings out the best in both to create the ultimate Zelda experience.