Genuinely so much better than people give it credit for. At least it tried something new in terms of aesthetics, sound design, etc. No Zelda game looks or feels like this. It is a brief glimpse into a world where Zelda was allowed to be radically different and new: a world where Zelda could be rendered blissfully unrecognizable. Unlike the other CDi games, which were clearly derived from the 80s/90s television show, this game has an identity all of its own, yet is tied to the Zelda IP. Frankly, this game is the bravest and boldest of the whole series and it deserves credit for that.

Given its reputation, it is more fun than one might think as well, with lots of nice secrets and fun items to collect (too many of these, however), although it is also quite severely hindered by its hardware limitations. Ah well. People are too mean to this game.