There's a lot of talk about why reviewers - including me - talk about the old school structure of the game. Ive translated a small part of my review that hopefully explains it better. Keep in mind this is translated from Dutch so go easy on me.
"Apart from the unique setting, Link's Awakening is very similar to that other top-down Zelda-game that received praise in the ninetees: A Link to the Past. Just as in that game, during this adventure you'll collect items to gain access to new places and dungeons. Even though the game is situated on a unique island, the locations are for the most part very recognisable for Zelda-players. You'll visit a small village, maze-like forests, mountains, a lake and a desert. Its standard stuff for Zelda-players.
This structure has been a staple of Zelda-games for all these years for good reason. Its still very satisfying to solve puzzles in a new area, get access to a dungeon and find a new item, and to repeat this gameplayloop for eight or so times. Still, the concept is as old as the franchise itself. Recently published Zelda-games like Breath of the Wild and Cadence of Hyrule were so succesful in shaking things up for the series, that they make Link's Awakening feel like a step backwards every now and then. Its not the end of the world, but for long time fans it makes the experience feel a bit routinely at times."
Hope that helps!
