From Studio Ghibli inspired style of Breath of the Wild to watercolor painting of Skyward Sword & now marionettes the artstyle of Zelda has never been uninspired or soulless. If anything it’s never been afraid to experiment compared to contemporaries.
With the OOT remake I think people will start to understand what it’s like as a professional artist. It’s not always “make this look as cool as possible” sometimes clients want you to match a certain style. Looking at the inspiration, you can tell the new designs are accurate