jonridan: The very first Zelda was "kinda" like Breath of the Wild, with the freedom and all that, but it had dungeons.
SirPrimalform: Not just dungeons, but the design philosophy of "get new item -> access new places". People often say Breath of the Wild is closer to the original Zelda, but I don't see it.
Actually, the first Zelda didn't really use that philosohy much. The raft, ladder, and flute are used to access new places, but those are the only non-buyable items you actually need for that. The bow is needed to kill certain enemies, but I don't remember if any spot in the first quest is gated by that. Bombs and the blue candle can be bought in shops, the red candle isn't necessary, and the only other item you actually *need* to beat the game is the silver arrow.
* Master key is unnecessary because you can buy keys.
* The letter only lets you get potions, which are not necessary (though they *are* useful).
* The wooden sword is given at the start, and that's all you technically need. (In fact, you can get past everything except Gannon without it.)
* The wand and book aren't required (though at least the wand is useful; it's debatable whether the book is worth getting).
* The power bracelet doesn't actually gate anything that you need, though it does make travel easier and is (IIRC) used to get the letter.
So, 3 items you need to find, and almost the entire game is open to you. Add a sword, and you can now complete the entire game. Not *quite* as free as Breath of the Wild (but then again, there's no tutorial plateau, either), but you don't need as many of the items as you think.
It's not until Zelda 2 where you find your progress constantly gated by items or spells that you need to find.
Also, A Link to the Past's dark world is non-linear; the many of the dungeon treasures are only needed in that dungeon. (In fact, I find that doing level 4 before 2 or 3 is a good strategy in order to get the sword upgrade early.)