I think it's done fairly well, but the novelty isn't there for an older PC gamer.

I have heard plenty of people talk about how new the open world is to them in BotW (in a way that clearly suggests they've never tried it before). The novelty factor of any (to the user) new game genre amplifies the positive reaction.

I don't know any prior open-world game that makes the physical exploration of the landscape feel as natural and enjoyable as BOTW. That felt like a new experience to me. The closest I could identify would be Just Cause 2, but movement on the ground in that game feels much more clunky. There's certainly an aesthetic aspect to it as well.