Skyward Sword in particular was pretty linear despite technically having a literal ‘overworld’ of sorts.

I would say the original Zelda isn’t, but link to the past definitely holds up. Honestly most of the 2d Zelda’s from link to the past onwards are good

It hasn’t aged too badly, but it’s from an era where you were not necessarily expected to figure everything out on your own – talking about it with IRL friends or reading tips and tricks in a magazine (or on the early Internet/Usenet) were pretty normal. I would say give it a try but don’t be hesitant to look for a guide if you get stuck or lost.