I am almost done with Echoes of Wisdom and thought the map was the perfect size for the game. I always felt like Breath of the Wild’s map was too large for what was offered. Tears of the Kingdom kind of made that worse by doubling the map underneath and having it mostly be empty.
Of the games I’ve played, I’d pick Majora’s Mask. The reduced size and linearity combines well with the time mechanic and forced repetition. I don’t agree that the BotW/TotK map was too large, though. The “emptiness” was kind of the point of those games. The space allows you to appreciate the little things like grass swaying in the wind or the distant sounds of animals.