this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2026
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You didn't really make much of a case for those genres not evolving drastically, but kind of just went on a rant about Zelda games for a minute. Starting with Mario, there have been plenty of full 3D platformers out there. Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank just to name a few. Arguably the genre as a whole has fallen out of favor, but even so there has never been a shortage of games in the genre, at least some of which would introduce their own unique mechanics and innovations.
And Zelda? Are you one of those people who actually think Ocarina of Time has aged well? There has been plenty of others, such as Alundra, Elemental Gimmick Gear, Darksiders, Psychonauts, Beyond Good and Evil, and Okami. Speaking of evolution specifically, while Metroid is primarily credited as creating the "metroidvania" subgenre, it has to be noted that Metroid itself was directly influenced by Zelda and the subgenre as a whole is really just sidescrolling Zelda clones. But the advent of that subgenre is one such example of one of the directions the genre as a whole has evolved.
In terms of modern games, I would argue Star Wars Fallen Order, and Survivor, have both scratched more of the Zelda-style itch than Zelda games have in years.
And this isn't even getting into all the indie games out there. CrossCode is both a stellar action rpg as well as having distinct Zelda-like puzzle elements. A Hat in Time seems to have gotten relatively popular for a 3D platformer. Apparently Spongebob games keep being churned out. Celeste. Yoku's Island Express. Yooka-Laylee. Sonic games keep coming out. LittleBigPlanet. It Takes Two. Neon White. The Rayman series.
It's so easy to think of examples of games that have refined or pushed the envelope in those genres in many ways, since Mario 64, and OoT came out. All of these genres have become much more since then.
Half the games you mentioned are merchandising cash grabs, like the Star Wars, Spongebob and let's be honest Sonic games. Sega hasn't made an actual good Sonic game since 1994, it's a franchise entirely sustained by a generation of furries who had nothing else to latch their sexualities to. A Hat In Time and most egregiously Yooka-Laylee are late entries into dead genres. The collect-a-thon didn't survive the N64, DK64 is often pointed at as the genre killer, and Yooka-Laylee is Banjo-Kazooie in all but trademark.
Has OoT aged well? Meh, the N64's peculiar controls are a stumbling block, but I'd say the story and gameplay design holds up better than most of its immediate sequels.