For me where Mario 64 excels is that it gives you a set of moves (back flip, wall jump, triple jump etc) and a non linear obstacle course for each level, where your goal is just to grab the stars. There’s a path they want you to take, but nothing stops you from getting creative and messing around with the moves you have available to you and finding unique ways to get the stars. So anytime I replay the game I’m thinking what are some different ways I can go about getting the star, maybe it’s a faster way or a harder way with a cool looking maneuver. Just look at a Mario 64 speed run, most of the moves they do aren’t too difficult with a few tries, and they’re super fun to pull off.
That said I haven’t played OOT so can’t really compare them