A friend of mine installed minecraft after like 5 years or even more, he was playing it like crazy back then. He died like ten times before giving up...
I feel like new players have a hard time now in Minecraft because its full of "new mechanics" and monsters and traps and god knows what..
You can think about it as how the games fall on the hand-holding spectrum. Elden Ring and BOTW are clustered closer together on the left side of "No Guidance", and the further right you go towards "Linear" you'll see the other games. Sure there's a big gap between ER and BOTW, but it's less than between BOTW and its next peer.
There's also the added dimension that Elden Ring and BOTW both share this unique quality that even random encounters can turn life-or-death, especially when running into new classes of mobs, and you have to be very patient and get absorbed into the moment or you're rewarded with death even when you're convinced you did the right thing. There's no room for quick drags of a cigarette in the middle of a fight, and instead you're rewarded with the outcome possible with incredible focus and game play experience that leaves you feeling like a superhero.
That sums it up. Enjoyment comes from core game play mechanics, not quest content. I'd be just as happy with core Street Fighter mechanics in an open world, with no-explanation filler content between boss encounters.
Skyrim, GTA, and RDR2 all share the same "Main Mission" mechanic that helps keep players centered on overall story progression while leaving room for side quests and exploration. This "go there, do this, go there" cycle doesn't exist in BOTW or Elden Ring.