I have both of your experiences (with different games). I played many NES/SNES games a child, and experienced much awe and wonder, felt extreme freedom in what

I have both of your experiences (with different games). I played many NES/SNES games a child, and experienced much awe and wonder, felt extreme freedom in what I could do, and was just sucked into the worlds crafted as a child. But due to limited fund, I didn't experience every such game, one being the first LoZ. When I did experience in college, it didn't have the same wonder of the games I played as a child. Not just LoZ, but basically every 'missed' game I tried. I think it is just a sign of growing up and learning about the man behind the curtain with fictional stories. As a child I felt like there was more game there than really was. In Chrono Trigger I felt like there was so much story I was missing. As an adult I realize that none of what I imagined was ever coded. It didn't exist. As an adult I grapple that with fiction, it is all fake. As a child, I didn't have that weight. These days I try to capture of the magic of 'if this fictional world was real and not limited just to what the author(s) painted', but as a child that came far more natural.