This is false; Zelda *was* the story. The entire game, the objective is to go through X area to either find Zelda or secure Zelda. This caused the story to suck in that the areas themselves had no life to them. Yes, there were the races. But they hardly felt established. They seemed to be like NPCs saying "yo boss do this task that you would do in any other Zelda game, but without the heart or soul." Whereas ina game like Wind Waker, the NPCs had some plight you had to help THEM with, and helping them was tethered to the task that you'd do in any other Zelda game (e.g. Forest Haven was in turmoil because Makar was an idiot ****ing with the Forbidden Woods, which causes Link to go there and help him out).They put Zelda in the game just so it can be a Legend of Zelda game. She was of little importance to the story.
So like, the entire game we're chasing after this girl who is SUPPOSED to mean something important, so everything else we encounter bar Ghirahim, Impa, Groose, and maybe Demise is left unimportant and in the dust; mere afterthoughts.