> But why should that matter, and even if it does why would you draw the line there? Zelda etc. hardly demand a high skill level in terms of twitch FPS-like mechanics; whether you will win a given fight is determined far more by your character's progression (both equipment and "stats", even if you only have one stat in Zelda) than by the player's skill level.
Different Zelda games have different difficulty curves, but the difference is there really is a skill curve to Zelda games. If you mistime your attack, it hits the shield. There isn't a way to make Link stronger, you just have to get the timing right. In an RPG, there is no way to get better at casting Thunder through player skill. You just have to get more levels or a higher magic stat.
These are very different core gameplay experiences and to me it's what separates action games from RPGs. Obviously there are games that do both - Diablo is a classic example of an Action RPG. I'd say the FFVII Remake is mostly an Action game but it has RPG elements due to its origins.
Combat just isn't the core gameplay experience though. When people talk about Zelda they talk about exploring the world, about the plot opening up, about the puzzles they got stuck on. They don't talk much about their favourite boss fights, and when they do it's usually about puzzling-out parts (figuring out what you had to do to defeat x) rather than the real-time part.
I agree that there's some difference, but we wouldn't consider every game with quick-time events to be an action game. Fundamentally it's just a small part of the experience, and not a genre-defining distinction IMO.
Different Zelda games have different difficulty curves, but the difference is there really is a skill curve to Zelda games. If you mistime your attack, it hits the shield. There isn't a way to make Link stronger, you just have to get the timing right. In an RPG, there is no way to get better at casting Thunder through player skill. You just have to get more levels or a higher magic stat.
These are very different core gameplay experiences and to me it's what separates action games from RPGs. Obviously there are games that do both - Diablo is a classic example of an Action RPG. I'd say the FFVII Remake is mostly an Action game but it has RPG elements due to its origins.