I thought they handled the relationship in SS pretty well. It gave Link far more motivation than usual, in my opinion. I also liked how it felt like they were normal teenagers that got wrapped up in something way bigger than either of them. You even got that feeling from Groose, who wasn't someone tied up in any destiny but still managed to make an impact. It was all clever and not overbearing.
At the very least, it was way better than Ilia. They tried to make her Link's motivation but then she ended up being completely unimportant for the rest of the game.
I will say, they do need to come up with a different motivation for Link this time around. "My Sister/Lover/Princess" got kidnapped is really old at this point. ALTTP had his uncle as the initial catalyst and I thought that worked pretty well. Introduce a rival or something like that. Ghirahim was close to that, but you didn't see him till later on. Have something get stolen from his village or something... anything else.
At the very least, it was way better than Ilia. They tried to make her Link's motivation but then she ended up being completely unimportant for the rest of the game.
I will say, they do need to come up with a different motivation for Link this time around. "My Sister/Lover/Princess" got kidnapped is really old at this point. ALTTP had his uncle as the initial catalyst and I thought that worked pretty well. Introduce a rival or something like that. Ghirahim was close to that, but you didn't see him till later on. Have something get stolen from his village or something... anything else.