Linkle's pretty cute. I do kinda wish she was a playable option for Breath of the Wild, because man, you can't just INTRODUCE THAT in hyrule warriors, make me all excited, and then take it away. My heart is broken, nintendo...
Honestly, I think there's a good amount of difference between genderbender and making a different character. Like, Linkle could easily just be a separate character, instead of just a "female link." That's the better way of going about it. Sorta like how pokemon does it.
She is actually characterized quite differently from Link, and her method of combat is also much different. She may look like a gender-swapped Link, but she's actually a pretty different character.