The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Visible destinations give players reasons to move through terrain. Traversal tools and reusable world rules provide several ways to tackle the journey.
2017 base game; not Tears of the Kingdom or its construction systems.
The appeal
Explore Hyrule by choosing routes and improvising with the environment.
- climb
- glide
- observe
- cook
- fight
- experiment
Gameplay loops
Moment-to-moment loop
Notice a landmark → plan a route → manage an obstacle → discover a reward or new viewpoint.
Session loop
Explore a region, solve shrines, gather supplies, and pursue a chosen objective.
Across sessions
Increase capabilities and equipment while learning more of the landscape and its rules.
Mechanics
A decision
A high ridge stands between you and a visible destination.
A destination can stay constant while terrain and available resources produce different plans.
What makes it interesting
Visibility gives the player a reason to form a goal before a quest marker assigns one. Terrain then turns that goal into a practical problem.
Reusable environmental rules can reward prediction: the player feels clever when an idea works because of a rule they understood, rather than a hidden designer exception.
Where it can fall short
- Freedom can leave players uncertain about their next useful step.
- Resource wear and environmental restrictions can encourage improvisation or interrupt a preferred style.
Can terrain create three understandable ways to reach one goal?
Build a small map with a climb, a safe detour, and a gliding route. Give each a distinct resource or time cost.
Ask players to explain their plan before moving and note whether the result matches their expectation.
Notes save in this browser.
Related lessons
- Rules, mechanics, and systems →See how a few interacting rules can produce many situations.
- Choices, uncertainty, and risk →Give players alternatives they can reason about without removing every surprise.
- Level and world design →Use space to guide attention, create choices, and pace discoveries.
Sources
Mechanics are cited below. The analysis and exercises are our interpretation. About the sources
Checked October 19, 2026.
- Explorer’s Guide ↗Nintendo’s gameplay guide.
- Breath of the Wild official product page ↗Official description and guide download.
