15 Lesser Known Gameplay Mechanics in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Manipulate environment for traversal

Traversal is a supremely important mechanic for open-world games; various modes of transport are a necessity, but also, when hoofing it on foot the player needs to scale obstacles as unimpeded as possible. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild features a neat little mechanic if Link encounters a seemingly impassable chasm. Should Link be face-to-face with a sheer drop there’ll likely be trees growing along the valley edge – Link can whip out an axe, chop the tree down, and with it construct a makeshift bridge to safely traverse the chasm gorge.