A game I’ve loved for a while is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There is one aspect in particular that makes the game interesting to play: weapon durability. There are 127 different melee weapons, 33 shields, and 25 bows in the game, each with a set amount of durability. The main mechanic is that when the durability of the weapon is depleted, it breaks and disappears from the game until the next blood moon occurs (a mechanic that respawns all enemies and weapons). The weapons also deal double damage and stagger the enemy on the last hit that breaks the weapon, and they’re able to be thrown at enemies for the same effect in exchange for the weapon breaking instantly on contact.
These mechanics add the dynamic of players needing to be careful, resourceful, and creative in how they use their weapons. It also encourages the dynamic of exploration as weapon durability makes every new weapon that’s discovered in the world useful and important, a very unique dynamic compared to many other games (e.g. Skyrim). These dynamics create the aesthetic of challenge: it challenges the player to acquire new and stronger weapons by defeating enemies, completing shrines, defeating dungeons, etc. and also challenges them to use their weapons wisely. The dynamics also create the aesthetic of discovery, as they compel players to explore around the world and acquire new weapons to keep being able to fight and progress through the story.
