The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an action-adventure game where you play as Link and explore Hyrule. Eventually you defeat Ganon and save Zelda. One of the most important part of what makes BOTW fun is discovery.
In BOTW, there are many mechanics that create the aesthetic of discovery. First, the game is open-world, so the players are given the freedom to traverse the entire world however they want instead of being confined to a fixed linear path. The game also provides many tools for traversal, which gives players a great level of flexibility when exploring the world. For example, Link is able to climb almost any walls, and can glide down from high places to reach faraway places. Finally, the game’s map design also has many mechanics to help make the exploration fun and secretly provide structure for the players. For example, there are tall towers around the map that are visible from far away, these towers serve as guideposts for players during exploration. When players reach these towers, they are able to reveal a portion of the map. There are also many interesting locations dotted across the map, such as shrines, towns, story events, and Korok seeds that make exploration meaningful for players.
These mechanics create a dynamic where players are encouraged to wander off the main path and discover the world. It is an addicting feedback system where players constantly get intrigued by that interesting looking place in the distance and set forth on journeys to reach those places. When playing BOTW, players feel like they are truly on an adventure and experience many moments with a genuine sense of discovery.
