10 Pointless Details In Recent Video Games That’ll Blow Your Mind
Those utterly stunning, but utterly pointless pieces of detail seen in recent video games.
To those of us who don’t make them, crafting a really excellent video game is a kind of magic in and of itself before we talk about the tiny inclusions that have us asking “how on earth did they think to do that?”
Any of the games on this list would have been fantastic, even without the very minor inclusions we’re highlighting, but it’s the attention to detail represented by these entries which elevate them to the next level. Would we have enjoyed a great game any less if the developers didn’t dilate the protagonists pupils in certain lighting or give us a different swimming animation? Probably not, but it’s pretty cool that they did it anyway.
With such fun intricacies in mind, then, here are ten examples of times video game developers went the extra mile to deliver some ridiculously cool, but totally pointless pieces of detail.
10. You Can Press ZL For An Alternate Swimming Animation - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Just because a detail is pointless doesn’t mean it isn’t really cool once you notice it, and this is a perfect example of that. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you might notice that while you can swim just fine without doing so, pressing ZL will give you an alternate swimming animation. The especially cool thing about this animation is that it’s a direct reference to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
You know that weird little side swim Link had in his first 3D outing on N64? Yeah, it’s that.
You might also recognise the animation from Twilight Princess. Honestly, I could fill this list with cool little details that enrich the world and showcase the complexity of the mechanics in Breath of the Wild, but we’d better highlight some other games, too.
Although, being able to shade yourself by holding a big weapon over your head is cool. And so is using Sun Shrooms and Spicy Peppers as updrafts. Alright, I’m done.