7 More Hidden Video Game Design Secrets That Are Total Genius

7. The Last Bit Of Stamina Means More Than You Think - Dark Souls 3 & LoZ: Breath Of The Wild

When it comes to modern third-person action games, stamina is key. There is nothing worse than running out of juice right in the heat of battle, and getting spent in Dark Souls is the absolute worst. The game is hard enough without being unable to lift a sword or ladle to fight back, but it seems like FromSoftware decided to take a slight bit of pressure off for those in the thick of it.

Interestingly, you don’t actually have to have the required amount of stamina or Focus Points to cast weapon arts, just that you need to have a sliver left for the animation to trigger. This little tweak means you might be able to land the final blow or force an opponent to back off for a breather. It’s technically cheating the system, but in a game as demanding as this, a very welcome addition.

This is also the case in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as no matter your remaining stamina when climbing, Link can always make that last-ditch effort leap to grab an outcrop of land, even if you’ve only a tiny amount remaining.