Zelda engineers are building some very cool animal-inspired contraptions

Since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, Legend of Zelda fans have created a bunch of amazing things using its fuse mechanics.

Though its modding scene is already producing plenty of interesting add-ons, arguably the most impressive aspect of the numerous builds that players have managed to put together so far is that the majority can be assembled using objects already in the game.

While one group of technically-skilled tinkerers are now racing their best vehicle builds around Hyrule, a couple of their peers have decided to use their creative skills to put together contraptions that David Attenborough would probably dig.

Have you tried to build a mechanical creature in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom yet?

Alongside the array of impressive flying machines and automobiles that have become commonplace over the past few months, a number of animal-inspired creations have recently begun popping up on the Hyrule Engineering subreddit.

User Katasan84’s “wholly impractical whale contraption” is a prime example of what looks to be a bit of an emerging trend. As you can see in the clip they shared as part of their post, the creation does a pretty good job of mimicking the movement of a fish, being propelled along by sweeping thrusts of fins and a tail made of railings.

It also lives up to the size of its main aquatic inspiration, with Katasan84 having revealed in a comment that they had to zoom out the camera to capture its full form. Some of their fellow engineers have suggested it also bears some similarities to that of a shark.

Equally impressive is fittingly-named user nikorabbit’s attempt at making a bird contraption that can drink from a river, thanks to a large fire that pushes the balloon attached to its rear upwards, causing its head to dip as it pivots. Unfortunately, its beak still isn’t quite long enough to reach the water.

While these interesting builds could end up being one-offs instead of the start of a wider trend, given the nature of the Hylian engineering community, odds are we’ll see someone manage to put together an entire zoo worth of animal contraptions at some point soon.

Regardless of what you’ve been getting up to in Tears of the Kingdom lately, make sure to follow us for a bunch of helpful guides that can aid your adventures in Hyrule by showing you how to find the secret Gerudo shop, grab a Hylian shield or unlock Skyview Towers.