Streaming Star Dedicates Thirty-Seven Hours Trying to Beat <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a One Branch

One could think that after two years since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom debuted, enthusiasts would have run out of novel self-imposed challenges that apply special restrictions on a playthrough. However, although numerous gamers have tried to finish Tears of the Kingdom using just a stick, streamer the streamer holds the record as the player who aimed to beat the adventure with a single stick—meaning, the very same one throughout.

The streamer is famous for these kinds of challenge runs, like the time he played the game solely with explosives or the effort where he tried to defeat the game with zero stamina. A single stick run, though, seems impossible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which requires Link to wield the Master Sword. Then, there's the entire weapon wear system, which is especially important when working with the most fragile weapon in the entire game. But if the branch breaks, that's it. It's over.

So, How?

How did he do it? The simple explanation is glitches. The full answer, I kid you not, is alternate dimensions. It turns out, you can manipulate the game's save file system to have distinct game sessions that affect one another. So PointCrow does a “setup” file where he progresses normally, and the actual save, where he's limited. The preparatory file has him completing the prologue and initial starting area, and this character gains full stamina and health. From here, he triggers a cutscene and pauses partway through to tell the game to open an automatic save from the branch-only file. The system gets mixed up and generates a new game file that merges the states of the original two.

This creates fresh issues, however. The fused file has a protagonist that did not acquired the ability to enter sacred places. Fortunately, this is an issue that the file exploit fixes easily, but executing it means depending on an buggy version of the game that fails to open some areas. As with everything else, he has a technical workaround for it: He starts Tears of the Kingdom on its pre-release 1.0 build, and then updates the game midway through to make sure it starts working properly.

Overcoming Durability and Additional Hurdles

Interestingly, the prologue form of Link is coded so that he is unable to break any tools he uses, likely to prevent a situation where the player gets trapped at the start of the adventure. But that's additionally how PointCrow gets around the durability problem, as the character he pulls across universes is the version from the start of the game. It's a clever trick, but not one that eliminates all potential friction. The stick is nonetheless a ineffective weapon that renders encounters tedious. But at that stage, it's all a question of grit and perseverance. It also aids that there's a copying exploit that grants him an plentiful supply of items to improve his attack, or stock up on revival fairies. He also employs a glitch that enables him to clip through the world. Some would consider these methods grounds to question the legitimacy of the run, but to my view, he's a resourceful player who is ready to do anything necessary to engage his audience. He also uses a safeguard of kinds stipulating that, for each spirit he employs, he'll ban a viewer from his Twitch chat, establishing an motivation to avoid overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Final Showdown

The streamer manages to defeat several of Tears of the Kingdom's bosses, but the fights appear painful. The video edit of his quest spares the viewer sit through the whole conflicts, which is a blessing when a few of them last several long hours. A particular boss fight, a powerful foe, takes an astonishing 23 straight. The Ganondorf battle, which erases Link's health as it unfolds, is a memorable tense moment. The unbreakable branch is still just a piece of wood. He is unable to necessarily duplicate items midway the fight.

Did he succeed? Technically, he does overcome the beast form of the antagonist. But the software forces the player to wield the legendary weapon as the last attack, so strictly speaking, it's not quite fully a stick-only playthrough. But where's the challenge in that?

When everything is said and done, PointCrow banned over 1,000 people in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.