Streaming Star Dedicates Thirty-Seven Straight Trying to Beat <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> With Only a Single Stick

You might assume that two years post-launch since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom debuted, fans would have exhausted creative self-imposed challenges that apply unique restrictions on a playthrough. Yet, while many players have tried to finish the game with just a wooden stick, streamer PointCrow holds the record as the individual who endeavored to beat the game with a one branch—meaning, the very same one from start to finish.

PointCrow is famous for such challenge runs, like the instance he went through the game solely with bombs or the effort where he tried to defeat the story with zero energy. A one-branch playthrough, however, sounds unfeasible at face value. There's the opening sequence, which forces Link to use the Master Sword. Additionally, there's the whole weapon wear mechanic, which is especially important when working with the most fragile weapon in the whole world. Yet if the branch breaks, that's the end. Game over.

So, How?

So, how? The straightforward answer is exploits. The full answer, believe it or not, is parallel universes. Apparently, you can tweak the game's save file system to have distinct game sessions that affect one another. So the creator creates a “preparation” file where he advances normally, and the real save, where he's limited. The preparatory file has him completing the intro and initial starting area, and this Link gains maximum stamina and hearts. From here, he starts a cinematic and pauses partway through to tell the software to open an automatic save from the branch-only file. The game gets mixed up and generates a third save file that combines the conditions of the original two.

This creates new issues, however. The merged save file has a Link that did not acquired the ability to enter sacred places. Fortunately, this is something that the file exploit addresses readily, but pulling it off means depending on an unstable build of the title that fails to open some areas. As with everything else, he has a technical solution for it: He starts Tears of the Kingdom on its early version 1.0, and then updates the game midway through to ensure it begins functioning correctly.

Overcoming Durability and Additional Hurdles

Interestingly, the introductory form of the hero is programmed so that he is unable to damage any tools he uses, presumably to prevent a situation where the player gets stuck at the beginning of the game. But that's additionally how the streamer gets around the durability problem, as the Link he transfers across universes is the one from the beginning of the game. It's a clever technique, but not a method that eliminates all potential friction. The stick is nonetheless a ineffective item that makes encounters tedious. But at that point, it's all a question of grit and dedication. It further aids that there's a duplication glitch that gives him an plentiful number of items to improve his strength, or stock up on healing spirits. He additionally makes use of a glitch that allows Link to phase through the environment. Some would consider these means grounds to discredit the validity of the attempt, but to my view, he's a resourceful player who is willing to do whatever it takes to engage his viewer. He further implements a penalty of sorts stating that, for every spirit he employs, he'll ban a viewer from his Twitch chat, creating an motivation to avoid overly rely on them.

Major Battles and the Last Showdown

The streamer succeeds to defeat many of Tears of the Kingdom's main enemies, but the battles look grueling. The YouTube version of his journey doesn't make the viewer sit through the whole conflicts, which is a good thing when a few of them take several hours. A particular boss fight, a powerful foe, requires an incredible 23 hours. The final villain battle, which depletes the hero's hearts as it progresses, is a notable tense moment. The unbreakable branch is after all only a stick. He can't always duplicate items midway the fight.

So, is it possible? In a matter of speaking, PointCrow does defeat the beast form of Ganon. But the software forces the user to wield the Master Sword as the final strike, so strictly speaking, it's not fully a branch-exclusive run. But what fun is that?

When everything is said and done, PointCrow removed over a thousand people in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.