Streaming Star Dedicates 37 Hours Attempting to Conquer <em>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</em> With Only a Single Branch

You might assume that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, enthusiasts would have run out of novel self-imposed challenges that impose unique rules on a playthrough. However, while numerous gamers have attempted to finish the game using only a stick, streamer PointCrow stands out as the player who aimed to clear the game with a single stick—specifically, the very same stick from start to finish.

The streamer is famous for these kinds of difficult playthroughs, like the time he went through the title solely with explosives or the effort where he tried to defeat the game with no energy. A one-branch playthrough, however, seems impossible at first glance. There's the game's introduction, which forces Link to use the legendary blade. Additionally, there's the whole weapon wear system, which is particularly relevant when dealing with the weakest weapon in the entire game. Yet if the stick shatters, that's the end. Game over.

So, How?

How did he do it? The straightforward explanation is glitches. The full answer, I kid you not, is parallel universes. Apparently, you can manipulate the game's save file system to have distinct playthroughs that impact one another. So the creator does a “setup” file where he advances normally, and the real save, where he's limited. The preparatory save has him completing the intro and initial tutorial island, and this Link gains full stamina and hearts. From this point, he triggers a cinematic and pauses partway through to tell the software to open an automatic save from the branch-only file. The game gets confused and creates a new game file that merges the states of the original two.

That creates new issues, though. The merged save file has a protagonist that did not acquired the capability to enter sacred places. Luckily, this is an issue that the save glitch addresses readily, but executing it means relying on an buggy version of the game that fails to load some locations. Like everything else, he has a clever workaround for it: He begins the game on its pre-release version 1.0, and then updates the software midway through to ensure it starts functioning correctly.

Bypassing Durability and Other Hurdles

Interestingly, the introductory form of Link is coded so that he is unable to damage any tools he wields, presumably to avoid a situation where the user gets trapped at the start of the adventure. But that's additionally how PointCrow gets around the durability problem, as the character he transfers across universes is the one from the start of the game. It's a smart trick, but not one that eradicates all potential difficulty. The stick is nonetheless a ineffective item that makes encounters tedious. But at that point, it's entirely a question of determination and dedication. It also helps that there's a duplication glitch that grants him an abundant number of items to improve his strength, or stock up on healing spirits. He also makes use of a glitch that allows Link to clip through the world. A few would find these methods reason to question the validity of the run, but to my view, he's a resourceful player who is ready to do anything necessary to entertain his viewer. He also uses a safeguard of kinds stipulating that, for each spirit he uses, he'll ban one fan from his live stream, establishing an motivation to avoid depend too much on them.

Major Battles and the Last Showdown

PointCrow manages to defeat several of Tears of the Kingdom's bosses, but the battles look grueling. The video version of his quest doesn't make the audience sit through the whole fights, which is a good thing when some of them last several hours. One boss fight, a powerful foe, requires an incredible twenty-three hours. The Ganondorf battle, which depletes Link's hearts as it unfolds, is a memorable tense moment. The indestructible stick is after all only a piece of wood. He is unable to always clone objects midway the fight.

So, is it possible? Technically, he manages to overcome the dragon version of Ganon. But the software compels the player to use the Master Sword as the final strike, so technically, it's not quite fully a stick-only run. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, the streamer banned over 1,000 people in his Twitch chat. RIP.