Streaming Star Dedicates Thirty-Seven Hours Trying to Beat <em>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a One Stick

One could think that after two years since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, fans would have exhausted novel challenge runs that impose special restrictions on a playthrough. However, although many players have attempted to complete Tears of the Kingdom using just a wooden stick, streamer PointCrow holds the record as the individual who endeavored to beat the game with a one branch—specifically, the very same one from start to finish.

PointCrow is famous for these kinds of difficult playthroughs, like the time he played the game solely with explosives or the effort where he aimed to defeat the game with zero energy. A one-branch run, however, seems impossible at face value. There's the opening sequence, which requires Link to use the Master Sword. Then, there's the entire durability system, which is especially relevant when working with the most fragile tool in the entire game. Yet if the branch shatters, that's it. Game over.

The Method Behind the Madness

So, how? The straightforward answer is exploits. The complete answer, believe it or not, is parallel universes. It turns out, you can manipulate the game's save file system to have separate playthroughs that affect one another. So PointCrow creates a “preparation” save where he progresses normally, and the actual save, where he's limited. The preparatory save has him completing the prologue and initial starting area, and this Link gains full stamina and hearts. From here, he triggers a cutscene and halts partway through to tell the software to open an automatic save from the stick file. The system gets confused and creates a new save file that merges the states of the first two files.

This causes new problems, however. The fused file has a Link that did not obtain the ability to enter shrines. Fortunately, this is an issue that the file exploit fixes readily, but pulling it off means relying on an buggy version of the title that refuses to load certain locations. Like other obstacles, he has a technical workaround for it: He begins the game on its pre-release version 1.0, and then patches the game partway through to make sure it starts functioning correctly.

Bypassing Durability and Other Hurdles

Curiously, the prologue version of Link is coded so that he is unable to damage any tools he uses, presumably to avoid a situation where the user gets trapped at the beginning of the game. But that's additionally how the streamer bypasses the durability problem, as the Link he transfers across dimensions is the one from the start of the story. It's a smart trick, but not one that eliminates all possible friction. The branch is still a weak item that makes battles onerous. But at that point, it's all a matter of determination and dedication. It further aids that there's a duplication glitch that gives him an abundant number of consumables to improve his attack, or accumulate on healing spirits. He additionally employs a glitch that enables Link to clip 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 anything necessary to entertain his viewer. He also implements a penalty of sorts stating that, for every spirit he uses, he'll ban one fan from his Twitch chat, creating an motivation to avoid overly rely on them.

Major Battles and the Last Encounter

The streamer succeeds to get through several of Tears of the Kingdom's bosses, but the fights appear grueling. The YouTube version of his quest spares the viewer endure the entire fights, which is a good thing when some of them last several long hours. One boss fight, Queen Gibdo, requires an astonishing 23 hours. The Ganondorf showdown, which erases the hero's health as it unfolds, is a notable tense moment. The unbreakable branch is after all just a stick. He is unable to always clone objects during the fight.

So, is it possible? In a matter of speaking, PointCrow manages to overcome the beast form of the antagonist. But the software compels the player to use the legendary weapon as the last attack, so technically, it's not completely a branch-exclusive playthrough. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, the streamer banned over 1,000 people in his live stream. Rest in peace.