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

One could think that two years post-launch since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrived, enthusiasts would have exhausted novel challenge runs that apply unique restrictions on a gameplay session. However, while numerous gamers have attempted to complete the game with only a stick, content creator PointCrow stands out as the individual who aimed to beat the game with a single branch—meaning, the very same stick throughout.

The streamer is famous for such difficult playthroughs, like the instance he played the game using only explosives or the attempt where he tried to beat the story with no energy. A single stick playthrough, however, sounds impossible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which requires the hero to wield the legendary blade. Additionally, there's the whole weapon wear system, which is particularly important when dealing with the most fragile weapon in the entire world. Yet if the branch shatters, that's the end. It's over.

So, How?

How did he do it? The straightforward answer is exploits. The full answer, believe it or not, is alternate dimensions. It turns out, you can manipulate the game's save file system to have separate game sessions that affect one another. So PointCrow creates a “setup” save where he advances standardly, and the real save, where he's limited. The preparatory save has him completing the prologue and initial tutorial island, and this Link acquires maximum stamina and health. From this point, he starts a cutscene and halts partway through to instruct the game to open an automatic save from the branch-only file. The system gets mixed up and creates a new save file that merges the states of the first two files.

This causes fresh problems, though. The merged file has a Link that never obtain the ability to access shrines. Fortunately, this is something that the save glitch fixes readily, but executing it means depending on an unstable build of the title that refuses to open some areas. As with everything else, he has a technical solution for it: He starts Tears of the Kingdom on its pre-release 1.0 build, and then updates the software midway through to make sure it begins functioning correctly.

Overcoming Weapon Wear and Other Challenges

Interestingly, the introductory version of the hero is programmed so that he cannot break any weapons he uses, presumably to avoid a situation where the player gets trapped at the beginning of the game. But that's also how the streamer gets around the durability problem, as the character he pulls between universes is the one from the start of the game. It's a smart technique, but not one that eliminates all possible friction. The stick is nonetheless a ineffective item 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 gives him an plentiful number of items to boost his attack, or stock up on healing spirits. He also makes use of a bug that allows him to phase through the world. Some would find these means grounds to discredit the validity of the run, but to my view, he's a resourceful gamer who is willing to do anything necessary to engage his viewer. He also uses a penalty of sorts stipulating that, for each spirit he employs, he'll remove one fan from his Twitch chat, creating an motivation to avoid overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Last Encounter

PointCrow succeeds to get through several of Tears of the Kingdom's main enemies, but the fights look grueling. The YouTube edit of his quest spares the viewer sit through the whole fights, which is a blessing when a few of them last multiple long hours. One enemy encounter, a powerful foe, requires an incredible twenty-three straight. The final villain battle, which depletes the hero's health as it unfolds, is a memorable tense moment. The indestructible branch is still just a piece of wood. He is unable to always clone items during the battle.

Did he succeed? Technically, PointCrow does defeat the dragon version of Ganon. But the game compels the player to wield the legendary weapon as the last attack, so technically, it's not fully a stick-only run. But what fun is that?

In the end, PointCrow banned more than 1,000 users in his Twitch chat. RIP.