Streaming Star Spends 37 Hours Attempting to Conquer <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a Single Branch

One could think that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, enthusiasts would have run out of creative challenge runs that impose unique restrictions on a playthrough. However, although numerous gamers have tried to complete the game with just a stick, content creator the streamer holds the record as the individual who endeavored to clear the adventure with a one stick—meaning, the very same stick from start to finish.

The streamer is renowned for such challenge runs, such as the instance he went through the title using only bombs or the effort where he aimed to defeat the story with no stamina. A one-branch run, however, sounds impossible at face value. There's the opening sequence, which requires Link to use the legendary blade. Additionally, there's the whole durability system, which is especially important when working with the most fragile tool in the whole game. But if the stick breaks, that's it. It's over.

So, How?

How did he do it? The simple explanation is exploits. The complete 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 impact one another. So PointCrow does a “setup” file where he advances standardly, and the actual file, where he's limited. The setup save has him completing the intro and initial starting area, and this character gains maximum stamina and hearts. From this point, he starts a cutscene and halts midway through to instruct the game to open an auto-save from the stick file. The system gets mixed up and generates a new game file that combines the conditions of the original two.

That creates new issues, though. The fused file has a Link that never obtain the ability to enter sacred places. Luckily, this is something that the save glitch fixes readily, but pulling it off means depending on an unstable build of the title that fails to open some locations. Like other obstacles, he has a technical solution for it: He begins Tears of the Kingdom on its pre-release version 1.0, and then patches the software partway through to ensure it begins working properly.

Overcoming Durability and Additional Challenges

Curiously, the prologue form of the hero is coded so that he cannot break any tools he uses, likely to avoid a scenario where the user gets stuck at the beginning of the adventure. But that's additionally how PointCrow bypasses the durability problem, as the Link he transfers between dimensions is the one from the beginning of the story. It's a clever trick, but not one that eradicates all potential difficulty. The branch is still a ineffective item that makes encounters onerous. But at that stage, it's all a question of determination and dedication. It also helps that there's a copying exploit that grants him an plentiful supply of consumables to boost his attack, or stock up on revival fairies. He also makes use of a bug that enables him to clip through the environment. A few would find these means grounds to question the legitimacy of the attempt, but to my view, he's a inventive player who is willing to do anything necessary to engage his audience. He also implements a penalty of kinds stipulating that, for every spirit he employs, he'll ban one fan from his Twitch chat, creating an incentive to avoid depend too much on them.

Boss Fights and the Final Showdown

PointCrow succeeds to defeat several of the game's bosses, but the fights appear painful. The video version of his quest doesn't make the viewer sit through the entire fights, which is a good thing when some of them last several long hours. One enemy encounter, a powerful foe, requires an astonishing twenty-three straight. The Ganondorf battle, which erases the hero's health as it progresses, is a memorable nail-biter. The indestructible stick is still only a stick. He is unable to always clone objects during the battle.

Did he succeed? In a matter of speaking, PointCrow manages to overcome the beast form of Ganon. But the software forces the player to wield the Master Sword as the last attack, so strictly speaking, it's not quite completely a stick-only run. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, PointCrow removed more than a thousand people in his Twitch chat. RIP.