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

You might assume that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom debuted, fans would have run out of creative self-imposed challenges that impose unique restrictions on a playthrough. However, while numerous players have tried to complete Tears of the Kingdom with just a stick, content creator the streamer holds the record as the individual who aimed to beat the game with a one stick—specifically, the exact same stick from start to finish.

The streamer is famous for such challenge runs, such as the instance he went through the title using only bombs or the attempt where he tried to beat the game with zero stamina. A single stick run, though, sounds impossible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which requires Link to use the legendary blade. Additionally, there's the whole weapon wear system, which is particularly relevant when working with the most fragile weapon in the entire game. But if the stick breaks, that's the end. Game over.

The Method Behind the Madness

So, how? The simple answer is exploits. The complete story, I kid you not, is alternate dimensions. Apparently, you can tweak the game's saving mechanism to have distinct playthroughs that impact one another. So PointCrow creates a “setup” save where he progresses normally, and the real file, where he's restricted. The setup file has him completing the intro and first tutorial island, and this Link acquires maximum endurance and hearts. From here, he triggers a cinematic and pauses midway through to tell the game to load an automatic save from the stick file. The game gets confused and generates a third game file that combines the states of the first two files.

That causes new issues, though. The merged save file has a protagonist that did not acquired the ability to enter sacred places. Luckily, this is something that the file exploit addresses readily, but executing it means depending on an unstable version of the title that fails to open some areas. As with other obstacles, he has a technical solution for it: He begins Tears of the Kingdom on its early 1.0 build, and then patches the game partway through to ensure it begins working properly.

Bypassing Durability and Other Challenges

Curiously, the prologue version of the hero is coded so that he is unable to break any tools he wields, likely to prevent a scenario where the player gets trapped at the beginning of the game. But that's additionally how the streamer bypasses the durability problem, as the Link he pulls between universes is the one from the beginning of the game. It's a smart trick, but not one that eliminates all potential friction. The branch is nonetheless a ineffective weapon that renders battles tedious. But at that stage, it's entirely a matter of determination and perseverance. It also helps that there's a copying exploit that gives him an abundant supply of consumables to boost his attack, or stock up on healing spirits. He additionally employs a bug that enables Link to phase through the world. Some would find these methods grounds to discredit the legitimacy of the attempt, but in my mind, he's a inventive player who is willing to do whatever it takes to entertain his audience. He further uses a penalty of sorts stipulating that, for each spirit he uses, he'll ban a viewer from his live stream, establishing an incentive to avoid depend too much on them.

Boss Fights and the Final Showdown

PointCrow succeeds to defeat several of the game's main enemies, but the battles appear painful. The YouTube version of his journey doesn't make the viewer endure the whole conflicts, which is a blessing when a few of them last multiple hours. A particular enemy encounter, a powerful foe, requires an astonishing 23 straight. The final villain battle, which depletes Link's hearts as it progresses, is a notable tense moment. The unbreakable branch is after all just a piece of wood. He is unable to always duplicate items during the fight.

So, is it possible? Technically, PointCrow does defeat the beast form of Ganon. But the game forces the player to use the legendary weapon as the last strike, so technically, it's not quite fully a stick-only run. But where's the challenge in that?

When everything is said and done, PointCrow banned more than 1,000 people in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.