Twitch Star Dedicates 37 Hours Trying to Conquer <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a Single Stick

You might assume that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom debuted, fans would have exhausted creative challenge runs that apply unique rules on a gameplay session. However, while many players have attempted to finish Tears of the Kingdom using just a stick, streamer the streamer stands out as the player who aimed to beat the game with a one stick—specifically, the very same one from start to finish.

PointCrow is famous for such difficult playthroughs, like the time he went through the game using only explosives or the attempt where he tried to defeat the game with no energy. A one-branch playthrough, however, seems unfeasible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which forces the hero to wield the legendary blade. Additionally, there's the whole durability system, which is particularly relevant when working with the weakest weapon in the entire world. Yet if the branch breaks, that's it. It's over.

So, How?

So, how? The simple answer is glitches. The full story, I kid you not, is alternate dimensions. Apparently, you can tweak Tears of the Kingdom's save file system to have distinct game sessions that affect one another. So the creator does a “setup” file where he advances standardly, and the real file, where he's limited. The setup file has him completing the intro and initial starting area, and this Link acquires maximum stamina and health. From here, he starts a cinematic and halts partway through to instruct the software to load an auto-save from the branch-only file. The game gets mixed up and generates a third game file that merges the conditions of the original two.

That causes fresh issues, though. The merged save file has a protagonist that did not obtain the capability to access shrines. Luckily, this is an issue that the file exploit fixes easily, but pulling it off means depending on an unstable version of the title that fails to load some locations. As with other obstacles, he has a clever solution for it: He starts the game on its early 1.0 build, and then updates the game midway through to ensure it begins working properly.

Overcoming Weapon Wear and Additional Hurdles

Curiously, the prologue form of Link is coded so that he is unable to break any tools he uses, presumably to prevent a scenario where the player gets trapped at the beginning of the adventure. But that's also how the streamer bypasses the durability issue, as the Link he pulls across dimensions is the one from the start of the game. It's a clever trick, but not a method that eradicates all potential difficulty. The branch is nonetheless a weak item that makes encounters onerous. But at that stage, it's entirely a matter of grit and perseverance. It also aids that there's a duplication glitch that gives him an abundant supply of consumables to improve his attack, or accumulate on revival fairies. He additionally employs a bug that enables him to clip through the environment. A few would consider these methods reason to question the validity of the attempt, but to my view, he's a resourceful player who is willing to do anything necessary to engage his audience. He further implements a safeguard of sorts stipulating that, for each spirit he employs, he'll remove one fan from his live stream, establishing an motivation to avoid overly rely on them.

Major Battles and the Last Showdown

The streamer succeeds to defeat several of the game's bosses, but the fights appear grueling. The YouTube version of his quest doesn't make the audience sit through the entire conflicts, which is a blessing when some of them take multiple hours. A particular boss fight, a powerful foe, requires an incredible twenty-three straight. The final villain showdown, which depletes Link's health as it unfolds, is a notable nail-biter. The unbreakable branch is still just a piece of wood. He can't always clone items during the battle.

Did he succeed? In a matter of speaking, PointCrow manages to defeat the beast form of the antagonist. But the game compels the player to wield the legendary weapon as the last strike, so technically, it's not quite fully a branch-exclusive run. But what fun is that?

When everything is said and done, PointCrow removed over 1,000 users in his Twitch chat. RIP.