Streaming Star Dedicates 37 Straight Trying to Conquer <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a One Branch

One could think that after two years since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom debuted, fans would have run out of creative challenge runs that impose unique rules on a playthrough. Yet, while numerous gamers have tried to complete Tears of the Kingdom with only a wooden stick, content creator PointCrow stands out as the player who aimed to clear the adventure with a one stick—meaning, the exact same stick from start to finish.

The streamer is renowned for such challenge runs, like the instance he played the title using only bombs or the effort where he aimed to defeat the story with zero energy. A single stick playthrough, though, seems unfeasible at face value. There's the opening sequence, which forces Link to use the legendary blade. Additionally, there's the entire durability mechanic, which is particularly important when dealing with the most fragile tool in the entire world. Yet if the branch shatters, that's it. Game over.

So, How?

How did he do it? The straightforward answer is glitches. The complete story, I kid you not, is alternate dimensions. Apparently, you can manipulate the game's saving mechanism to have distinct playthroughs that impact one another. So the creator creates a “preparation” file where he progresses normally, and the real file, where he's limited. The setup save has him going through the intro and initial tutorial island, and this Link acquires maximum stamina and health. From this point, he triggers a cinematic and halts midway through to instruct the software to open an auto-save from the branch-only file. The system gets mixed up and generates a third game file that combines the conditions of the first two files.

That causes fresh issues, however. The merged save file has a protagonist that never obtain the ability to enter shrines. Luckily, this is an issue that the save glitch fixes readily, but executing it means depending on an buggy build of the game that fails to open some locations. Like other obstacles, he has a clever solution for it: He starts Tears of the Kingdom on its pre-release version 1.0, and then updates the game partway through to ensure it begins working properly.

Overcoming Weapon Wear and Other Hurdles

Interestingly, the introductory form of the hero is programmed so that he cannot damage any tools he wields, presumably to avoid a situation where the user gets stuck at the start of the adventure. But that's additionally how PointCrow gets around the durability problem, as the Link he transfers between universes is the version from the beginning of the story. It's a clever trick, but not a method that eradicates all potential friction. The stick is nonetheless a weak item that renders encounters tedious. But at that point, it's all a matter of grit and dedication. It also aids that there's a copying exploit that grants him an abundant number of consumables to boost his strength, or stock up on healing spirits. He additionally employs a bug that allows Link to clip through the environment. Some would consider these means reason to question the legitimacy of the run, but in my mind, he's a inventive player who is ready to do whatever it takes to entertain his viewer. He also uses a safeguard of sorts stating that, for each spirit he uses, he'll ban a fan from his live stream, establishing an motivation to avoid depend too much on them.

Major Battles and the Final Encounter

PointCrow succeeds to get through many of the game's bosses, but the battles appear painful. The video version of his quest doesn't make the viewer sit through the entire conflicts, which is a blessing when a few of them last multiple long hours. A particular boss fight, a powerful foe, takes an incredible twenty-three straight. The Ganondorf showdown, which erases Link's hearts as it progresses, is a memorable nail-biter. The indestructible branch is after all only a stick. He can't always duplicate objects during the battle.

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

When everything is said and done, the streamer banned more than a thousand people in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.