Twitch Star Spends Thirty-Seven Hours Trying to Conquer <em>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</em> With Only a Single Stick

You might assume that two years post-launch since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrived, fans would have run out of novel self-imposed challenges that impose unique restrictions on a playthrough. However, although numerous players have attempted to complete Tears of the Kingdom with just a wooden stick, content creator PointCrow stands out as the individual who aimed to clear the adventure with a single branch—specifically, the very same stick throughout.

PointCrow is famous for such difficult playthroughs, such as the instance he played the title using only explosives or the attempt where he tried to beat the story with no stamina. A one-branch run, though, seems impossible at first glance. There's the game's introduction, which forces Link to use the Master Sword. Then, there's the whole durability system, which is particularly important when working with the weakest weapon in the entire game. Yet if the stick breaks, that's the end. It's over.

So, How?

So, how? The straightforward answer is exploits. The complete answer, I kid you not, is alternate dimensions. Apparently, you can manipulate the game's save file system to have distinct game sessions that affect one another. So PointCrow does a “setup” file where he progresses standardly, and the actual save, where he's limited. The setup file has him going through the prologue and initial starting area, and this Link gains full stamina and hearts. From here, he triggers a cutscene and pauses midway through to instruct the software to open an auto-save from the stick file. The game gets mixed up and creates a third game file that combines the conditions of the first two files.

That creates fresh issues, however. The fused file has a protagonist that did not acquired the capability to enter shrines. Fortunately, this is something that the file exploit addresses easily, but pulling it off means relying on an unstable version of the game that refuses to open certain locations. Like everything else, he has a clever solution for it: He starts Tears of the Kingdom on its early 1.0 build, and then patches the software partway through to make sure it starts functioning correctly.

Overcoming Weapon Wear and Other Hurdles

Interestingly, the introductory version of the hero is programmed so that he is unable to damage any tools he wields, likely to prevent a situation where the user gets trapped at the beginning of the game. But that's also how PointCrow bypasses the wear issue, as the Link he pulls between dimensions is the one from the start of the game. It's a smart technique, but not a method that eliminates all potential friction. The branch is nonetheless a weak weapon that renders encounters onerous. But at that point, it's entirely a matter of grit and dedication. It further helps that there's a duplication glitch that grants him an plentiful number of items to boost his strength, or accumulate on healing spirits. He additionally employs a glitch that enables Link to clip through the environment. A few would consider these methods grounds to discredit the validity of the run, but in my mind, he's a resourceful gamer who is willing to do anything necessary to engage his audience. He further uses a safeguard of sorts stipulating that, for each spirit he employs, he'll ban one viewer from his Twitch chat, creating an motivation to not overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Last Encounter

PointCrow succeeds to get through several of the game's bosses, but the battles look painful. The video version of his quest doesn't make the audience sit through the whole fights, which is a blessing when some of them take several hours. One boss fight, a powerful foe, takes an incredible twenty-three straight. The final villain battle, which erases the hero's hearts as it progresses, is a notable tense moment. The indestructible stick is after all only a piece of wood. He is unable to always duplicate items midway the fight.

Did he succeed? Technically, he manages to overcome the dragon version of the antagonist. But the game compels the player to use the legendary weapon as the last strike, so strictly speaking, it's not quite completely a branch-exclusive run. But what fun is that?

In the end, the streamer removed over a thousand people in his live stream. Rest in peace.