Twitch Star Spends Thirty-Seven Hours Attempting to Beat <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> With Only a Single Branch

You might assume that after two years since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrived, enthusiasts would have exhausted novel challenge runs that apply special rules on a playthrough. However, while many gamers have attempted to finish Tears of the Kingdom with just a stick, streamer the streamer holds the record as the individual who aimed to clear the game with a single branch—specifically, the very same stick throughout.

The streamer is famous for such difficult playthroughs, such as the time he went through the title using only explosives or the effort where he aimed to defeat the story with no energy. A one-branch playthrough, though, sounds unfeasible at first glance. There's the opening sequence, which requires Link to use the Master Sword. Then, there's the whole durability mechanic, which is particularly relevant when dealing with the weakest tool in the entire game. But if the branch shatters, that's the end. It's over.

So, How?

So, how? The simple answer is glitches. The complete story, I kid you not, is alternate dimensions. Apparently, you can manipulate the game's save file system to have separate game sessions that affect one another. So PointCrow creates a “preparation” file where he advances normally, and the actual file, where he's restricted. The setup file has him completing the prologue and first tutorial island, and this Link acquires full stamina and health. From here, he starts a cinematic and halts midway through to instruct the software to load an automatic save from the stick file. The system gets mixed up and generates a new game file that merges the conditions of the first two files.

This causes new problems, however. The merged save file has a Link that never acquired the capability to enter sacred places. Fortunately, this is something that the save glitch addresses easily, but executing it means depending on an unstable version of the game that refuses to open some areas. Like everything else, he has a technical solution for it: He begins the game on its pre-release version 1.0, and then patches the software midway through to ensure it starts working properly.

Bypassing Weapon Wear and Additional Challenges

Curiously, the prologue version of Link is coded so that he is unable to break any tools he wields, presumably to prevent a scenario where the player gets trapped at the start of the adventure. But that's additionally how PointCrow gets around the durability issue, as the Link he transfers between dimensions is the one from the beginning of the game. It's a smart trick, but not one that eliminates all possible friction. The branch is nonetheless a ineffective item that renders encounters onerous. But at that point, it's all a question of determination and perseverance. It further helps that there's a duplication glitch that gives him an plentiful supply of consumables to improve his strength, or stock up on revival fairies. He additionally employs a glitch that enables him to clip through the world. A few would find these means reason to question the validity of the attempt, but in my mind, he's a inventive gamer who is ready to do anything necessary to engage his audience. He also uses a penalty of kinds stating that, for each fairy he employs, he'll ban a fan from his Twitch chat, creating an incentive to avoid overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Last Encounter

PointCrow manages to get through many of Tears of the Kingdom's bosses, but the fights appear grueling. The video edit of his quest doesn't make the audience endure the entire fights, which is a good thing when some of them take several hours. One boss fight, Queen Gibdo, requires an astonishing 23 straight. The Ganondorf battle, which depletes Link's hearts as it progresses, is a memorable tense moment. The unbreakable branch is still only a stick. He is unable to necessarily clone objects midway the fight.

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

When everything is said and done, PointCrow removed more than a thousand users in his live stream. RIP.