Twitch Star Dedicates Thirty-Seven Hours Trying to Conquer <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 novel challenge runs that impose special restrictions on a playthrough. Yet, while many players have tried to finish the game using just a wooden stick, streamer PointCrow stands out as the player who endeavored to beat the adventure with a single stick—specifically, the very same one throughout.

The streamer is famous for these kinds of challenge runs, like the instance he played the title using only explosives or the effort where he tried to beat the game with zero energy. A single stick run, though, seems impossible at face value. There's the opening sequence, which forces the hero to use the Master Sword. Additionally, there's the whole durability mechanic, which is particularly important when working with the most fragile weapon in the whole world. But if the stick breaks, that's it. It's over.

The Method Behind the Madness

How did he do it? The simple answer is exploits. The complete answer, I kid you not, is parallel universes. It turns out, you can manipulate Tears of the Kingdom's save file system to have separate game sessions that affect one another. So PointCrow creates a “preparation” save where he progresses standardly, and the real save, where he's restricted. The setup file has him completing the intro and first starting area, and this character acquires maximum stamina and hearts. From this point, he triggers a cutscene and halts midway through to tell the software to load an automatic save from the branch-only file. The system gets confused and creates a third game file that combines the states of the first two files.

This causes new problems, though. The merged save file has a Link that did not obtain the ability to access sacred places. Luckily, this is an issue that the file exploit fixes easily, but pulling it off means relying on an buggy version of the title that fails to open some locations. Like everything else, he has a technical solution for it: He starts Tears of the Kingdom on its pre-release 1.0 build, and then patches the software partway through to make sure it begins working properly.

Overcoming Weapon Wear and Additional Hurdles

Curiously, the introductory version of Link is programmed so that he cannot damage any tools he uses, presumably to avoid a situation where the user gets trapped at the start of the adventure. But that's also how the streamer gets around the durability problem, as the character he transfers across universes is the version from the beginning of the game. It's a clever trick, but not a method that eradicates all possible difficulty. The stick is nonetheless a ineffective item that renders encounters onerous. But at that stage, it's all a matter of grit and dedication. It further helps that there's a copying exploit that grants him an plentiful supply of items to boost his attack, or stock up on revival fairies. He additionally employs a glitch that allows him to phase through the environment. Some would consider these means reason to discredit the validity of the attempt, but in my mind, he's a resourceful gamer who is ready to do whatever it takes to entertain his audience. He also implements a safeguard of sorts stating that, for each spirit he employs, he'll remove one fan from his Twitch chat, establishing an motivation to not depend too much on them.

Boss Fights and the Last Encounter

PointCrow succeeds to defeat many of Tears of the Kingdom's bosses, but the fights look grueling. The video version of his journey doesn't make the viewer sit through the whole fights, which is a blessing when a few of them last multiple long hours. One enemy encounter, a powerful foe, takes an astonishing 23 straight. The final villain battle, which depletes Link's hearts as it unfolds, is a notable nail-biter. The indestructible branch is after all only a piece of wood. He can't necessarily duplicate items midway the fight.

Did he succeed? In a matter of speaking, he does defeat the beast form of Ganon. But the game compels the player to use the legendary weapon as the final strike, so strictly speaking, it's not completely a branch-exclusive run. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, PointCrow removed more than 1,000 people in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.