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

One could think that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom debuted, enthusiasts would have exhausted creative challenge runs that impose unique rules on a gameplay session. However, although numerous gamers have attempted to complete Tears of the Kingdom using only a wooden stick, streamer the streamer holds the record as the individual who endeavored to beat the game with a one branch—meaning, the exact same one from start to finish.

PointCrow is renowned for these kinds of challenge runs, like the time he went through the game solely with bombs or the effort where he aimed to defeat the story with zero stamina. A one-branch run, though, seems impossible at face value. There's the opening sequence, which requires Link to use the legendary blade. Additionally, there's the whole weapon wear system, which is particularly relevant when dealing with the most fragile weapon in the entire world. But if the branch breaks, that's the end. Game over.

The Method Behind the Madness

How did he do it? The simple answer is glitches. The complete story, I kid you not, is parallel universes. Apparently, you can tweak the game's save file system to have separate game sessions that impact one another. So PointCrow creates a “setup” save where he advances normally, and the actual file, where he's restricted. The setup save has him completing the prologue and initial tutorial island, and this Link gains full stamina and health. From here, he triggers a cinematic and pauses midway through to tell the game to open an automatic save from the stick file. The system gets confused and generates a new save file that combines the states of the original two.

This causes new issues, though. The merged save file has a Link that did not obtain the capability to enter shrines. Luckily, this is an issue that the save glitch fixes readily, but pulling it off means depending on an unstable version of the title that fails to open certain locations. Like other obstacles, he has a clever solution for it: He begins the game on its pre-release 1.0 build, and then patches the software partway through to ensure it begins functioning correctly.

Overcoming Durability and Additional Hurdles

Curiously, the prologue version of the hero is coded so that he cannot damage any weapons he wields, presumably to prevent a scenario where the user gets stuck at the beginning of the adventure. But that's additionally how the streamer gets around the wear issue, as the Link he pulls across universes is the one from the beginning of the game. It's a smart trick, but not one that eradicates all possible friction. The stick is nonetheless a ineffective weapon that makes battles onerous. But at that point, it's all a matter of determination and dedication. It also helps that there's a copying exploit that grants him an plentiful supply of items to improve his strength, or stock up on revival fairies. He additionally makes use of a bug that allows him to phase through the environment. Some would find these means grounds to question the legitimacy of the attempt, but in my mind, he's a resourceful player who is ready to do whatever it takes to entertain his viewer. He further uses a safeguard of kinds stipulating that, for each spirit he uses, he'll remove one viewer from his Twitch chat, creating an motivation to not overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Last Showdown

The streamer manages to defeat many of Tears of the Kingdom's main enemies, but the fights look painful. The video edit of his quest doesn't make the viewer sit through the entire conflicts, which is a good thing when a few of them take several hours. One boss fight, Queen Gibdo, requires an astonishing twenty-three hours. The final villain battle, which erases Link's hearts as it unfolds, is a memorable tense moment. The unbreakable stick is after all only a piece of wood. He is unable to necessarily clone items during the battle.

So, is it possible? Technically, PointCrow does overcome the dragon version of the antagonist. But the game forces the user to use the legendary weapon as the final strike, so strictly speaking, it's not fully a stick-only run. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, the streamer removed more than 1,000 people in his live stream. Rest in peace.