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

One could think that after two years since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom debuted, enthusiasts would have run out of creative self-imposed challenges that impose unique restrictions on a gameplay session. However, while numerous players have tried to complete Tears of the Kingdom with only a stick, streamer PointCrow holds the record as the individual who aimed to beat the adventure with a one branch—specifically, the very same one throughout.

PointCrow is renowned for such difficult playthroughs, such as the time he played the title using only explosives or the attempt where he aimed to beat the game with no energy. A single stick playthrough, though, seems unfeasible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which requires the hero to use the legendary blade. Then, there's the entire durability mechanic, which is particularly relevant when working with the weakest tool in the entire game. Yet if the branch shatters, that's the end. Game over.

The Method Behind the Madness

So, how? The simple answer is exploits. The full story, I kid you not, is parallel universes. It turns out, you can manipulate the game's save file system to have separate game sessions that affect one another. So the creator does a “preparation” file where he advances normally, and the real save, where he's limited. The setup file has him going through the intro and first starting area, and this Link gains full stamina and health. From here, he triggers a cutscene and pauses partway through to instruct the game to open an auto-save from the stick file. The system gets confused and generates a new game file that merges the conditions of the first two files.

This creates new issues, however. The fused file has a Link that did not acquired the ability to enter sacred places. Fortunately, this is something that the file exploit fixes readily, but pulling it off means depending on an unstable version of the game that refuses to load certain areas. Like other obstacles, he has a technical workaround for it: He starts Tears of the Kingdom on its pre-release 1.0 build, and then updates the software partway through to ensure it starts functioning correctly.

Overcoming Durability and Other Challenges

Curiously, the prologue version of the hero is programmed so that he is unable to damage any tools he uses, likely to avoid a scenario where the player gets stuck at the beginning of the game. But that's also how PointCrow bypasses the durability problem, as the character he pulls across universes is the one from the start of the story. It's a smart technique, but not a method that eradicates all possible friction. The stick is nonetheless a weak weapon that makes encounters tedious. But at that point, it's all a matter of determination and dedication. It further helps that there's a copying exploit that grants him an plentiful number of items to boost his attack, or stock up on healing spirits. He additionally makes use of a glitch that allows him to phase through the world. Some would find these means grounds to discredit the validity of the attempt, but to my view, he's a inventive gamer who is willing to do anything necessary to entertain his viewer. He further uses a safeguard of sorts stating that, for every spirit he employs, he'll remove a fan from his live stream, establishing an motivation to not depend too much on them.

Major Battles and the Final Showdown

PointCrow manages to get through several of the game's bosses, but the battles look grueling. The YouTube edit of his quest doesn't make the viewer endure the whole conflicts, which is a blessing when some of them last several long hours. A particular boss fight, a powerful foe, requires an incredible twenty-three hours. The final villain showdown, which erases the hero's health as it progresses, is a notable nail-biter. The indestructible stick is still just a piece of wood. He can't always clone objects midway the fight.

Did he succeed? In a matter of speaking, he manages to overcome the beast form of Ganon. But the game compels the user to wield the Master Sword as the final attack, so strictly speaking, it's not completely a branch-exclusive run. But where's the challenge in that?

When everything is said and done, PointCrow removed over a thousand people in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.