Twitch Star Spends 37 Hours Attempting to Conquer <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a One Branch

One could think that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom debuted, fans would have run out of novel challenge runs that impose unique restrictions on a gameplay session. However, while many players have attempted to complete Tears of the Kingdom with only a stick, streamer PointCrow stands out as the individual who endeavored to beat the game with a single stick—specifically, the very same stick throughout.

PointCrow is renowned for such challenge runs, such as the time he went through the title solely with bombs or the attempt where he aimed to beat the story with no energy. A one-branch run, however, seems unfeasible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which requires Link to use the legendary blade. Additionally, there's the whole durability mechanic, which is especially important when dealing with the weakest tool in the whole world. Yet if the branch shatters, that's it. It's over.

So, How?

How did he do it? The straightforward answer is exploits. The complete answer, I kid you not, is alternate dimensions. Apparently, you can tweak the game's save file system to have separate game sessions that impact one another. So the creator does a “preparation” save where he progresses normally, and the actual file, where he's restricted. The setup save has him going through the intro and initial starting area, and this Link acquires full stamina and hearts. From here, he starts a cinematic and halts midway through to instruct the software to load an auto-save from the branch-only file. The game gets confused and creates a new save file that merges the conditions of the first two files.

That causes new issues, however. The merged save file has a Link that never acquired the capability to access sacred places. Luckily, this is something that the file exploit addresses readily, but executing it means depending on an buggy version of the title that refuses to load certain areas. As with other obstacles, he has a technical solution for it: He begins the game on its pre-release 1.0 build, and then patches the game partway through to make sure it starts working properly.

Overcoming Weapon Wear and Other Challenges

Interestingly, the introductory version of Link is programmed so that he is unable to damage any tools he uses, likely to prevent a situation where the user gets stuck at the start of the adventure. But that's additionally how the streamer gets around the wear issue, as the Link he transfers between dimensions is the one from the beginning of the story. It's a clever trick, but not one that eliminates all possible friction. The branch is still a ineffective weapon that makes battles onerous. But at that point, it's entirely a question of grit and perseverance. It further aids that there's a duplication glitch that gives him an abundant number of consumables to improve his attack, or stock up on healing spirits. He also employs a glitch that enables Link to clip through the environment. Some would consider these means reason to discredit the validity of the attempt, but to my view, he's a resourceful gamer who is willing to do anything necessary to entertain his audience. He also uses a safeguard of sorts stating that, for every fairy he uses, he'll remove a viewer from his Twitch chat, creating an incentive to avoid depend too much on them.

Boss Fights and the Final Encounter

PointCrow manages to defeat several of the game's main enemies, but the battles appear grueling. The YouTube edit of his quest spares the audience endure the entire fights, which is a good thing when a few of them last multiple hours. One boss fight, Queen Gibdo, takes an incredible 23 straight. The final villain battle, which erases Link's hearts as it unfolds, is a notable nail-biter. The indestructible branch is after all just a stick. He is unable to necessarily duplicate items during the fight.

Did he succeed? Technically, PointCrow manages to defeat the dragon version of Ganon. But the software forces the user to wield the Master Sword as the last strike, so strictly speaking, it's not quite completely a stick-only playthrough. But where's the challenge in that?

When everything is said and done, the streamer banned over 1,000 users in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.