Streaming Star Dedicates 37 Straight Trying to Beat <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> With Only a Single Branch

One could think that two years post-launch since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrived, fans would have exhausted novel challenge runs that apply unique restrictions on a playthrough. However, while numerous gamers have tried to finish Tears of the Kingdom using only a stick, content creator the streamer holds the record as the player who aimed to beat the game with a single stick—meaning, the very same one throughout.

PointCrow is famous for these kinds of challenge runs, such as the time he went through the title using only explosives or the effort where he aimed to beat the game with no stamina. A one-branch run, however, seems impossible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which forces Link to use the Master Sword. Additionally, there's the whole durability system, which is particularly important when working with the most fragile weapon in the entire game. Yet if the stick breaks, that's the end. It's over.

The Method Behind the Madness

How did he do it? The straightforward explanation is exploits. The full answer, I kid you not, is parallel universes. It turns out, you can tweak Tears of the Kingdom's save file system to have separate game sessions that impact one another. So PointCrow does a “preparation” save where he advances normally, and the actual file, where he's limited. The setup file has him completing the intro and initial 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 open an automatic save from the stick file. The system gets mixed up and generates a new game file that combines the states of the original two.

This causes new problems, however. The merged save file has a Link that did not acquired the ability to enter shrines. Luckily, this is an issue that the file exploit fixes easily, but executing it means relying on an unstable version of the title that fails to open certain locations. As with other obstacles, he has a technical workaround for it: He begins the game on its early version 1.0, and then patches the game partway through to ensure it begins functioning correctly.

Bypassing Weapon Wear and Additional Hurdles

Interestingly, the introductory version of the hero is coded so that he cannot damage any tools he uses, likely to avoid a situation where the player gets stuck at the beginning of the game. But that's additionally how PointCrow gets around the durability problem, as the character he pulls between universes is the one from the start of the game. It's a clever technique, but not a method that eradicates all potential friction. The branch is nonetheless a ineffective weapon that makes encounters tedious. But at that stage, it's all a question of determination and dedication. It further aids that there's a duplication glitch that grants him an abundant supply of items to improve his strength, or stock up on revival fairies. He also makes use of a glitch that enables Link to phase through the world. Some would find these methods reason to question the legitimacy of the run, but in my mind, he's a inventive player who is ready to do anything necessary to entertain his viewer. He further uses a safeguard of kinds stating that, for every fairy he uses, he'll ban a viewer 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 the game's main enemies, but the battles appear painful. The YouTube version of his journey spares the audience sit through the entire fights, which is a good thing when some of them take several hours. One boss fight, a powerful foe, requires an incredible twenty-three hours. The final villain showdown, which depletes the hero's hearts as it unfolds, is a notable tense moment. The unbreakable branch is after all just a stick. He can't necessarily duplicate objects midway the battle.

So, is it possible? In a matter of speaking, PointCrow does defeat 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 fully a branch-exclusive run. But what fun is that?

When everything is said and done, the streamer removed over a thousand people in his live stream. Rest in peace.