Streaming Star Dedicates Thirty-Seven Hours Attempting to Conquer <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a Single Branch

One could think that after two years since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, fans would have run out of novel challenge runs that apply unique restrictions on a playthrough. Yet, although many players have tried to complete the game with just a stick, content creator PointCrow holds the record as the individual who aimed to clear the adventure with a single branch—specifically, the exact same one from start to finish.

The streamer is famous for these kinds of difficult playthroughs, such as the instance he played the title using only bombs or the attempt where he aimed to beat the game with zero energy. A single stick playthrough, however, seems unfeasible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which forces the hero to use the Master Sword. Then, there's the entire durability system, which is particularly important when working with the most fragile weapon in the whole game. But if the branch shatters, that's the end. It's over.

So, How?

So, how? The straightforward answer is glitches. The complete answer, I kid you not, is alternate dimensions. It turns out, you can tweak the game's save file system to have distinct playthroughs that impact one another. So the creator creates a “setup” save where he progresses normally, and the actual file, where he's limited. The preparatory save has him going through the prologue and first tutorial island, and this Link acquires full endurance and hearts. From here, he triggers a cutscene and halts partway through to tell the software to load an automatic save from the branch-only file. The system gets mixed up and creates a new save file that merges the conditions of the first two files.

This creates new issues, though. The merged save file has a Link that did not acquired the ability to enter sacred places. Luckily, this is an issue that the file exploit fixes readily, but executing it means relying on an buggy build of the game that refuses to load certain areas. Like everything else, he has a clever solution for it: He starts the game on its pre-release version 1.0, and then patches the game partway through to make sure it starts working properly.

Bypassing Weapon Wear and Other Hurdles

Interestingly, the introductory form of Link is programmed so that he is unable to break any weapons he uses, presumably to prevent a scenario where the player gets stuck at the beginning of the game. But that's additionally how PointCrow gets around the wear problem, as the Link he pulls between universes is the one from the beginning of the story. It's a smart trick, but not a method that eliminates all potential friction. The branch is nonetheless 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 grants him an plentiful supply of consumables to boost his attack, or accumulate on healing spirits. He also employs a bug that enables him to phase through the environment. Some would consider these means grounds to question the validity of the attempt, but to my view, he's a inventive gamer who is willing to do whatever it takes to engage his viewer. He also implements a safeguard of sorts stating that, for every fairy he uses, he'll ban a fan from his Twitch chat, establishing an incentive to not depend too much on them.

Major Battles and the Final Encounter

PointCrow succeeds to defeat many of the game's bosses, but the fights appear grueling. The video edit of his journey doesn't make the audience endure the whole conflicts, which is a good thing when some of them take multiple hours. A particular enemy encounter, Queen Gibdo, requires an astonishing twenty-three straight. The Ganondorf battle, which depletes the hero's hearts as it progresses, is a notable tense moment. The indestructible stick is after all only a stick. He is unable to necessarily clone items midway the battle.

Did he succeed? In a matter of speaking, he manages to defeat the beast form of the antagonist. But the software forces the player to wield the Master Sword as the last attack, so technically, it's not completely a branch-exclusive playthrough. But what fun is that?

In the end, the streamer removed over 1,000 users in his Twitch chat. RIP.