Twitch Star Spends Thirty-Seven Straight Attempting to Beat <em>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a Single Stick

One could think that after two years since Tears of the Kingdom debuted, enthusiasts would have exhausted creative self-imposed challenges that impose special rules on a gameplay session. Yet, while many gamers have attempted to complete the game using only a wooden stick, streamer the streamer stands out as the individual who endeavored to clear the game with a single branch—meaning, the very same stick from start to finish.

The streamer is famous for such challenge runs, like the instance he went through the game using only bombs or the effort where he tried to beat the story with no stamina. A one-branch run, though, sounds unfeasible at first glance. There's the opening sequence, which requires Link to wield the legendary blade. Then, there's the entire durability mechanic, which is particularly relevant when working with the most fragile tool in the entire world. But if the branch breaks, that's it. It's over.

So, How?

So, how? The straightforward explanation is exploits. The full answer, I kid you not, is parallel universes. It turns out, you can manipulate the game's saving mechanism to have separate game sessions that affect one another. So the creator creates a “setup” save where he progresses normally, and the real file, where he's limited. The preparatory save has him completing the intro and first starting area, and this character acquires full endurance and hearts. From here, he starts a cinematic and pauses partway through to tell the software to load an auto-save from the stick file. The game gets confused and generates a third save file that combines the conditions of the first two files.

That creates fresh issues, though. The merged file has a protagonist that did not obtain the capability to access sacred places. Luckily, this is something that the file exploit fixes easily, but executing it means depending on an unstable build of the title that refuses to load some locations. Like everything else, he has a clever solution for it: He begins the game on its pre-release version 1.0, and then patches the software partway through to ensure it begins functioning correctly.

Overcoming Durability and Other Hurdles

Curiously, the introductory form of the hero is programmed so that he cannot break any tools he wields, presumably to prevent a situation where the user gets trapped at the start of the adventure. But that's additionally how PointCrow gets around the wear problem, as the Link he pulls between dimensions is the version from the start of the story. It's a smart technique, but not a method that eliminates all potential friction. The branch is nonetheless a ineffective weapon that renders battles onerous. But at that stage, it's entirely a matter of determination and dedication. It also aids that there's a duplication glitch that gives him an abundant supply of consumables to boost his attack, or stock up on revival fairies. He also employs a glitch that enables him to clip through the world. Some would find these means reason to discredit the legitimacy of the attempt, but to my view, he's a inventive player who is willing to do anything necessary to entertain his audience. He also implements a safeguard of sorts stating that, for each spirit he employs, he'll remove a fan from his Twitch chat, establishing an motivation to not depend too much on them.

Major Battles and the Last Encounter

The streamer succeeds to get through several of Tears of the Kingdom's bosses, but the battles look grueling. The video edit of his quest doesn't make the viewer endure the whole fights, which is a good thing when some of them last several hours. A particular boss fight, Queen Gibdo, takes an incredible twenty-three hours. The Ganondorf showdown, which depletes Link's health as it unfolds, is a memorable nail-biter. The indestructible branch is after all just a stick. He can't always duplicate objects midway the fight.

So, is it possible? In a matter of speaking, PointCrow does overcome the dragon version of the antagonist. But the game compels the user to wield the legendary weapon as the final attack, so technically, it's not completely a stick-only playthrough. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, the streamer banned over a thousand people in his live stream. RIP.