Streaming Star Spends 37 Hours Attempting to Beat <em>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</em> With Only a One Branch

One could think that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom debuted, enthusiasts would have run out of creative challenge runs that apply special rules on a gameplay session. However, while many players have tried to complete the game using just a stick, content creator the streamer holds the record as the player who aimed to clear the adventure with a one branch—specifically, the very same stick from start to finish.

PointCrow is famous for these kinds of challenge runs, like the instance he went through the title using only bombs or the effort where he aimed to beat the game with no energy. A single stick run, however, seems impossible at first glance. There's the opening sequence, which requires the hero to wield the legendary blade. Then, there's the whole weapon wear system, which is especially important when working with the weakest tool in the whole world. But if the stick shatters, that's it. It's over.

The Method Behind the Madness

So, how? The simple explanation is glitches. The complete answer, believe it or 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 does a “preparation” save where he progresses standardly, and the real file, where he's limited. The preparatory file has him going through the intro and first starting area, and this Link gains full endurance and health. From this point, he triggers a cinematic and pauses midway through to instruct the software to load an auto-save from the branch-only file. The game gets mixed up and creates a third save file that combines the conditions of the first two files.

This creates fresh issues, though. The merged file has a Link that never obtain the ability to access shrines. Luckily, this is an issue that the save glitch addresses readily, but executing it means relying on an buggy build of the game that refuses to open certain locations. Like everything else, he has a clever solution for it: He starts the game on its early 1.0 build, and then updates the game midway through to ensure it begins working properly.

Bypassing Durability and Other Hurdles

Interestingly, the prologue form of Link is coded so that he is unable to damage any weapons he wields, likely to prevent a situation where the player gets stuck at the beginning of the adventure. But that's also how PointCrow gets around the durability issue, as the Link he pulls between universes is the version from the start of the game. It's a clever technique, but not a method that eradicates all possible friction. The branch is still a ineffective weapon that renders battles tedious. But at that point, it's entirely a question of determination and dedication. It further aids that there's a copying exploit that grants him an plentiful supply of consumables to improve his attack, or stock up on healing spirits. He also makes use of a glitch that enables Link to phase through the environment. Some would consider these methods grounds to question the legitimacy of the attempt, but in my mind, he's a inventive player who is ready to do anything necessary to engage his audience. He also uses a safeguard of kinds stipulating that, for each fairy he uses, he'll ban one fan from his Twitch chat, establishing an incentive to not overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Final Showdown

The streamer succeeds to get through many of the game's main enemies, but the fights appear painful. The YouTube version of his journey doesn't make the audience sit through the whole fights, which is a good thing when a few of them last multiple long hours. A particular enemy encounter, a powerful foe, takes an incredible twenty-three straight. The Ganondorf showdown, which depletes Link's hearts as it unfolds, is a memorable tense moment. The unbreakable branch is after all just a stick. He is unable to necessarily duplicate objects midway the battle.

Did he succeed? Technically, PointCrow manages to overcome the dragon version of the antagonist. But the software compels the user to wield the Master Sword as the final strike, so technically, it's not quite completely a branch-exclusive run. But what fun is that?

In the end, the streamer removed more than 1,000 people in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.