Streaming Star Dedicates 37 Straight Trying to Conquer <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a Single Stick

One could think that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, fans would have exhausted novel self-imposed challenges that apply special rules on a gameplay session. However, although numerous gamers have tried to complete the game with only a stick, streamer the streamer holds the record as the player who endeavored to beat the game with a single branch—meaning, the very same stick throughout.

The streamer is renowned for these kinds of challenge runs, like the instance he went through the game solely with explosives or the effort where he aimed to beat the story with zero energy. A single stick playthrough, however, seems impossible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which requires Link to use the Master Sword. Then, there's the whole durability mechanic, which is particularly relevant when working with the weakest tool in the whole world. But if the branch shatters, that's it. It's over.

So, How?

How did he do it? The simple explanation 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 separate playthroughs that affect one another. So PointCrow does a “preparation” file where he progresses standardly, and the actual file, where he's limited. The setup file has him completing the prologue and first starting area, and this character gains full stamina and hearts. From here, he starts a cutscene and halts midway through to tell the game to open an automatic save from the stick file. The game gets confused and generates a new game file that merges the states of the first two files.

That creates new problems, though. The fused save file has a Link that never obtain the ability to access shrines. Fortunately, this is an issue that the file exploit addresses readily, but executing it means depending on an buggy version of the title that refuses to load some locations. Like 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 begins functioning correctly.

Overcoming Weapon Wear and Other Challenges

Interestingly, the prologue form of the hero is coded so that he is unable to damage any weapons he uses, presumably to avoid a situation where the player gets stuck at the start of the adventure. But that's also how PointCrow gets around the durability problem, as the character he pulls between dimensions is the version from the beginning of the story. It's a smart trick, but not a method that eliminates all possible difficulty. The stick is still a ineffective item that renders battles onerous. But at that point, it's all a question of determination and perseverance. It further aids that there's a duplication glitch that gives him an abundant number of consumables to boost his strength, or accumulate on healing spirits. He additionally makes use of a bug that allows him to clip through the world. A few would consider these means grounds to discredit the validity of the attempt, but in my mind, he's a resourceful player who is ready to do anything necessary to engage his audience. He also uses a safeguard of sorts stating that, for every fairy he employs, he'll ban one viewer from his Twitch chat, establishing an incentive to avoid overly rely on them.

Major Battles and the Last Showdown

PointCrow succeeds to defeat many of the game's main enemies, but the battles look painful. The video version of his quest spares the viewer endure the whole fights, which is a blessing when a few of them take multiple hours. A particular enemy encounter, a powerful foe, takes an incredible 23 hours. The final villain showdown, which depletes Link's health as it progresses, is a notable tense moment. The unbreakable stick is still just a piece of wood. He can't always duplicate items midway the battle.

Did he succeed? In a matter of speaking, he does defeat the dragon version of the antagonist. But the game forces the player to use the Master Sword as the final attack, so technically, it's not quite completely a branch-exclusive playthrough. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, PointCrow banned over 1,000 people in his Twitch chat. RIP.