Twitch Personality Spends 37 Hours Trying to Conquer <em>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a Single Stick

One could think that after two years since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrived, enthusiasts would have exhausted novel self-imposed challenges that impose unique rules on a playthrough. However, while numerous gamers have tried to finish Tears of the Kingdom using just a stick, content creator PointCrow stands out as the player who aimed to clear the adventure with a single branch—specifically, the exact same one from start to finish.

PointCrow is famous for such challenge runs, like the time he played the title using only bombs or the effort where he tried to defeat the story with zero energy. A one-branch run, though, sounds unfeasible at first glance. There's the game's introduction, which requires the hero to use the Master Sword. Then, there's the whole durability mechanic, which is particularly important when working with the most fragile tool in the whole game. But if the stick shatters, that's it. It's over.

The Method Behind the Madness

How did he do it? The simple answer is glitches. The full answer, believe it or not, is alternate dimensions. Apparently, you can manipulate the game's save file system to have separate game sessions that affect one another. So PointCrow does a “setup” file where he advances normally, and the real save, where he's restricted. The setup file has him completing the intro and first tutorial island, and this Link acquires full endurance and health. From this point, he triggers a cinematic and halts midway through to tell the software to load an auto-save from the stick file. The system gets confused and generates a third save file that combines the states of the first two files.

That causes new problems, however. The fused file has a Link that never obtain the ability to enter sacred places. Luckily, this is an issue that the file exploit fixes readily, but pulling it off means depending on an unstable build of the game that refuses to open some areas. Like everything else, he has a technical workaround for it: He starts Tears of the Kingdom on its early 1.0 build, and then updates the software midway through to ensure it begins working properly.

Overcoming Weapon Wear and Other Challenges

Curiously, the introductory form of the hero is coded so that he is unable to damage any weapons he wields, likely to prevent a situation where the player gets trapped at the start of the game. But that's also how PointCrow bypasses the wear problem, as the Link he pulls between dimensions is the version from the beginning of the game. It's a clever trick, but not one that eliminates all potential difficulty. The stick is nonetheless a ineffective weapon that renders encounters tedious. But at that point, it's entirely a question of determination and perseverance. It also aids that there's a copying exploit that gives him an plentiful supply of items to boost his strength, or stock up on revival fairies. He also makes use of a glitch that allows Link to clip through the environment. A few would find these methods grounds to discredit the legitimacy of the run, but in my mind, he's a inventive gamer who is ready to do whatever it takes to engage his viewer. He also implements a safeguard of kinds stating that, for each fairy he uses, he'll ban a viewer from his live stream, establishing an motivation to not depend too much on them.

Boss Fights and the Last Encounter

PointCrow succeeds to defeat many of the game's main enemies, but the fights appear painful. The YouTube version of his quest doesn't make the audience sit through the whole conflicts, which is a good thing when a few of them last several hours. One boss fight, a powerful foe, takes an incredible twenty-three hours. The final villain battle, which depletes the hero's health as it unfolds, is a memorable tense moment. The unbreakable branch is still only a piece of wood. He can't always duplicate items during the battle.

So, is it possible? Technically, he does overcome the dragon version of the antagonist. But the game forces the user to use the Master Sword as the final strike, so technically, it's not quite completely a stick-only playthrough. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, the streamer removed more than 1,000 users in his live stream. Rest in peace.