Twitch Star Spends Thirty-Seven Straight Attempting to Beat <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a One Branch

One could think that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, enthusiasts would have run out of novel challenge runs that apply unique rules on a gameplay session. However, while numerous players have tried to finish the game using only a stick, content creator the streamer holds the record as the individual who aimed to clear the adventure with a one branch—meaning, the exact same one from start to finish.

PointCrow is famous for such difficult playthroughs, such as the time he went through the title using only explosives or the attempt where he aimed to beat the story with zero stamina. A single stick playthrough, though, seems impossible at face value. There's the game's introduction, which requires Link to wield the Master Sword. Then, there's the whole weapon wear system, which is particularly important when dealing with the weakest weapon in the entire world. But if the stick shatters, that's the end. Game over.

So, How?

How did he do it? The simple explanation is exploits. 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 the creator creates a “setup” save where he advances normally, and the real file, where he's limited. The preparatory save has him completing the intro and initial tutorial island, and this Link acquires maximum endurance and hearts. From this point, he triggers a cutscene and halts midway through to instruct the software to open an auto-save from the branch-only file. The game gets confused and creates a new save file that merges the states of the first two files.

That creates new issues, though. The fused file has a Link that did not acquired the capability to access shrines. Luckily, this is an issue that the save glitch fixes readily, but pulling it off means depending on an buggy version of the title that refuses to load certain locations. Like other obstacles, he has a technical solution for it: He starts the game on its early 1.0 build, and then patches the game partway through to make sure it starts working properly.

Bypassing Durability and Additional Hurdles

Interestingly, the introductory form of the hero is coded so that he cannot damage any weapons he wields, presumably to avoid a scenario where the player gets stuck at the beginning of the game. But that's additionally how the streamer bypasses the durability problem, as the Link he transfers between dimensions is the one from the start of the story. It's a clever technique, but not one that eliminates all possible friction. The stick is still a ineffective weapon that renders encounters tedious. But at that point, it's all a matter of grit and dedication. It also helps that there's a duplication glitch that grants him an abundant supply of consumables to boost his strength, or stock up on healing spirits. He additionally makes use of a bug that allows Link to clip through the environment. A few would find these methods reason to question the validity of the run, but in my mind, he's a resourceful gamer who is willing to do anything necessary to entertain his audience. He also implements a safeguard of kinds stating that, for each fairy he employs, he'll ban one viewer from his live stream, creating an motivation to avoid overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Final Encounter

PointCrow manages to defeat many of Tears of the Kingdom's bosses, but the fights look grueling. The video version of his journey doesn't make the audience sit through the entire conflicts, which is a good thing when a few of them last multiple hours. One enemy encounter, a powerful foe, takes an astonishing twenty-three hours. The Ganondorf battle, which erases the hero's hearts as it unfolds, is a notable tense moment. The unbreakable stick is still only a stick. He can't always duplicate items during the battle.

So, is it possible? Technically, PointCrow does overcome the dragon version of Ganon. But the software compels the user to use the Master Sword as the last attack, so technically, it's not fully a branch-exclusive playthrough. But where's the challenge in that?

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