Streaming Personality Spends Thirty-Seven Hours Trying to Conquer <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a One Stick

One could think that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, fans would have run out of creative self-imposed challenges that apply unique restrictions on a gameplay session. However, while numerous gamers have tried to complete the game using just a wooden stick, streamer the streamer holds the record as the individual who aimed to beat the game with a single branch—specifically, the very same stick throughout.

The streamer is renowned for these kinds of challenge runs, such as the instance he played the title using only explosives or the effort where he tried to beat the game with no stamina. A one-branch run, however, seems unfeasible at first glance. There's the opening sequence, which forces Link to wield the Master Sword. Then, there's the entire weapon wear mechanic, which is particularly relevant when working with the weakest weapon in the whole game. Yet if the branch shatters, that's the end. Game over.

So, How?

So, how? The simple explanation is glitches. The complete answer, I kid you not, is alternate dimensions. It turns out, you can tweak Tears of the Kingdom's saving mechanism to have distinct game sessions that impact one another. So the creator creates a “setup” save where he progresses standardly, and the real file, where he's restricted. The setup file has him going through the intro and first tutorial island, and this character acquires maximum endurance and hearts. From this point, he triggers a cutscene and pauses partway through to instruct the software to load an auto-save from the branch-only file. The system gets mixed up and creates a third game file that merges the conditions of the first two files.

That causes fresh problems, however. The fused save file has a Link that did not obtain the ability to access shrines. Fortunately, this is an issue that the save glitch addresses easily, but executing it means relying on an buggy build of the title that refuses to open certain locations. As with everything else, he has a technical workaround for it: He begins the game on its pre-release 1.0 build, and then patches the software partway through to ensure it starts working properly.

Overcoming Weapon Wear and Additional Hurdles

Interestingly, the introductory version of the hero is programmed so that he is unable to break any tools he wields, presumably to prevent a situation where the user gets stuck at the start of the game. But that's also how the streamer bypasses the durability issue, as the character he pulls between dimensions is the one from the beginning of the game. It's a clever technique, but not a method that eradicates all possible friction. The branch is still a weak item that renders battles onerous. But at that stage, it's all a question of determination and perseverance. It also aids that there's a copying exploit that gives him an abundant number of consumables to improve his strength, or stock up on healing spirits. He also makes use of a bug that enables him to phase through the environment. Some would find these means grounds to discredit the legitimacy of the attempt, but in my mind, he's a resourceful gamer who is willing to do anything necessary to engage his viewer. He also implements a penalty of sorts stating that, for every spirit he employs, he'll remove a fan from his Twitch chat, creating an motivation to avoid overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Last Showdown

PointCrow manages to defeat several of the game's bosses, but the fights appear painful. The YouTube edit of his journey doesn't make the audience sit through the whole conflicts, which is a blessing when some of them last several hours. One boss fight, Queen Gibdo, takes an astonishing twenty-three hours. The Ganondorf battle, which erases Link's health as it progresses, is a notable tense moment. The unbreakable stick is still just a piece of wood. He can't necessarily duplicate objects during the fight.

So, is it possible? In a matter of speaking, PointCrow manages to overcome the beast form of the antagonist. But the game compels the player to wield the legendary weapon as the final attack, so strictly speaking, it's not fully a stick-only run. But what fun is that?

When everything is said and done, PointCrow banned over a thousand people in his live stream. Rest in peace.