Streaming Star Dedicates 37 Straight Trying to Beat <em>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a One Stick

You might assume that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, fans would have exhausted creative challenge runs that impose special restrictions on a gameplay session. However, although numerous players have attempted to finish the game with just a stick, streamer the streamer stands out as the player who endeavored to clear the adventure with a one branch—specifically, the exact same stick from start to finish.

The streamer is renowned for such difficult playthroughs, such as the time he played the game using only explosives or the effort where he tried to beat the game with no stamina. A one-branch playthrough, though, seems unfeasible at face value. There's the opening sequence, which requires Link to use the legendary blade. Additionally, there's the entire durability mechanic, which is particularly important when dealing with the most fragile weapon in the whole world. Yet if the branch shatters, that's the end. Game over.

The Method Behind the Madness

So, how? The straightforward answer is exploits. The full story, believe it or not, is parallel universes. Apparently, you can manipulate Tears of the Kingdom's save file system to have distinct game sessions that impact one another. So the creator creates a “preparation” file where he advances standardly, and the real file, where he's limited. The setup file has him completing the prologue and initial starting area, and this character gains maximum stamina and hearts. From here, he triggers a cinematic and pauses midway through to instruct the software to open an auto-save from the stick file. The game gets confused and generates a third game file that combines the conditions of the original two.

This causes fresh problems, however. The fused file has a protagonist that never acquired the ability to enter sacred places. Fortunately, this is something that the file exploit addresses easily, but pulling it off means relying on an buggy version of the game that refuses to load some areas. As with other obstacles, he has a technical workaround for it: He begins the game on its pre-release version 1.0, and then updates the software midway through to make sure it starts functioning correctly.

Overcoming Durability and Additional Hurdles

Interestingly, the prologue form of the hero is programmed so that he cannot damage any tools he wields, likely to avoid a situation where the player gets stuck at the start of the adventure. But that's additionally how PointCrow gets around the wear problem, as the Link he pulls across dimensions is the version from the beginning of the game. It's a smart trick, but not a method that eradicates all possible friction. The stick is still a weak weapon that renders encounters onerous. But at that point, it's entirely a question of determination and perseverance. It further aids that there's a copying exploit that grants him an abundant supply of consumables to improve his strength, or accumulate on revival fairies. He additionally employs a bug that allows Link to clip through the world. Some would find these methods reason to question the legitimacy of the run, but to my view, he's a resourceful player who is willing to do whatever it takes to engage his audience. He also implements a penalty of sorts stipulating that, for each fairy he uses, he'll ban one viewer from his Twitch chat, creating an motivation to not overly rely on them.

Major Battles and the Last Showdown

PointCrow succeeds to get through several of the game's main enemies, but the fights look grueling. The YouTube version of his journey spares the audience endure the entire conflicts, which is a good thing when a few of them take several hours. A particular boss fight, a powerful foe, takes an astonishing twenty-three straight. The final villain showdown, which erases the hero's hearts as it unfolds, is a notable tense moment. The unbreakable branch is after all only a stick. He can't always duplicate items during the fight.

So, is it possible? Technically, PointCrow does overcome the dragon version of the antagonist. But the software forces the user to use the Master Sword as the last attack, so strictly speaking, it's not quite completely a stick-only run. But what fun is that?

In the end, the streamer removed over a thousand people in his Twitch chat. RIP.