Twitch Star Spends Thirty-Seven Hours Attempting to Conquer <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> With Only a Single Branch

One could think that after two years since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrived, fans would have run out of novel challenge runs that apply special rules on a playthrough. Yet, while numerous gamers have tried to complete the game with only a wooden stick, content creator PointCrow stands out as the individual who aimed to clear the adventure with a single branch—specifically, the very same stick throughout.

PointCrow is famous for such difficult playthroughs, such as the instance he played the game using only bombs or the attempt where he aimed to defeat the game with zero stamina. A one-branch run, though, sounds impossible at first glance. There's the opening sequence, which requires Link to use the Master Sword. Additionally, there's the whole weapon wear mechanic, which is especially relevant when working with the weakest tool in the entire world. But if the branch shatters, that's it. It's over.

The Method Behind the Madness

So, how? The straightforward explanation is glitches. The complete answer, believe it or not, is parallel universes. Apparently, you can manipulate Tears of the Kingdom's save file system to have separate game sessions that affect one another. So the creator creates a “setup” file where he advances normally, and the actual file, where he's limited. The preparatory file has him completing the prologue and first tutorial island, and this character acquires full stamina and hearts. From here, he starts a cinematic and halts partway through to instruct the software to open an auto-save from the branch-only file. The system gets mixed up and generates a third save file that combines the conditions of the original two.

That causes fresh problems, however. The fused file has a Link that did not obtain the capability to enter sacred places. Luckily, this is something that the file exploit addresses easily, but pulling it off means relying on an buggy build of the title that refuses to open certain locations. Like everything else, he has a technical workaround for it: He begins the game on its early version 1.0, and then updates the game partway through to make sure it begins functioning correctly.

Overcoming Durability and Additional Challenges

Interestingly, the prologue version of the hero is programmed so that he is unable to damage any weapons he uses, 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 smart technique, but not one that eliminates all potential friction. The branch is still a ineffective item that renders battles onerous. But at that point, it's all a matter of grit and dedication. It further aids that there's a duplication glitch that gives him an abundant supply of consumables to improve his attack, or accumulate on healing spirits. He additionally makes use of a glitch that allows Link to clip through the world. Some would find these methods grounds to question the validity of the attempt, but to my view, he's a resourceful gamer who is ready to do anything necessary to entertain his audience. He further uses a safeguard of kinds stipulating that, for every fairy he uses, he'll remove a fan from his Twitch chat, establishing an motivation to not overly rely on them.

Major Battles and the Final Showdown

PointCrow succeeds to get through several of the game's bosses, but the fights appear painful. The video edit of his journey spares the audience sit through the whole fights, which is a blessing when some of them last several hours. A particular enemy encounter, Queen Gibdo, requires an incredible 23 straight. The Ganondorf battle, which erases the hero's hearts as it progresses, is a memorable tense moment. The indestructible stick is after all just a stick. He can't always clone objects during the battle.

Did he succeed? Technically, PointCrow does overcome the dragon version of Ganon. But the game compels the player to wield the legendary weapon as the final strike, so strictly speaking, it's not fully a branch-exclusive playthrough. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, the streamer removed more than a thousand users in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.