Twitch Star Dedicates Thirty-Seven Straight Attempting to Beat <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> With Only a Single Branch

You might assume that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom debuted, enthusiasts would have exhausted novel self-imposed challenges that apply special rules on a playthrough. However, while many players have tried to finish the game with just a wooden stick, streamer the streamer holds the record as the individual who endeavored to clear the game with a one branch—meaning, the very same one from start to finish.

PointCrow is famous for such challenge runs, such as the time he went through the title using only bombs or the effort where he tried to beat the game with no stamina. A one-branch run, though, seems unfeasible at first glance. There's the game's introduction, which requires Link to wield the Master Sword. Then, there's the entire durability mechanic, which is especially relevant when dealing with the most fragile weapon in the whole game. But if the stick breaks, that's the end. 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 tweak the game's saving mechanism to have separate game sessions that affect one another. So PointCrow creates a “preparation” file where he advances standardly, and the real file, where he's restricted. The preparatory save has him going through the intro and initial starting area, and this Link acquires full endurance and health. From here, he triggers a cutscene and pauses midway through to instruct the software to load an auto-save from the branch-only file. The game gets confused and generates a third save file that combines the states of the original two.

That creates fresh issues, though. The fused save file has a protagonist that did not acquired the capability to access sacred places. Fortunately, this is something that the save glitch addresses readily, but executing it means relying on an unstable version of the game that refuses to open certain areas. As with everything else, he has a technical workaround for it: He starts Tears of the Kingdom on its pre-release 1.0 build, and then updates the game midway through to make sure it begins working properly.

Bypassing Durability and Additional Challenges

Interestingly, the prologue version of the hero is programmed so that he cannot damage any tools he wields, likely to avoid a situation where the player gets trapped at the start of the adventure. But that's also how the streamer gets around the wear issue, as the Link he transfers between dimensions is the one from the beginning of the game. It's a smart technique, but not a method that eliminates all potential difficulty. The branch is nonetheless a weak item that renders battles onerous. But at that stage, it's all a question of determination and perseverance. It also helps that there's a copying exploit that grants him an plentiful supply of consumables to boost his attack, or stock up on healing spirits. He additionally makes use of a bug that allows Link to clip through the world. Some would find these means grounds to question the validity of the run, but in my mind, he's a resourceful gamer who is ready to do whatever it takes to entertain his viewer. He further implements a penalty of sorts stipulating that, for each spirit he uses, he'll ban one fan from his Twitch chat, establishing an motivation to not overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Last Encounter

PointCrow succeeds to get through many of Tears of the Kingdom's main enemies, but the battles appear grueling. The video version of his quest spares the audience sit through the entire conflicts, which is a blessing when some of them take multiple hours. A particular boss fight, Queen Gibdo, requires an astonishing twenty-three straight. The final villain showdown, which depletes the hero's hearts as it unfolds, is a memorable nail-biter. The indestructible stick is still only a piece of wood. He is unable to always duplicate items during the battle.

So, is it possible? Technically, PointCrow manages to defeat the dragon version of the antagonist. But the software compels the player to wield the legendary weapon as the last strike, so strictly speaking, it's not fully a branch-exclusive run. But where's the challenge in that?

In the end, PointCrow banned more than a thousand users in his live stream. Rest in peace.