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

One could think that after two years since Tears of the Kingdom debuted, enthusiasts would have exhausted novel self-imposed challenges that impose special restrictions on a playthrough. Yet, while many players have tried to complete Tears of the Kingdom with only a stick, content creator PointCrow stands out as the individual who aimed to beat the game with a single stick—specifically, the exact same one throughout.

The streamer is famous for these kinds of difficult playthroughs, such as the instance he played the game using only explosives or the attempt where he aimed to beat the game with no energy. A one-branch run, however, sounds unfeasible at first glance. There's the opening sequence, which forces the hero to wield the legendary blade. Then, there's the entire durability system, which is especially relevant when dealing with the most fragile tool in the whole world. But if the stick breaks, that's the end. It's over.

The Method Behind the Madness

How did he do it? The straightforward explanation is exploits. The complete answer, I kid you not, is parallel universes. Apparently, you can tweak the game's save file system to have distinct playthroughs that impact one another. So PointCrow does a “setup” file where he progresses normally, and the real save, where he's restricted. The setup save has him going through the intro and first tutorial island, and this character gains full endurance and health. From this point, he starts a cinematic and halts partway through to tell the software to open an auto-save from the stick file. The game gets confused and creates a third game file that combines the states of the first two files.

That creates new problems, however. The fused save file has a Link that did not obtain the capability to enter shrines. Luckily, this is an issue that the file exploit fixes readily, but pulling it off means relying on an unstable build of the title that refuses to open some areas. As with other obstacles, he has a clever workaround for it: He begins the game on its pre-release 1.0 build, and then updates the game midway through to make sure it starts functioning correctly.

Overcoming Durability and Other Challenges

Curiously, the prologue version of Link is programmed so that he is unable to damage any tools he wields, likely to avoid a scenario where the user gets stuck at the start of the game. But that's also how the streamer gets around the durability problem, as the Link he pulls between universes is the one from the beginning of the story. It's a smart trick, but not one that eliminates all possible difficulty. The stick is still a ineffective item that renders battles onerous. But at that point, it's entirely a question of grit and dedication. It further helps that there's a copying exploit that gives him an plentiful supply of items to improve his strength, or stock up on revival fairies. He additionally makes use of a glitch that allows him to clip through the environment. Some would find these means grounds to discredit the legitimacy of the run, but to my view, he's a resourceful gamer who is willing to do whatever it takes to engage his viewer. He also uses a safeguard of sorts stipulating that, for each fairy he employs, he'll ban one viewer from his Twitch chat, establishing an motivation to not depend too much on them.

Major Battles and the Last Showdown

PointCrow succeeds to defeat several of the game's main enemies, but the fights look painful. The video version of his journey doesn't make the audience endure the whole conflicts, which is a good thing when some of them last multiple hours. A particular boss fight, Queen Gibdo, requires an astonishing twenty-three straight. The final villain showdown, which depletes Link's hearts as it unfolds, is a memorable nail-biter. The unbreakable stick is after all only a piece of wood. He is unable to necessarily duplicate objects midway the fight.

Did he succeed? Technically, PointCrow manages to overcome the beast form of the antagonist. But the game forces the user to wield the Master Sword as the final strike, so strictly speaking, it's not fully a stick-only run. But what fun is that?

In the end, the streamer banned more than 1,000 users in his Twitch chat. Rest in peace.