Twitch Star Dedicates Thirty-Seven Hours Attempting to Beat <em>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</em> Using a One Stick

You might assume that after two years since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrived, enthusiasts would have exhausted creative self-imposed challenges that impose unique rules on a playthrough. However, although numerous players have tried to complete Tears of the Kingdom using only a stick, streamer the streamer stands out as the individual who aimed to beat the game with a one stick—meaning, the very same one throughout.

The streamer is famous for these kinds of difficult playthroughs, such as the time he went through the title using only bombs or the effort where he aimed to beat the game with no stamina. A one-branch run, however, seems unfeasible at face value. There's the opening sequence, which requires the hero to use the Master Sword. Additionally, there's the entire weapon wear mechanic, which is particularly relevant when working with the most fragile weapon in the entire game. But if the branch breaks, that's it. It's over.

The Method Behind the Madness

So, how? The simple explanation is glitches. The complete story, believe it or not, is alternate dimensions. Apparently, you can manipulate the game's save file system to have distinct playthroughs that impact one another. So the creator does a “setup” save where he advances standardly, and the real file, where he's restricted. The preparatory save has him completing the prologue and first starting area, and this character gains full endurance and health. From here, he starts a cutscene and halts midway through to instruct the software to open an auto-save from the stick file. The game gets mixed up and creates a new game file that combines the states of the original two.

That causes new issues, though. The fused file has a Link that did not obtain the ability to access shrines. Luckily, this is something that the save glitch addresses easily, but pulling it off means relying on an buggy build of the title that refuses to load 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 updates the software partway through to make sure it begins functioning correctly.

Bypassing Durability and Additional Hurdles

Interestingly, the introductory version of the hero is coded so that he cannot damage any tools he wields, presumably to avoid a situation where the user gets trapped at the start of the game. But that's also how the streamer bypasses the wear problem, as the Link he pulls between dimensions is the one from the start of the story. It's a smart technique, but not one that eliminates all possible friction. The stick is nonetheless a ineffective item that makes battles tedious. But at that point, it's all a question of determination and perseverance. It also aids that there's a duplication glitch that gives him an plentiful number of items to improve his strength, or stock up on healing spirits. He additionally employs a bug that enables him to phase through the environment. A few would find these methods grounds to discredit the legitimacy of the attempt, but to my view, he's a inventive gamer who is ready to do anything necessary to entertain his audience. He also implements a penalty of sorts stipulating that, for each spirit he uses, he'll remove one fan from his Twitch chat, creating an motivation to avoid overly rely on them.

Boss Fights and the Last Encounter

The streamer succeeds to defeat several of Tears of the Kingdom's bosses, but the battles appear grueling. The video edit of his journey doesn't make the audience sit through the whole fights, which is a blessing when some of them last multiple long hours. A particular enemy encounter, a powerful foe, takes an incredible twenty-three hours. The Ganondorf battle, which depletes the hero's health as it unfolds, is a notable tense moment. The unbreakable stick is still only a piece of wood. He can't necessarily duplicate items midway the battle.

So, is it possible? Technically, he does defeat the dragon version of the antagonist. But the software compels the user to use the legendary weapon as the last attack, so strictly speaking, it's not quite fully a stick-only run. But where's the challenge in that?

When everything is said and done, PointCrow removed more than a thousand people in his Twitch chat. RIP.