One could think that two years post-launch since Tears of the Kingdom arrived, enthusiasts would have exhausted creative challenge runs that impose special restrictions on a playthrough. However, while numerous players have attempted to finish the game with only a stick, content creator PointCrow holds the record as the player who aimed to clear the adventure with a one stick—meaning, the very same stick from start to finish.
PointCrow is famous for these kinds of difficult playthroughs, like the time he played the game solely with explosives or the effort where he tried to defeat the story with zero stamina. A single stick run, though, seems unfeasible at first glance. There's the opening sequence, which requires Link to wield the Master Sword. Then, there's the whole weapon wear mechanic, which is particularly important when dealing with the most fragile weapon in the whole game. Yet if the stick breaks, that's it. Game over.
So, how? The straightforward answer is glitches. The full answer, believe it or not, is alternate dimensions. It turns out, you can tweak Tears of the Kingdom's save file system to have distinct playthroughs that impact one another. So the creator does a “setup” file where he progresses normally, and the real save, where he's restricted. The preparatory file has him completing the intro and first starting area, and this Link gains full stamina and hearts. From here, he starts a cinematic and halts midway through to tell the game to open an auto-save from the branch-only file. The system gets mixed up and generates a third game file that merges the conditions of the first two files.
That causes new problems, though. The merged file has a Link that did not acquired the ability to enter shrines. Fortunately, this is an issue that the file exploit fixes easily, but pulling it off means relying on an buggy version of the title that refuses to load certain locations. As with everything else, he has a technical solution for it: He begins the game on its early 1.0 build, and then updates the software partway through to ensure it starts working properly.
Curiously, the introductory form of Link is programmed so that he cannot damage any weapons he uses, likely to avoid a scenario where the user gets trapped at the start of the game. But that's additionally how the streamer gets around the durability issue, as the Link he transfers between dimensions is the version from the start of the story. It's a clever technique, but not one that eradicates all possible friction. The stick is still a ineffective item that renders encounters tedious. But at that stage, it's all a question of determination and dedication. It also helps that there's a copying exploit that gives him an plentiful number of consumables to improve his strength, or stock up on revival fairies. He also employs a bug that allows Link to clip through the world. A few would find these means grounds to question the legitimacy of the attempt, but to my view, he's a inventive gamer who is willing to do anything necessary to engage his audience. He also uses a safeguard of kinds stating that, for every fairy he uses, he'll remove a fan from his Twitch chat, creating an motivation to not depend too much on them.
PointCrow succeeds to defeat several of the game's bosses, but the fights appear grueling. The YouTube version of his quest doesn't make the audience endure the whole fights, which is a good thing when a few of them last several long hours. One enemy encounter, Queen Gibdo, requires an incredible 23 hours. The final villain battle, which erases the hero's health as it progresses, is a memorable tense moment. The indestructible branch is still just a piece of wood. He is unable to necessarily clone objects midway the battle.
Did he succeed? In a matter of speaking, PointCrow manages to defeat the dragon version of the antagonist. But the game forces the player to use the Master Sword as the final strike, so strictly speaking, it's not fully a stick-only playthrough. But where's the challenge in that?
When everything is said and done, the streamer banned more than 1,000 users in his live stream. Rest in peace.
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