The Most Bizarre Ways Gamers Have Beaten Breath Of The Wild

"Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” is one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch. In fact, it's arguably one of the best open-world games ever made. It has revitalized the long-running action-RPG series with a new combat style, stellar graphics, vibrant textures and lighting, as well as a truly outstanding story. It won multiple game of the year awards when it came out in 2017 — a year which had some pretty stiff competition (like "Nier:Automata," "Persona 5," and "Horizon:Zero Dawn," just to name a few).

There is a bit of a tradition when it comes to modifying "Zelda" gameplay, like when Rudeism played "Ocarina of Time" using an actual ocarina. Life in Hyrule is difficult enough for most, but some gamers have taken it upon themselves to add additional layers to the challenge, while others have found some really bizarre ways to finish the campaign. With the new sequel on the horizon, it's worth taking a look back at all the inspiring and downright outlandish ways people have beat "Breath of the Wild" over the years.

Just trying to stay alive in "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" isn't easy, but can you imagine trying to 100% the entire game without taking a single point of damage? Well, that's what a Twitch streamer named Joedun decided to do.

Joedun became the first person to 100% the game without taking any damage back in January. That means he didn't just beat the game — he also had to beat every shrine, collect all 900 Korok Seeds, gather all of the game's key items, and fully upgrade every single weapon and piece of armor. He accomplished this feat without reloading old saves, meaning it was game over if Link took even a single point of damage, and Joedun had to start over from scratch.

It took Joedun years to complete his quest. He said in an interview with Polygon, "You see, I failed that run 100+ times, with 3 of those times being 30+ hours in. To keep pushing myself to not give up and not let the game beat me was definitely the hardest."

Twitch streamer and YouTuber PointCrow decided to beat the game without turning left. The challenge run got off to a poor start, as he immediately turned left on accident while demonstrating the controller to his viewers, forcing PointCrow to restart the game. He quickly made some modifications, duct-taping a piece of sturdy cardboard along the side of his controller, which prevented the joystick from moving to the left.

Three right turns were all it took to get around in the game's open world, but the task turned out to be more challenging than you might think. Battles became harder, certain puzzles with timed elements became much more difficult, and he was also incapable of moving the cursor to any location left of his current position on the fast travel map once the controller was modified, meaning he would have to run anywhere west of his current position.

PointCrow acknowledges that this may be "the silliest 'Breath of the Wild' challenge" in his video's description, but he played it through to the end and beat Dark Beast Ganon. He seemed excited and relieved when he finally finished the campaign but was less enthusiastic when one of his viewers jumped in the chat and demanded that he now do it again without turning right.

YouTuber SmallAnt is no stranger to challenge runs. He beat "Pokémon Soul Silver" using only shiny Pokémon, and he did a "Pokémon Platinum" run similar to Joedun's where none of his Pokémon were allowed to take a single point of damage, or else he'd have to restart the game.

SmallAnt took on an equally outrageous challenge for "Breath of the Wild." He decided to beat the entire game without using any weapons, bows, or bombs. He didn't leave himself completely indefensible, but he restricted himself exclusively to the use of Magnesis, Stasis, Cryonis, and shields. Getting his hands on Majora's Mask was a big help, since enemies are less likely to attack Link when he wears it.

It took roughly 18 hours of preparation before he was ready to take on Ganon, and the fight was long and arduous. SmallAnt had to wait to parry Ganon's various attacks since he couldn't hit him outright, but he eventually beat Calamity Ganon by hitting him with his own redirected lasers.

The only part of the game that required a weapon was Dark Beast Gannon, since it's impossible to beat him without one. SmallAnt also took advantage of a few glitches in the game, but it was an impressive feat nonetheless.

Want to get wildly out of breath playing "Breath of the Wild?" YouTuber SuperLouis 64, aka Controller Bender, found what just might be the best way to beat "BOTW." He rigged the Ring Con controller, which was designed for Nintendo's "Ring Fit Adventure" exercise RPG, to interface with "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." He also made a similar setup for "Dark Souls 3."

His system wasn't perfect. The Joycon controls still worked like normal, but Super Lewis 64 installed something like a shutoff switch. The buttons would only interface with the game if he was actively running, he could only attack by squeezing the Joycon while running at the same time, and he also made it so the only way to pause the game was by doing a squat.

Super Lewis 64 ultimately didn't make it all the way to Ganon in his video, though he proved that it is possible. He made a later video documenting his two-hour run across the entire breadth of Hyrule.