The Case for the Pokemon Nuzlocke Challenge

Pokemon Nuzlocke Challenge

Pokemon is a series that spans near every form of media imaginable, but it would be hard to deny that the video games are generally the main appeal. While the games do vary in difficulty, the series is generally pretty easy, and has gotten easier over recent years, causing some players to challenge themselves in various ways. Far and away the most popular is the Pokemon Nuzlocke Challenge, which has taken the community by storm for years, and I’ll help explain the draw as well as the basics.

READ MORE: Gible Community Day Announced!

To start off, a Nuzlocke run of any Pokemon game tends to have a few basic rules. One, if a Pokemon faints, it’s dead, or at the very least has to be put in the PC for the rest of the game. Two, you may only catch the first Pokemon found on each route, cave, town, etc. Generally, a few side rules are set up to avoid duplicate Pokemon captures, or say, not using items in battle or such. For the purposes of this, I’m just going to be assuming the two main rules as well as the duplicates clause.

1. The Challenge

The clear main draw of the Pokemon Nuzlocke Challenge is the, well, challenge of it all. Pokemon has been fairly easy overall, and adding permanent stakes to fainting, especially when one has a limited number of monsters to use, makes a journey super intense. I’m gonna link a video I saw on the topic that explains a good bit of it better than I, as well as a playthrough for example, but it really does encapsulate the appeal.

Credit: Tyranno

Really though, the added stakes and finality of any potential poor decision makes the game not only more intense mentally on the player, but much more challenging overall. The most notable part of this, in my opinion, is the limited number of Pokemon. There are only so many routes, towns, etc, and as such a player’s safety net for mistakes is one that does have a bottom. In my own experiences, Nuzlockes’ added challenge adds a ton of fun to playthroughs.

2. Bonds

While we may be told as trainers to Catch Em All, the Nuzlocke naturally makes it so a player, well, can’t do that. As such, the Pokemon you do catch and use are that much more important than the fodder Rattatas and Bidoofs that have sat in your PCs for 10+ years.

Pokemon Nuzlocke Meme
Credit: Reddit

The Pokemon you use in a Nuzlocke will naturally become more important to you than a normal playthrough where any mistake or lack of luck can be, quite literally, fatal. When a Pokemon faints, you feel it. When you get crit out of nowhere, you feel that anger and disappointment. It leads to a playthrough that is not only more memorable, but emotionally intense.

3. Stories

Lastly, Nuzlockes create stories by virtue of what they are. Every time one plays a Pokemon game, whether using old favorites or monsters you’ve never really used before, there’s a story to be made of it. Perhaps you steamrolled a game with the objectively strongest Pokemon, or maybe you surpassed all odds to make weaker, more unique Pokemon shine against incredible odds.

The Pokemon Nuzlocke Challenge inherently makes a story. Let me set the scene.

Credit: Game Freak

You’ve finally beaten the Elite Four after journeying though Victory Road, and are moments from the Champion, Blue. You lost a Pokemon through Victory Road, but managed to find a suitable replacement and grind it up to your level. The Elite Four managed to take down your Vileplume after a critical Ice Beam one hit KO’d it when Giga Drain missed Lorelei’s Slowbro. You’re down to five more Pokemon: Blastoise, Fearow, Magneton, Ninetails, and Alakazam. After a long and hard battle, factoring in for critical damage, running damage calculations, and playing as safe as you can, you surpassed all odds, and the Magneton you just raised up was the key to defeating Blue’s Gyarados and Alakazam.

The new Pokemon managed to prevent a possible run ending wipe and earn it’s place on the team, and your fallen warrior may be gone, but will never be forgotten. All the Pokemon in a Nuzlocke party stand for something to the player, and a unique story can be made from nearly any Nuzlocke playthrough.

READ MORE: Ranking the easiest Pokemon Gym Leaders

Really, beyond this I can’t explain much more why I’d say it is worth it to try a Nuzlocke challenge. It’s a unique beast where one can only feel the full extent of its appeal when played for oneself. Give it a try!

Similar Posts