How 1 Gen 3 Pokemon reshaped difficulty discourse in Pokemon games, even 24 years later

The Pokémon The series has never been known for its difficulty, in general it is adapted to all ages and experience levels of players. However, that doesn't mean there isn't a challenge in any of these Pokémon games, as the community routinely creates new ways to increase difficulty by imposing restrictions on themselves for particular playthroughs. The most famous Pokémon challenge run was developed 16 years ago, named for a Gen 3 animal that is almost 24 years old today.

As the franchise approaches its 30th anniversary next month, it's clear to look back Pokémons history reveals a series that has followed some trends while taking significant risks elsewhere. Pokémon games are often criticized for playing it safe with their gameplay, and they are usually very similar from generation to generation. In an attempt to break up the monotony and inject a degree of greater difficulty into the Pokémon game, there are a variety of self-imposed rules that players can incorporate to run, and the Nuzlocke challenge is the most famous of these challenges.

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I open Pokemon Red 30 years later, and I'm convinced that the series never got better than this

Pokemon Red still works 30 years later, not because of nostalgia, but because its simplicity and trust in players remains timeless.

24 years later, Nuzleaf's Claim to Fame is still the Nuzlocke Pokémon Challenge

Nuzleaf might not be the most memorable Gen 3 Pokémonas a mid-range Grass/Dark type that doesn't really have any impressive game uses. Outside of being a version exclusive to Pokemon RubyNuzleaf is not used by any notable trainers in the Hoenn region and has underwhelming stats. However, the critter has become a mascot for Pokémons most famous challenge, cementing its legacy within the franchise in a way Game Freak probably never imagined.

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Origin of Nuzlocke

The Nuzlocke challenge was started in 2010 by college student Nick Franco, who was looking for a more challenging way to play through Pokemon Ruby. This challenge run was then turned into a webcomic series by Franco, chronicling his adventures using the rules he had imposed on himself. Franco used Nuzlocke as his screen name for this series, and included a Nuzleaf character drawn to look like John Locke from the popular TV show Lostcreating the portmanteau name “Nuzlocke” that has been attributed Pokémon playthroughs with this ruleset.

What are the rules for a Nuzlocke Challenge

Just catch the first Pokemon you encounter in a new area
If a Pokémon faints, it is considered dead and must be released
Players must nickname all their Pokemon to create more emotional bonds with them
No soft resets or third party hacking
No trading
A full partywipe is game over, and the race ends

With Nuzlockes intended to raise the emotional stakes for one Pokémon playthrough, the core rules of the challenge must support that goal. Limiting the number of Pokemon the player can catch to the first one they encounter per location limits the team options available to them and forces them to come up with a winning strategy, even if they get less desirable mons. A Pokemon faint is usually trivial in a standard run, as the player can only use a Revive to bring them back, so adding the rule that they must release all fainted mons adds tension to every battle. While not all players choose to nickname their team animals, Nuzlockes require players to become more attached to their party, and nicknames help strengthen that bond.

There are also several optional rules that players can add to further increase the difficulty of a Nuzlocke run, such as prohibiting the use of healing items in battle and setting a level cap on their party for each gym battle.

Variation of Nuzlocke

Ironmon Challenge
Wonderlock
Soul Link

In the years since Franco debuted Nuzlocke, other creators have developed variations on its rules to create their own type of challenge run. Twitch streamer iateyourpie is credited with developing the Ironmon Challenge which takes the Nuzlocke formula and throws it into a randomized Pokémon game so players cannot predict which animals they will encounter or which attacks they will use. This formula has become popular among fan made Pokémon games, with many including built-in Nuzlocke and randomizer modes.

Two players making a surprise trade with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Another variant of the Nuzlocke was developed during Pokemon X and Y days when the Wonder Trade feature was introduced. Wonderlockes take the basic rules of a Nuzlocke, but require players to Wonder Trade (or Surprise Trade if playing in Gen 8 or later) any Pokémon they catch to a random other player, adding another layer of unpredictability to the run. A Soul Link is a co-op way to make a Nuzlocke where two players play separate games, but the Pokémon they catch in each area become “linked” and if one faints, the other player must drop their linked mon as well.

How Nuzlocke changed the difficulty of discourse in the Pokemon series

Pokemon generations have gotten easier over time

The origin of Nuzlocke runs within Pokémon community has largely been a direct response to the drop in difficulty that mainline games have seen over the past few generations. Despite Pokémon games never known for their difficulty, recent generations have notably toned down the challenge and held players' hands through more parts of the game. This decline makes it clear why so many new iterations of Nuzlocke have been developed over the years; long Pokémon fans have grown accustomed to the series' predictable mechanics and want new ways to challenge themselves.

Some of the changes modern Pokémon games have done to make the series more accessible to players has actually made it harder for Nuzlocke runners to increase the difficulty. Pokémon Gen 7 introduced the chance for an animal to survive a move that would normally KO them if their friendship stat with the player is high enough, making games like Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee harder for Nuzlocke by being easier for a regular playthrough.

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The Pokemon Legends series is a step in the right direction for Pokemon difficulty

Although the traditional Pokémon series, like Gen 9's Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare still quite light and use the same formula as the majority of the main series, the Pokemon Legends subseries has definitely become the favorite for fans looking for a bigger challenge. Pokemon Legends: ArceusThe introduction of free-roaming aggressive animals such as Alpha Pokémon that will attack the player on sight dramatically increases the excitement of the game. Similar, Pokemon Legends: ZAThe Rogue Mega Evolution battles may be some of the toughest in the entire series. While Pokemon Legends game offers the increased difficulty that many fans miss, the rest of the main line Pokémon games have yet to adopt Nuzlocke levels of gaming challenge.