Thoughts on Nuzlocke

Though I've played many Pokémon games, I never had the gumption to try a Nuzlocke Run before now. Unique Pokémon have always been offered through special events, but instead of requiring you to bring your cartridge to a select few locations to get a Mew, most often these Pokémon are available for download during a brief window. It's always been enough to solidify my save file on each game - were I to restart, I'd lose something I could never get back. Without the nerve to delete my save, how could I ever try this "hard mode" run?

For the uninitiated, a Nuzlocke Run has two base rules: 1) You may only capture the first Pokémon you encounter in each area and 2) If a Pokémon faints, it may never battle again. This alters Pokémon's gameplay, where allowing a member of your team to faint in order to get that last hit in is not only acceptable, but expected.  More over, it shifts the core experience from seeking out all the different Pokémon in the world and building a team of your choosing to meeting a few key characters and training them to the best of your ability.

Put simply, it turns Pokémon into Final Fantasy 4, but without the strong storyline, interesting characters, or expansive world.

The Nuzlocke rules strip Pokémon of what makes it special.  The difficulty curve is carefully crafted around the idea that you will wander the tall grass for various creatures, leveling up your team while you search for new Pokémon. The grind is masked by collection. When you reach the next gym leader, your team just happens to be the right level - and you have a bunch of new Pokémon to show for it.

In exchange, Nuzlocke offers a stronger narrative for your team. Major battles become pulse-pounding endeavors as a critical attack lands against your Pokémon.  You hold your breath as the hit points continue to drop, turning from green to yellow to red. At the last moment, the bar stops moving. You exhale deeply, diving into your next move. It's an engine for heroics - risking your Pokémon's life for that one last hit.

What's at stake is hours of your time, painstakingly spent on grinding and getting your Pokémon ready for the next challenge. Grinding, earning nothing but higher numbers to fight against some other numbers. If your Pokémon falls, all that time becomes a waste. If you win? Go prepare for the next battle.

Nuzlocke adds risk, and that is what it rewards.  If you take risks, you're sure to walk away with a story. If you don't, there's just not much to tell.