[Header Herabuff by @WaddleDurr]
Nick Franco’s Pokémon: Hard Mode comics popularized the concept of the Nuzlocke, one of the most well-known self-imposed challenges among electric mouse enthusiasts. Its two simple rules — you can only attempt to catch the first Pokémon you see in each area, and all KO’d party members are considered dead and cannot be used for the rest of your playthrough — have created countless personal stories of triumph, defeat, friendship, and tragedy. I’ve never played a Nuzlocke challenge myself, but it’s been on my bucket list because I’ve gained so much respect for these house rules and how they change everything about a typical Pokémon playthrough.
And yet, as of X and Y and onward, I’ve had the impression that newer Pokémon games are becoming increasingly less compatible with the tradition. Last month, our own Communicord members discussed how Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee are seemingly impossible to play as Nuzlocke challenges, and how that single fact dampens their interest in the Let’s Go titles.
It had me pondering about the future of this passionate niche of the Pokémon fandom, so I got in touch with Nick Franco himself to get his thoughts on how his creation is able to withstand the various changes the Pokémon franchise has gone through.
Source: Destructoid Nuzlocke creator talks Pokemon Let’s Go and keeping up with the series’ changes