Pokemon Let's Go Nuzlocke Challenge: How to Beat It

Pokemon Let's Go's Nuzlocke Challenge is as difficult as it is in other games.

It seemed guaranteed that Pokemon Let's Go would have its own Nuzlocke challenge. Given the hardcore fanbase, the Pokemon games have garnered over the years, it was inevitable that this popular playstyle would emerge once more. 

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Pokemon Let's Go Eevee are the latest entries in the long-running Pokemon franchise and the first main entries released in Nov. 2018 for the Nintendo Switch. Enhanced remakes of the first generation of games (Pokemon Red and Blue from 1996, and Pokemon Yellow from 1998), Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee integrated the mobile game Pokemon Go to create a new system of capturing Pokemon in addition to staples of battling Trainers and Gym Leaders. 

Given its relatively faithful recreation, this means Pokemon Let's Go is ripe for the Nuzlocke challenge. 

Pokemon Let's Go Nuzlocke Challenge

The Nuzlocke challenge is named after the comic series of the same name, and is a mainstay in the Pokemon fanbase as an alternative way to play the game. In essence, the Nuzlocke challenge is to play a Pokemon game with a series of self-imposed rules to make the game more challenging for experienced players to create a more invested experience. 

Although there is no ironclad set of rules for a Nuzlocke run of the game, there are a few generally-held principles with other optional rules potentially added according to preference. 

These basic rules are:

  • Any Pokemon that faints is considered dead and must be released or put in the Pokemon Storage System permanently.
  • Players can only catch the first Pokemon encountered in each area, and nothing else. Fixed encounters and Shiny Pokemon are exempt from this rule. 
  • Players must nickname their Pokemon to promote stronger emotional bonds
  • Blacking/whiting out (occurs when the player is out of usable Pokemon) is considered an automatic game over.
  • Players can only used Pokemon they've captured themselves; Pokemon acquired from NPCs are considered legitimate.
  • Save scumming (reloading to get a more favorable situation) is considered cheating.

Given that Pokemon Let's Go has a fairly hefty number of more challenging encounters, such as Green, than in the original titles, a Nuzlocke challenge can be considered a fun way to spice up the standard Pokemon formula, and even more so for the new titles. 

Images courtesy of the Pokemon Company and Nintendo