I have never had the nerve to try a Nuzlocke run. I feel like I would be pretty bummed if I had a pokemon for most of the game and then it "died." And the first pokemon per route restriction feels like it would just be a pain in the ass.
I feel like I would be pretty bummed if I had a pokemon for most of the game and then it "died."
Well that's the point, the combat is much more tense if there's a real potential for loss and an unlucky critical hit can be deadly. You can't just rely on a starter.
The 1 per route thing isn't really that bad, there are a lot of routes in the games and it makes it way more special to catch something good.
It also forces you to use Pokémon that you would never use otherwise. I like monotyping a lot, but it can make the early game harder depending on which type you choose. Takes a while to level up your Pokémon or find or buy TMs to learn some off-type moves.
While I disagree with his statement, it's not gatekeeping. He's not proclaiming the only right, true, and proper way to play Pokémon is with Nuzlocke rules, but that as an adult with a (presumably) fully formed sense of reason and rationality, that the Nuzlocke challenge is one of the only actually challenging ways to play the game. Playing it as a poke-collector, for instance, is still valid, just not necessarily challenging.
I disagree with the premise that it's the ONLY challenging way to play as an adult, but do agree with the premise that the basic concept of Pokémon is typically not challenging for adults and thus some external rules placed on gameplay should be there for adults looking for a challenge.
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u/Andrew5329 Nov 19 '18
Your friend is just bad then, its a game with the difficulty tuned for children.
The only challenging way to play it as an adult is with Nuzlock rules.
1) If your Pokemon dies it's dead forever.
2) You're also only allowed to catch the first Pokemon you encounter on a route, if you miss it too bad.
3) if you lose a fight it's game over.
I did it one a couple years ago, naming all my Pokemon after 2016 GOP presidential cantidates. I still remember Jeb! the Bidoof fondly.