When the originalPokémongames came out, they were squarely aimed at children. As kids, players may have found the games challenging, from just learning the mechanics for the first time to progressing up the ranks in increasingly tough battles. As the generation that grew up on the first few games becomes older, though, the games no longer pose much of a challenge.
That’s whyPokémonchallenge runs were created,to add some new excitement to playthroughs of olderPokémongames by bumping up their difficulty.Challenge runs inPokémonhave self-imposed rules that are meant to make the games more difficult.Pokémonchallenge runs can be done with any of thePokémongames but most often with the older titles like Pokémon Red & Blue, Gold & Silver,andX & Y.
10Pokémon Nuzlocke
One Of The Most Well-Known Pokémon Challenges
One of the most well-known challenges in thePokémonworld,Nuzlockes add a layer of difficulty to the game by introducing permadeath and limiting catching. Nuzlocke was created in awebcomicby Nick Franco in 2010, where he documented his experience playing with the self-imposed rules. The challenge gets its name from mashing up thePokémon Nuzleaf and the character John LockefromLost.
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Many people have tried it, and there are tons of videos of attempted Nuzlocke runs, including several by the popular YouTube animatorJaidenAnimations. Nuzlocke runs have several rules but the main ones that define the challenge are thatonly the first Pokémon encountered in a route can be caught, and a Pokémon that faints can no longer be used and has to be released. Many variations of the Nuzlocke exist, and the challenge inspired many of the rules for challenges that came after it.
9Gauntlet Nuzlocke
A Brutal Run Through The History Of Pokémon
The Nuzlocke is by no means an easy challenge, but some fans wanted an even more difficult run. After some years of running Nuzlockes, several players were becoming bored with them, finding even these challenges too easy. That’s why some players created the Nuzlocke Gauntlet, which isless like a fun game and more like a test of endurance.
The Gauntlet version has popped up several times throughout the history of challenge runs, so several rulesets exist. Reddit userCellarSaiyansums up the basic idea:Players must play through one game per generation and every remake and sequel,all the way through to the current generation title. Therules of a regular Nuzlockeapply, but the games have to be played back to back, and losing means restarting all the way back in the first generation.
8Catch and Stitch
Every Time Your Pokémon Evolves, Crochet It
This challenge is for creative-minded players, who prefer the difficulty of making an artwork to the difficulty of actually playing the game. YouTuber and crochet artistComplicatedKnotscreated the challenge, but it can be adapted to non-crochet mediums for non-yarn artists.
In this series, ComplicatedKnots plays throughPokémon SoulSilver, with a few significant changes. Every Pokémon that appears is randomly selected from a pool of the first four generations, and every time a Pokémon levels up, it evolves at random. The real catch is thatevery time her Pokémon evolves, ComplicatedKnots makes a crochet version of it.Each video continues until she has a team of six, and is fun to watch thanks to the very random nature of the challenge.
7Pokémon Escape Rooms
Small But Challenging Pokémon Puzzles
Pokémon escape rooms are not full game runs, resembling small puzzle boxes instead. Instead of playing a game to completion,players are tasked with figuring out the solution to the puzzle, which usually involves leaving the small area to which the puzzle is confined. There are no instructions, but there are clues scattered throughout the puzzle, and part of the challenge is to figure out what to do next.
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There are several escape room puzzles to try, but one of the more challenging ones was created bySmallAntand played byPointCrowon YouTube. This, and other escape rooms like it,use elements like giving the puzzler specific Pokémon and moves, held items, trainers, and other game featuresto guide players toward the solution for escaping from the area. The solutions to these puzzles can be quite involved and clever, making them a completelynew way to enjoy the series.
6No Free Health Care
Pokémon Centers Are Off-Limits
The health care system inPokémongames is actually pretty impressive, offering to heal everyone who walks into its health care centers for no charge. Created by The Zororoaster on thePokéCommunityforum way back in 2012,this challenge asks players to imagine a world without free health care.The rules are simple but have great implications for how players approach the game.
Basically, no free health care or other care services can be used. Players are not allowed to visit the Pokémon Center, use the move deleted, or use daycare.Players are also not allowed to withdraw Boxed Pokémon, including those that are automatically deposited, making it necessary to be very strategic about having empty spots in the team. The challenge is not impossible and is instead a way to approach playing the game from a different angle, one where players can’t rely on free heals.
5Pokémon Soul Link
A Cooperative Two-Player Nuzlocke
Pokémonhas never been a multiplayer game, and many fans have wished for years that they could play the titles together. ThePokémonSoul Link challenge is a chance to live out those dreams, with often hilarious results like in the video byDotoDoyaon YouTube. The Soul Link challenge is acooperative Nuzlocke that sees two players going through the same game, or different versions of the same generation,at the same pace. The catch is that whatever happens to one player affects the other.
For instance, if one player fails to catch a Pokémon on a certain route but the second player succeeds, they aren’t allowed to use their captured mon.Pokémon caught in the same location by both players are “linked” for the rest of the game,so if one faints, the other has to be released as well. This adds another element of randomness to the challenge and makes it very difficult but fun to play with a friend.
4Faulty Technology Challenge
Computers And PokéCenters Have All Gone Haywire In This Run
The Pokémon series relies heavily on technology, from being able to heal Pokémon in a few seconds to literallystoring them as data on a computer. Created in 2014 byDoubleODon the forum Smogon, the Faulty Technology challenge turns this on its head, showing what would happen ifall the tech relied upon in the games was on the fritz.
According to the rules, every time a Pokémon Center is used, players have to roll a 6-sided die and deposit the corresponding Pokémon into the last unfilled box in the PC. They can then fill the space they’ve just emptied in their team with any Pokémon from the first Box and then replacethatspace by filling the spot with a Pokémon from the previous Box. In essence,the PC operates somewhat like an assembly line, turning this into a fun challenge that encourages players to try out Pokémon that they might not normally use.
3No Damage Pokémon Run
Play Through An Entire Game Without Taking Any Damage
The premise of this challenge is exactly what it sounds like:getting through an entire game without taking any damage. In a video where he attempts the run,SmallAntexplains it very simply: “You know how when you do Pokemon battles you generally take damage? What if you just don’t?”
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The challenge requires careful planning, over-leveling, and avoiding battles with trainers except in very specific or unavoidable situations. Players have to know the ins and outs of every attack so they canrely on single-hit knock-outs.It’s also very useful to know the accuracy of each attack, and which attacks take more than one turn to charge up or simply do no damage. Because of all the planning ahead and grinding of this challenge, it’s a real test of the player’s patience and willingness to go to the extreme.
2IronMON Challenge
You Never Know What To Expect Since Everything Is Random
Created three years ago by YouTuberIateyourpie, the IronMON challenge has risen to popularity in part because it’shighly entertaining to watch. After years of playing the same game,veteranPokémonfranchise fanshave grown too familiar with the titles and what to expect. IronMON mixes things up and provides a fresh take on the games by randomizing everything.
The full rules can be found onGithub, but the gist of the challenge run is that it’s completely randomized.All Pokémon and their moves are random, with all other Nuzlocke rules in effect. The randomness makes it impossible to predict which way the game will go, as it’s completely up to luck whether a Pokémon will have any useful skills, or what opponents they’ll be up against.
1Kaizo IronMON
This Challenge Is Not Even Meant To Be Fun
Not content to have one of the hardest challenges inPokémon, Iateyourpie decided to one-up himself andcreate a challenge so difficult that it’s not even fun anymore.According to the rules shared byIateyourpiein the X post that announced it, the Kaizo IronMON is “meant to be insanely stupid and hard, and may actually be impossible.” The rules are “not meant to be fair, and possibly not even fun.”
ManyYouTubers and Twitch streamers, of course, have jumped on the chance to defeat this ridiculous challenge and some have actually managed to succeed, against all odds. In addition to the regular IronMON rules, the Kaizo IronMON limits players to catching no more than six total Pokémon throughout the entire game and only using one of them at any given time.Other limitations are in place, like not being allowed to knock out wild Pokémon for the EXP, having to defeat entire gyms in single runs, not being allowed to shop in the store, and TM and move learner limits.
All these ridiculous rules make the Kaizo IronMON the most difficultPokémonchallenge run in existence. Until, that is, another creator swoops in and one-ups even these rules for an ever more insane challenge.
