I’m getting real tired of people over the age of 20 picking up the latest Pokémon game and complaining that it’s a baby game for babies. Of course it is. It’s made for children. So many of us remember playing Pokémon Yellow on our OG red GameBoy and probably beating it without any issues.

So, this is for all of you hardcore gamers who want to turn a purposely easy game into Dark Souls: Alien Pocket Monster Edition.

I’m going to go over a bunch of Pokémon challenges and rating them on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most difficult. If you think I’m wrong, then let me know. Actually, @ the Vyrus Twitter so another staff member has to deal with the hate and I can sit back and laugh at y’all baby raging. LMAOOO.

Nuzlocke

Nuzlocke is the most basic of basic challenges and 90% of other challenges are a variant of this one. There are a bunch of things that people say you shouldn’t do during a Nuzlocke, like power-farming, but here are the basic rules:

• Only one Pokémon per Route/Area, and it has to be the first Pokémon you encounter. If that Pokémon flees or faints, you do not get a Pokémon for that route.
• Once a Pokémon faints, it is dead. You must release it or throw it into a “dead” box.
• You must give each Pokémon caught a nickname.

This one… really isn’t that hard. There’s so many routes and so many places to catch Pokémon that it’s very very hard to run out of Pokémon to use unless you’re a big dummy and don’t learn from your mistakes. So, could a 12-year-old complete this challenge? Honestly, probably. It’s not that difficult. HOWEVER, it is extremely fun. Naming your starter Jeffery McJefferyFace and crying deeply when he gets one-tapped by a Koffing that uses Self-destruct is an enjoyable experience… somehow?

Let’s slap a 4 on the Nuzlocke challenge as a decent baseline. It’s a fun one, but it’s not too hard.

Wonderlocke

Wonderlocke is a build on top of Nuzlocke, but it is only possible in Generation 6 or later. In this challenge, every Pokémon you catch must be Wonder Traded. So pretty much every Pokémon gets yeeted into the ether in hopes that you’ll get something back that’s fairly decent.

This one relies heavily on humanity. I can see this being easier during the beginning of the game, but as more Pokémon faint in the late game, it’ll be extremely difficult to get back Pokémon that are high enough level. Some randy could just send you a Pokémon they caught on Route 1.

It makes Nuzlockes a little bit harder… let’s go 6/10.

Roleplay

In a Roleplay challenge, you select a trainer (or type of trainer) from Pokémon media and only use the Pokémon from that trainer’s team. This challenge can be difficult to get going as you can’t really start off with the right Pokémon, so when does the challenge really begin? When you get the first Pokémon on their team?

This is more of a for-fun type challenge that you can make as difficult as you want. Personally, I’d go with Brock because I’m not passing up the chance to have a Sudowoodo on my team. Do you remember baby Bonsly? Oh man.

This is definitely a cheeky challenge. A perfect 6.9/10 if you will.

Wedlocke

Wedlocke is a build on top of Nuzlocke that requires some intense strategy. It includes all the normal Nuzlocke rules, except each Pokémon must be assigned a partner for life. A Pokémon cannot battle without a partner and during a battle, Pokémon can only be switched out to their partner.

This means for a majority of battles; you really only have two Pokémon at your disposal unless the first pair of Pokémon faints. This forces a bunch of decisions to be made. Do you pair up pokemon with offense and defense; types that cover each other’s weaknesses; or similar types so that battles can be stomped when applicable?

Due to the intense amount of planning and strategy, combined with the luck of getting a decent Pokémon to catch… this challenge may actually prove to be difficult. 8/10.

Soul Link

Soul Link requires you to have a friend, so this is already impossible for most of you. jk <3.

For a Soul link, two players play their own version of the same game and play a Nuzlocke. However, each Pokémon that a player acquires is soul-linked with the Pokémon that the other player caught on that route. For example, if your pal Joseph isn’t paying attention during a gym battle and his starter faints, then your starter is also dead. In addition, a Pokémon can only be in the party if their partner is in your friend’s party as well.

This challenge takes a significant amount of coordination and meeting up to play at the same time. If played at separate times, then some Pokémon won’t truly be soul-linked. So, the hardest part of this challenge is having a friend who is as dedicated as you to finish a Pokémon game all the way through. I’ve tried this way too many times and it always turns into either a solo Nuzlocke run, or we play for one day and forget about it.

Honestly, if you can do this, congrats. You and your friend have no life are supreme gamers. Due to coordinate efforts with other humans, I’m giving this one a 9.3/10.

Sleeplocke

Alright this is the actual hardest challenge. A Sleeplocke has all the same rules as a Nuzlocke… except the run must be completed before the player falls asleep irl. It doesn’t have to be done all in one sitting, but no naps, no rests, no falling asleep.

This challenge becomes SIGNIFICANTLY easier when using an emulator that can speed the game up. I’d even go as far as to say that it is cheating.

10/10 difficult. Obviously, some games are quicker than others, and what is defined as “completing a run” is different from person to person.

Making Pokémon Difficult

There are plenty of challenges for these games and plenty of resources online for advice and new challenges as well as communities to share your successes with. Pokémon games are fantastic games, but they are made to be easy. That’s ok. It’s ok to enjoy an easy game. You don’t have to make it the hardest game in the world. Life’s hard enough as it is, and you don’t need to add more stress by making a dang Pokémon game hard.

Obviously, these challenges can be made by combining challenges, so that’s always an option. Go ahead and try out a Roleplay Soul Link Sleeplocke and let me know how it goes.

Love y’all. Have a good day. Thank you for reading.