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The most popular randomizer for doing a Nuzlocke challenge is the Universal Pokemon Randomizer. You can also only randomize by region, so while the Pokemon are random, they’re still appropriate for the region you are in. You can randomize absolutely everything, from what Pokemon Trainers have to what you find in the wild, or just wild Pokemon. There’s often a lot of customization available. If you run out of Pokemon, the game is ‘finished’ and you will have to start over. This makes playing a lot more difficult because you must work with what you have instead of constantly switching up to something better.įurther complicating how challenging this is, if a Pokemon faints you may not revive it. The challenge also requires that you use no healing, potions or new Pokémon besides the first 6 you come across. The Nuzlocke challenge isn’t just about changing things up Pokémon wise. The Pokémon also often come in special colorations.Īs an example, if you are playing Pokémon HeartGold, getting the randomizer version will change what sort of Pokemon you run into on it. The randomizer changes the game so that rather than seeing specific Pokémon such as Ratata at the beginning of your game, you could see virtually any Pokémon. There are many randomizers out there, but the one called Pokemon Randomizer Nuzlocke is one of the most popular. The Nuzlocke challenge has you download a ROM to your computer of the Pokemon game of your choice, with a randomizer feature added to it. If you’ve been seeing the Pokémon Randomizer Nuzlocke challenge popping up all over and wondering what it is, look no further. In this case, a randomizer Nuzlocke is a variation because you are doing both a Nuzlocke challenge and modifying it farther by randomizing it.
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Since challenges like these are self policed, there’s no one to tell you what makes it a proper challenge or not. There are variations on these rules, such as allowing yourself a single resurrection or keeping ‘shiny’ Pokémon, but these are entirely up to you. Naming them helps focus on that individual. Players typically gloss over the loss of a Pokémon with so many to choose from.
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The goal is to make it feel like something meaningful happened when a Pokémon dies. This definitely makes the game a lot more challenging, but also a lot more fun. Just think of it like Minecraft Hard Mode.
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Rules can vary depending on you, but the most common rules for the Nuzlocke challenge include:
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