Nuzlocke

The Nuzlocke challenge is a self-imposed fan-made gameplay formula designed to make video games in the Pokémon series more difficult.

The Nuzlocke challenge is also popular with content creators online, attracting wide followings within the Pokémon fan community.

Former Nintendo Minute hosts Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, following their departure from the series, stated that they had been forbidden by The Pokémon Company from using Nuzlocke rules in a video.

In the Pokémon series, players travel across an open in-game world, capturing the titular creatures and using them to battle each other in combat; they can use various attacks both offensively and defensively.

It was devised to provide a challenge to those already familiar with the Nuzlocke ruleset, and was stated in official documentation as "...not meant to be fair, and possibly not even fun".

[5] Other adaptations to the ruleset have been devised, such as the "Hatelocke", which creates one continual run spanning the whole series, barring players from using Pokémon they captured in previous games.

[3] Following their departure from the web-series Nintendo Minute, Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, the series' former hosts, stated they had planned to do an episode featuring them playing a Pokémon game with Nuzlocke rules, only to be rebuked; according to them, they were not allowed to do so due to it being considered to be on the same level as playing a ROM hack on the platform.

[9] The statement was met with backlash within the fandom, resulting in The Pokémon Company International making a response, clarifying they have no issue with players using the ruleset.

A diagram detailing the rules of the challenge.
The Nuzlocke name came from a Nuzleaf depicted with the face of John Locke from the series Lost , who was portrayed by actor Terry O'Quinn (pictured).