The Impose a Challenge Challenge
 

I was recently going through all of my games looking for something to play when the sudden urge to play Earthbound hit me again.But then I realized I've beaten this game every which way but loose.

So I decided to beat it loose.

Basically I decided that I would go through the game using NO EQUIPMENT, BOTTLE-ROCKETS, or BOUGHT BRAIN FOOD LUNCHES, with a average level cap of 60.

The Rules of this Challenge:
1. No character may equip any piece of equipment. Ever.
This makes the game harder on several levels, first it lowers your Bash power, second it makes your defense abysmal, and three it makes you not immune to the status effects and elements that several pieces of armor provide.

2. Jeff may never use a Bottle-rocket of any kind.
This does not extend to any of his other gadgets, or any other non-bottle-rocket combat item. Bazookas, bombs, the snake bag, Dragonite are all okay. Teddy Bears are okay to have in your inventory.

3. Brain Food Lunches may not be bought.
Any found in gift boxes, or dropped by enemies may be used freely.

4. The Rock Candy Glitch is not allowed.
However feel free to use a condiment to double your stat gain! In fact, you'd be stupid not too!

5. Savestates are NOT allowed.
Not that you can do a save state right? You do have a legitimate copy of Earthbound, right? Using a fast forward feature is also frowned upon.

6. There is a Average Level Cap of 60, and a Max character level of 65
What this means that if at the end of the adventure your party's average level must not exceed 60. IE Ness is 64, Paula is 60, Jeff if 59, and Poo is 54... Thats okay, as long as their levels do not average out to be higher than 60, but do not stress over this rule as much. You wont "fail" if your average level ends up at 61 by the end of the game. Exp happens. No Individual character should be past level 65.

I am actually kinda excited about doing this (I'm such a EB-nerd:gonk:) and will be playing on my beloved and much played Earthbound cartridge, and even if this is not complete-able(Gigyas is actually kinda hard), I would love to see how far I can get.

You guys should come up with a challenge and post it, or hell try this one!

I plan to provide some updates on my progress through the game, and maybe tweak the challenge for difficulty.

Edited for something Giever said.

Probably one of the easier ways to do this is to get three characters around 80 (probably Ness, Paula, and Poo, sorry Jeff! D: ), and keep the fourth characters level really low, to survive most of the battles. Otherwise you may end up just spending all of your time healing yourselves, if you can't live after one attack without resting up (and therefore not being able to attack at all, yourselves).

Journey Log

Beat Frank and Frankystein Ness 8 No problem at all. Beat frank with 1 PSI Rockin, and Frankystein with 1 PSI Rockin and 2 melee attacks. Never Had to heal. The normal sharks were much harder.
Beat Titanic Ant Ness 12 Not too much of a problem. Used 3 PSI Rockin's and he was finished.
Beat Carpainter. Ness 15, he killed himself on my Franklin badge.
Beat Mondo Mole. Ness 19/Paula 14 Easy! PSI Paralysis, and then just auto-attacked until he died.
Got Jeff through Winters Jeff 4 PAIN IN THE BUTT, but not super hard, just had to avoid the Goats...
Beat Boogey Tent Ness 21/Paula 16/Jeff 9 Used PSI Rockin and Fire a few times and I threw a bomb with Jeff. He died pretty easy.
Beat Mini Bark at end of Threed Tunnel PSI and Bombs. Little harder than it should have been due to me being possesed.
Beat Master Belch Ness 24 Paula 21 Jeff 21 Fly Honey+PSI Freeze beta = Owned Belch
Defeated Trillionage Sprout Ness 26 Paula 23 Jeff 23 Hardest boss so far, kept diamondizing. Used PSI Fire Beta and Rockin Beta to clean his clock. Jeff was Diamondized the 2nd round of combat so he didn't throw a single bomb.
Beat the Guardian Moles The moles themselves were easy, it was getting to them!

I think you're going to have a hard time getting through the game. I mean, remember in the Fourside Mall Monster? Without PSI Freeze, it's difficult enough. I only get through that area because Jeff had a shitstorm of Big Bottle Rockets that were previously purchased.

How do you plan on doing this?

Well, I have already beaten the Department Store Spook, even if I haven't updated it. Its actually not as hard as you'd think. Getting to the Spook was harder than fighting him.

Jeff is pretty useless generally, but he does toss a mean bomb, and I am finding his gadgets to be more useful.

I am also using status inflicting PSI more often.

Ooh, Hungry HP Sucker is probably pretty handy for healing yourself with Jeff. Nice for non-boss encounters anyway, I'd think.

So where are you now?

My TV went out, so my gaming is grounded for a day. Getting a new one Tuesday.

However, I had just gotten to the Monotolli Building. The Clumsy Robot is giving me a bit of a trouble.

I'm planning to actually update the Log when I find my note card. (It has my character levels and the basic tactics I used to beat the boss.)

k, I have one. Beat RE4 with the knife only, keeping handgun only for gun-critical things like the trucks and shooting down the drawbridge, covering Ashley as she works the cranks, etc.

I'll tell you something, the regenerators are going to be murder.

Hell, I'll rescind this crazy challange in favor of handgun only, because that's at least possible. No upgrading either. It's still possible.

Actually, now that I think of it, using only the knife is impossible at several parts of the game, like Salazar and Saddler.

A few weeks ago I played through the old Legend of Zelda (NES) and got to Gannon entirely without ever picking up a sword (Wooden, Magical or Master Sword). Got every item in the game besides those and beat every boss. That was an annoying challenge mainly because of the Wizzrobes and the Darknuts.

^ how?????? I mean...... HOW??????

You have to have a sword to kill something at first, what did you do to kill things? I mean, that's like impossible!

WHAT DID YOU DO??!