What is gauntlet?

GAUNTLET is a Pokemon battle engine that runs inside a Claude Code session, played entirely through chat. It requires Node.js version 18 or newer and fetches all Pokemon data, including stats, moves, sprites, and catch rates, live from PokeAPI, a free public database. Installation is a single command that downloads the files and can also install the Claude Code command line tool if it is not already present. There are two ways to play. The first is an endless arcade mode where you draft a team, fight progressively harder waves of opponents, and try to build a winning streak, similar to a roguelike game. The second is a narrated campaign mode where Claude acts as a Game Master, placing you on routes from the original Kanto region, letting you catch wild Pokemon, battle gyms, and build a story that saves to disk between sessions so you can continue later. In both modes, you make every strategic decision by typing plain language, such as "use the water attack" or "catch it." Claude translates what you say into game actions and reports the outcome, but the actual battle math, including type matchups, damage, accuracy, and catch odds, is handled entirely by a single JavaScript game engine file. Claude never invents mechanics or numbers, it only reads engine output and relays it back to you as the referee, not the player. There is also an optional multiplayer web version where Claude narrates for every visitor at once, which requires an Anthropic API key and has separate notes on hosting and cost control. The arcade mode alone can also run directly in a terminal without Claude, by calling the game script on its own, so an internet connection is only needed to fetch and cache Pokemon data.