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I don't recall precisely when the custom started, however I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a main series title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Malfunction alternates from male to female characters, with black and purple locks. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this long-running series (and one of the most style-conscious entries). At other moments they're limited to the assorted academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed across installments, some superficial, others substantial. But at their core, they remain identical; they're always Pokémon through and through. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve on it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Across every version, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling with adorable monsters has remained consistent for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its absence of gyms and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations into that formula. It takes place completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokemon are intended to live together alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Even more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the series' almost ideal core cycle experiences its biggest evolution to date, swapping deliberate turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself eager for a new turn-based release. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokemon recipe seem like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to become part of her team of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. However here, you battle several opponents to earn the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you will be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Frontier

Trainer battles occur at night, while navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise a rival and launch a free attack, because all actions occur instantaneously. Moves function with cooldown timers, indicating both combatants can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to get used to initially. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part in battles since your creatures will trail behind you or move to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others must be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences through moves in the same order, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on feedback after using an attack, and that information remains visible on screen in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures like Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for the franchise, and a welcome one. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes offer little variety. While I never visited Paris, the inspiration for the city, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where no two blocks differs, and all are alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them real weight and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales brim with character that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Royale, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I