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I'm not sure exactly how the tradition began, but I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a main series title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch switches between male and female avatars, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in this enduring franchise (and one of the more style-conscious releases). Other times they're limited to the various school uniform designs from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed between releases, with certain cosmetic, others substantial. But at their core, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout all version, the core gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside charming creatures has stayed steady for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes into that framework. It's set completely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive journeys of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together with people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely glimpsed before.

Far more radical is Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the series' near-perfect core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution yet, swapping deliberate sequential bouts for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself eager for another turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to become part of her team of battlers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. However here, you battle several trainers to earn the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Real-Time Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the designated combat areas is quite entertaining. I'm always trying to surprise an opponent and unleash an unopposed move, since all actions occur in real time. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, indicating you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's much to get used to initially. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I still feel that there is plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling of attacks in the same order, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe in Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Creature fights depend on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to explore. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path while strolling in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I haven't been to Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with few spectators observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings brim with character that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I