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I don't recall exactly how the tradition began, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a main series game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch switches between male and female avatars, featuring dark and violet locks. Occasionally their fashion is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this long-running franchise (and one of the more fashion-focused entries). Other times they're confined to the various school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed between releases, with certain cosmetic, others significant. But at their heart, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. The developers discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some three decades back, and just recently seriously tried to innovate upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Throughout all version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of capturing and battling with charming creatures has stayed steady for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that formula. It's set entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of earlier titles. Pokemon are intended to coexist alongside people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the series' almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its most significant transformation yet, swapping deliberate sequential bouts for more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, despite I feel ready for a new traditional entry. Although these changes to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to join their squad of trainers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. But here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Win and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: A New Frontier

Character fights occur during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on an opponent and launch a free attack, since all actions occur instantaneously. Moves operate on recharge periods, indicating both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's much to adjust to at first. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will follow you around or move to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling of attacks in the same order, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Creature fights rely on response after using an attack, and that data is still present on the display in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering new shops and rooftops to visit. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes offer little variety. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights in Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with two random people observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) hanging above. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I