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I don't recall precisely when the tradition began, but I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a main series title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch switches between male and female characters, featuring black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the enduring franchise (and among the most style-conscious entries). At other moments they're limited to the assorted academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, with certain cosmetic, others substantial. However at their core, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some three decades back, and just recently truly attempted to evolve upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Throughout all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of catching and fighting with charming creatures has stayed steady for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes to that formula. It takes place entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of earlier games. Pokémon are meant to coexist alongside humans, battlers and civilians, in manners we have merely glimpsed before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' near-perfect gameplay loop undergoes its most significant evolution yet, swapping deliberate sequential bouts for more frenetic action. And it's immensely fun, even as I feel eager for another turn-based entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to become part of her team of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression of past games. However here, you fight a handful of opponents to earn the chance to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned combat areas is quite entertaining. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and unleash a free attack, since all actions occur in real time. Moves operate on cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to adjust to initially. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel that there is much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or go 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 often sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, even when this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on feedback post-move execution, and that information is still present on the display in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

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 rooftops to explore. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near similar to actual city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You might discover an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. While I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights in Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them real weight and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet happen on a court with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing as they dine. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

During the Championship, as well as quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I