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I don't recall precisely when the custom started, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch switches between male and female characters, featuring black and purple hair. Occasionally their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the long-running franchise (and among the more fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're limited to the assorted school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved between releases, some superficial, others substantial. But at their core, they stay identical; they're always Pokemon to the core. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to evolve on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Across every version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of capturing and battling alongside charming creatures has stayed steady for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations into that formula. It takes place completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive adventures of earlier games. Pokemon are intended to coexist alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only seen glimpses of before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the franchise's almost ideal core cycle experiences its biggest evolution to date, replacing methodical turn-based bouts with something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, despite I feel ready for another turn-based release. Although these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to become part of her team of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. But here, you battle a handful of trainers to earn the chance to participate in a promotion match. Win and you'll be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Approach

Trainer battles take place at night, while sneaking around the designated battle zones is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise a rival and unleash a free attack, because everything happens in real time. Moves function with cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's much to adjust to at first. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a major role during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action makes battles progress so quickly that I often sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response post-move execution, and that data is still present on screen within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to visit. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district differs, and all are alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and meaning. Conversely, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with two random people watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in eateries with diners observing while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Championship, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I