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

Be it a core franchise title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch switches from male to female avatars, featuring dark and violet locks. Occasionally their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the long-running series (and among the more style-conscious entries). Other times they're confined to the various school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokémon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, with certain cosmetic, others significant. However at their heart, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to evolve upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting alongside adorable monsters has stayed steady for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes into that framework. It's set entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of earlier titles. Pokemon are intended to live together alongside humans, battlers and civilians, in ways we've only seen glimpses of previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. This is where the series' almost ideal gameplay loop experiences its most significant evolution yet, swapping methodical sequential fights with something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, despite I feel ready for another traditional entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're promptly recruited 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 Royale.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you fight several trainers to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: A New Approach

Character fights take place during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the assigned battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and launch an unopposed move, since everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in ways that complement each other. Placement also factors as a major role in battles since your creatures will trail behind you or move to specific locations to perform attacks (some are long-range, whereas others need to be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I often sometimes cycling of attacks in identical patterns, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on response post-move execution, and that information is still present on the display within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach similar to actual city birds getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You might discover a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. While I haven't been to Paris, the model behind the city, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where the city really shines, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet happen on a court with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality missing in the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I