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I'm not sure exactly how the custom started, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers 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 characters, with dark and violet locks. Sometimes their fashion is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the long-running franchise (and one of the more style-conscious releases). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokémon games have transformed between installments, some superficial, some significant. However at their heart, they remain the same; they're always Pokémon to the core. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to evolve upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Across all iteration, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and fighting with charming creatures has remained consistent for almost as long as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes to that formula. It's set entirely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive journeys of previous titles. Pokemon are intended to coexist with people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Far more radical is Z-A's live-action battle system. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest evolution to date, replacing deliberate turn-based bouts for more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for another turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

Upon initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain for female characters) to become part of her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter 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 classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. But here, you fight several trainers to gain the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching the top rank.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Approach

Character fights take place during nighttime, while sneaking around the assigned combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm always attempting to get a jump on a rival and unleash a free attack, since everything happens instantaneously. Attacks function with cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks 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 designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, while others must be in close proximity).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I often sometimes cycling of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Creature fights depend on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on screen within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though tightly filled. 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 as you approach like the real-life city birds obstructing my path when walking in New York City. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You might discover an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales brim with character missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Royale, as well as quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I