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I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, but I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a main series game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Sometimes their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the long-running series (and among the more style-conscious entries). Other times they're limited to the various academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have transformed across releases, with certain cosmetic, some significant. However at their heart, they stay identical; they're always Pokemon through and through. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to evolve upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Throughout all version, the core gameplay loop of capturing and fighting with adorable monsters has remained steady for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its absence of gyms and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes into that formula. It takes place completely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of earlier games. Pokemon are intended to coexist with humans, battlers and civilians, in ways we have merely glimpsed previously.

Far more drastic is Z-A's live-action battle system. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant evolution yet, replacing deliberate turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself ready for another turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to join their squad of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you fight several opponents to gain the chance to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, while sneaking around the assigned combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, because everything happens in real time. Attacks operate on recharge periods, indicating both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to initially. Despite playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or go to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, while others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in the same order, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response 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 opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and rooftops to visit. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, flying away 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 bug-Pokémon like Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city 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 sewer paths offer little variety. While I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored the way creature fights within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries with patrons watching while they eat. An elite combat club will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Royale, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I