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I'm not sure exactly how the custom began, however I always name every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a main series game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates between male and female avatars, with dark and violet hair. Sometimes their style is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the enduring series (and among the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're confined to the various school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved across releases, some superficial, others significant. But at their core, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to innovate on it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Across every iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and fighting alongside adorable monsters has remained steady for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes to that framework. It's set entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive adventures of earlier games. Pokémon are intended to live together alongside people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only glimpsed before.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle undergoes its biggest evolution to date, replacing deliberate sequential bouts with something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, despite I feel eager for another turn-based release. Though these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to join her team of battlers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Royale is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression of past games. However here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the chance to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be promoted to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise a rival and unleash an unopposed move, because all actions occur in real time. Moves function with recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other concurrently (and knock each other out at once). It's much to get used to at first. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I still feel that there is much to master regarding using my Pokémon's moves in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will follow you around or go to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in the same order, despite this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles rely on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on screen within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it because taking your eyes off your opponent will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to visit. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, flying away when you get near similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon 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 offer little variety. While I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district differs, and they're all vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has tan buildings with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Championship, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I