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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 along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates from male to female avatars, with dark and violet hair. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this long-running franchise (and one of the most style-conscious releases). At other moments they're limited to the assorted school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, some cosmetic, others significant. However at their heart, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve on it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Across every version, the core gameplay loop of capturing and fighting with adorable monsters has stayed steady for almost as long as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes to that formula. It's set entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are intended to coexist alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Even more drastic is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its biggest transformation yet, replacing deliberate sequential bouts with something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, even as I feel eager for a new traditional entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to join her team of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. However here, you fight several opponents to earn the chance to compete in a promotion match. Win and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Character fights take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm constantly trying to get a jump on a rival and unleash a free attack, because everything happens in real time. Attacks function with cooldown timers, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's much to adjust to initially. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near similar to actual pigeons getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive over time. You might discover an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights within Sword & Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them real weight and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will invite you to a tournament, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Royale, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I