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I don't recall precisely when the tradition began, but I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a main series game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates from male to female avatars, with black and purple locks. Sometimes their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the long-running series (and among the more style-conscious entries). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, with certain cosmetic, some substantial. But at their heart, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character faces peril). Throughout all iteration, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and fighting with adorable monsters has remained consistent for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations into that framework. It's set entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive journeys of earlier games. Pokémon are intended to coexist alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only seen glimpses of before.

Even more radical than that Z-A's real-time battle system. This is where the franchise's almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its biggest transformation to date, swapping deliberate turn-based bouts with more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for a new traditional entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your created character planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to become part of her team of battlers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement from earlier titles. But here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you will be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Approach

Character fights occur at night, and navigating stealthily the assigned battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly trying to surprise an opponent and unleash an unopposed move, since all actions occur in real time. Attacks operate on recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or move to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling of attacks in the same order, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response post-move execution, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Deep into the game, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to visit. It is also rich with character, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach similar to actual pigeons getting in my way while strolling in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, 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 most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I never visited the French capital, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights within Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with two random people observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in eateries with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality missing in the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Championship, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I