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I don't recall precisely when the custom started, however I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Malfunction switches between male and female characters, with black and purple locks. Occasionally their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this long-running series (and among the most style-conscious releases). Other times they're confined to the various school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed across releases, with certain superficial, some substantial. However at their core, they stay the same; they're always Pokemon through and through. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system some three decades back, and has only truly attempted to innovate upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Across all iteration, the core gameplay loop of catching and battling with charming creatures has stayed steady for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations to that framework. It's set entirely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to coexist alongside humans, battlers and civilians, in manners we've only seen glimpses of previously.

Even more radical than that Z-A's real-time battle system. This is where the franchise's almost ideal gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation to date, swapping deliberate sequential fights for something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, even as I feel eager for a new traditional release. Though these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe sound like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to join her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. However here, you fight several trainers to gain the opportunity to participate in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Character fights take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on a rival and unleash an unopposed move, since all actions occur in real time. Attacks function with cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's much to get used to initially. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I still feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a significant part during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in the same order, even when this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on feedback after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your opponent will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the concept of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near like the real-life city birds obstructing my path when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which the city really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored the way creature fights in Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet and Violet happen on a court with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Championship, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I