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I'm not sure exactly how the custom started, but I always name every one of my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch switches between male and female avatars, featuring black and purple hair. Occasionally their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this long-running series (and among the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're limited to the assorted academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed across installments, some superficial, others significant. But at their core, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to evolve on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout every iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and battling alongside charming creatures has remained consistent for almost as long as my lifetime.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes to that framework. It takes place entirely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of earlier games. Pokémon are intended to coexist alongside humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Even more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop undergoes its most significant transformation to date, replacing methodical sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, even as I feel eager for another traditional entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they create an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to become part of their squad of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement of past games. However here, you battle several opponents to gain the chance to compete in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Battles: A New Frontier

Trainer battles take place at night, and sneaking around the designated combat areas is quite entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise a rival and unleash an unopposed move, since everything happens instantaneously. Moves operate on cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes strike simultaneously concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to get used to at first. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will follow you around or move to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others need to be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response post-move execution, and that data is still present on screen in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons getting in my way while strolling in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality missing in the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Royale, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I