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I don't recall exactly how the custom began, but I always name all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Whether it's a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction switches between male and female avatars, with black and purple hair. Occasionally their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this enduring series (and one of the more fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're limited to the various school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have transformed between installments, with certain superficial, others significant. But at their heart, they remain the same; they're always Pokemon through and through. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to evolve on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Across all version, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and fighting alongside adorable monsters has remained consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking the Mold 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 introduces several changes into that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of previous titles. Pokémon are intended to coexist alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely glimpsed before.

Far more drastic than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the series' near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest transformation to date, swapping deliberate sequential fights with more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself ready for another traditional release. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokemon recipe seem like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

Upon initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to join their squad of trainers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. However here, you fight a handful of trainers to gain the chance to participate in a promotion match. Win and you will be promoted to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Frontier

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise a rival and launch an unopposed move, because all actions occur in real time. Attacks function with recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I still feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a significant part in battles as your Pokémon will follow you around or go to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to pause in 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 in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though 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 vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, flying away when you get near similar to actual pigeons getting in my way when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive over time. You might discover 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. While I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights within Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. An elite combat club will invite you to a competition, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

During the Royale, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I