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I don't recall exactly how the custom began, but I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a core franchise title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, with dark and violet hair. Sometimes their fashion is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the enduring series (and among the more style-conscious releases). Other times they're confined to the assorted school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, some superficial, others significant. However at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to evolve on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Across all version, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside adorable monsters has stayed steady for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple deviations into that formula. It takes place entirely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of previous titles. Pokemon are intended to coexist alongside humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed previously.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle undergoes its biggest transformation yet, swapping deliberate sequential bouts with something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, even as I feel eager for another traditional entry. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to join their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. But here, you battle several opponents to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Approach

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash a free attack, because all actions occur in real time. Moves function with recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to get used to initially. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I still feel like there's much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in ways that complement each other. Placement also factors as a significant part in battles since your creatures will follow you around or move to specific locations to perform attacks (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The live combat makes battles progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on response post-move execution, and that data is still present on the display in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it because taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, though tightly filled. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near like the real-life city birds obstructing my path while strolling in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You might discover a passage you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The building design is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. While I haven't been to Paris, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where every district are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with few spectators observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Royale, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I