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I'm not sure exactly how the tradition began, but I always name every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a core franchise game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates from male to female characters, featuring dark and violet hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this long-running series (and one of the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're limited to the assorted school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved between releases, some cosmetic, some significant. But at their heart, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. Game Freak discovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to evolve upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Throughout every iteration, the core gameplay loop of capturing and fighting alongside adorable monsters has remained consistent for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations to that framework. It's set completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to coexist with people, battlers and civilians, in ways we've only seen glimpses of previously.

Even more drastic is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' near-perfect core cycle experiences its most significant transformation to date, replacing deliberate sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for another turn-based entry. Though these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they form an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to become part of her team of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. However here, you fight several opponents to earn the opportunity to participate in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: A New Frontier

Character fights take place at night, while sneaking around the designated battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm always trying to surprise an opponent and launch a free attack, because all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks operate on recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to get used to initially. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master regarding using my Pokémon's moves in ways that work together synergistically. Placement also plays a major role in battles as your Pokémon will follow you around or move to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others must be in close proximity).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in the same order, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on response post-move execution, and that data is still present on the display within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away when you get near like the real-life city birds obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach 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 building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district differs, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It features tan buildings topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place on a court with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

During the Championship, along with subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I