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I don't recall precisely when the custom began, but I always name every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch switches from male to female characters, featuring dark and violet locks. Sometimes their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the enduring series (and one of the more fashion-focused entries). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, with certain cosmetic, others significant. But at their core, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to evolve on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Across every version, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and battling with charming creatures has remained steady for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations into that formula. It's set completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of previous games. Pokémon are meant to live together with people, trainers and civilians, in manners we've only glimpsed before.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation yet, swapping methodical turn-based bouts for more frenetic action. And it's immensely fun, even as I find myself ready for another turn-based entry. Although these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to join her team of battlers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement from earlier titles. But here, you battle a handful of opponents to gain the chance to compete in a promotion match. Win and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Combat: A New Frontier

Character fights occur during nighttime, while navigating stealthily the designated combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm always trying to surprise a rival and launch a free attack, since everything happens instantaneously. Attacks function with cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's much to get used to initially. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Placement also plays a significant part in battles since your creatures will trail behind you or move to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, while others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on screen within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to explore. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, flying away 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 insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You might discover a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where every district differs, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where the city really shines, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights within Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and meaning. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You will fight in eateries with patrons watching as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct combat settings brim with character that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Championship, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I