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I don't recall exactly how the custom started, however I always name every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a main series game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Malfunction switches from male to female avatars, featuring dark and violet locks. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this enduring franchise (and among the most style-conscious releases). At other moments they're limited to the various academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed between releases, with certain superficial, others substantial. But at their heart, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some three decades back, and has only truly attempted to innovate on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Throughout all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and battling alongside adorable monsters has stayed consistent for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes to that formula. It takes place entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive journeys of previous games. Pokémon are meant to coexist alongside people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only seen glimpses of before.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation yet, swapping deliberate turn-based bouts with more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel eager for a new turn-based release. Although these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; Urbain for female characters) to join their squad of battlers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and are sent to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. But here, you battle a handful of trainers to earn the chance 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.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights occur at night, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is quite enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise a rival and unleash a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks function with recharge periods, indicating both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Positioning also plays a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I often repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on feedback after using an attack, and that information is still present on the display in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, 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 coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach similar to actual city birds getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You might discover an alley you never visited, but it feels identical. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes offer little variety. While I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks differs, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights within Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet and Violet take place on a court with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching as they dine. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) hanging above. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality missing in the larger city in general.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Championship, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I