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I'm not sure precisely when the tradition started, but I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch switches from male to female avatars, featuring dark and violet hair. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this enduring series (and one of the more style-conscious releases). At other moments they're limited to the various school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved between releases, some cosmetic, others substantial. But at their heart, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only truly attempted to evolve on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every iteration, the fundamental mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting with adorable monsters has stayed steady for nearly as long as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes to that formula. It takes place entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of earlier games. Pokémon are intended to live together with people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only glimpsed previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. This is where the series' near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest transformation to date, replacing methodical turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel eager for another traditional entry. Although these changes to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to become part of her team of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and are sent to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. However here, you fight a handful of opponents to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights occur during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly trying to surprise a rival and launch an unopposed move, because all actions occur in real time. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, meaning both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to adjust to initially. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a significant part in battles since your creatures will trail behind you or move to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences through moves in the same order, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your opponent will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to visit. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures 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 Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon a passage you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I