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I'm not sure exactly how the tradition started, however I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a main series title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction switches between male and female characters, with dark and violet hair. Sometimes their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the long-running series (and among the more style-conscious entries). At other moments they're limited to the various school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokémon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, some cosmetic, some significant. However at their core, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. Game Freak discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only truly attempted to evolve upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Throughout all iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and fighting with adorable monsters has stayed steady for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that framework. It takes place entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together with people, trainers and civilians, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the franchise's almost ideal core cycle undergoes its biggest transformation yet, replacing methodical turn-based bouts for more frenetic action. And it's immensely fun, despite I find myself ready for a new traditional release. Although these changes to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to join her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. However here, you fight a handful of trainers to gain the chance to participate in a promotion match. Win and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Trainer battles occur at night, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on a rival and unleash an unopposed move, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's much to get used to at first. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a significant part during combat since your creatures will follow you around or move to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I often sometimes cycling of attacks in the same order, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Creature fights rely on response post-move execution, and that information remains visible on the display in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design 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 almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights in Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and meaning. Conversely, battles in Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in eateries with patrons watching as they dine. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated headquarters of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I