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I don't recall exactly how the tradition began, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch switches from male to female characters, featuring dark and violet locks. Sometimes their style is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in this long-running franchise (and one of the most style-conscious releases). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, with certain superficial, others significant. But at their core, they remain identical; they're always Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting alongside charming creatures has stayed steady for almost as long as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes into that framework. It's set entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of previous games. Pokemon are intended to live together alongside people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed before.

Far more radical 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, replacing deliberate sequential fights for something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself ready for another turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokemon recipe seem like they form an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to join her team of trainers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. However here, you fight a handful of trainers to gain the opportunity to participate in a promotion match. Win and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Trainer battles take place at night, and sneaking around the designated combat areas is very entertaining. I'm always attempting to surprise a rival and launch a free attack, since all actions occur in real time. Moves operate on cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a significant part in battles since your creatures will trail behind you or move to specific locations to execute moves (certain ones are distant, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There isn't moment to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Creature fights depend on response post-move execution, and that data is still present on screen within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your adversary will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and rooftops to explore. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach similar to actual city birds obstructing my path while strolling in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You might discover a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. While I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district differs, and all are vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings brim with character that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I