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I don't recall exactly how the custom began, but I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates between male and female avatars, featuring black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this long-running franchise (and among the more fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, with certain superficial, others significant. However at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately three decades back, and has only truly attempted to evolve on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Across every iteration, the fundamental mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting alongside adorable monsters has remained consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations into that formula. It takes place entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the expansive journeys of previous games. Pokémon are meant to live together with people, battlers and civilians, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's live-action battle system. It's here the series' near-perfect gameplay loop undergoes its biggest evolution yet, replacing methodical turn-based bouts with more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself ready for a new traditional release. Although these changes to the classic Pokemon recipe sound like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to become part of their squad of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Championship.

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

Live-Action Combat: A New Approach

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm always trying to get a jump on an opponent and launch a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with recharge periods, meaning both combatants may occasionally attack each other concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to adjust to initially. Despite playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, while others must be up close and personal).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I often repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, even when this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on screen within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and rooftops to visit. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey 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 such as Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and underground routes offer little variety. While I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis 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.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries with patrons watching while they eat. An elite combat club will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I