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I'm not sure precisely when the custom began, however I always name all my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction switches between male and female characters, with dark and violet locks. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the long-running series (and among the most style-conscious releases). Other times they're limited to the assorted academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, with certain superficial, some substantial. However at their core, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some three decades back, and just recently seriously tried to evolve upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Throughout every iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and fighting with charming creatures has stayed steady for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations to that formula. It's set completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of previous games. Pokémon are intended to coexist with humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only seen glimpses of before.

Even more drastic is Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its biggest transformation to date, swapping methodical sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself ready for a new traditional release. Though these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula sound like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to join her team of battlers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. However here, you fight a handful of trainers to gain the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be promoted to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, while sneaking around the designated combat areas is quite entertaining. I'm always attempting to get a jump on a rival and launch an unopposed move, because all actions occur in real time. Attacks function with cooldown timers, indicating both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's a lot to adjust to at first. 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. Placement also factors as a significant part in battles since your creatures will trail behind you or move to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I often repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and numerous opportunities 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. Occasionally, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach like the real-life city birds obstructing my path when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote eventually. You might discover a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen on a court with two random people observing. It's a total letdown. 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 extend an invitation 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 headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales brim with character missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Championship, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I