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I'm not sure precisely when the tradition began, however I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a main series game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Sometimes their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this enduring franchise (and among the more style-conscious releases). Other times they're limited to the assorted school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, some superficial, some substantial. But at their core, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some three decades back, and has only seriously tried to innovate upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout all iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and battling with adorable monsters has remained consistent for almost as long as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations into that formula. It's set entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of earlier games. Pokemon are meant to coexist with people, battlers and civilians, in manners we've only glimpsed previously.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the series' almost ideal core cycle experiences its most significant transformation to date, swapping deliberate turn-based fights for more frenetic action. And it's immensely fun, even as I find myself ready for another turn-based entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by the female guide (if playing as a male character; Urbain for female characters) to become part of her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. But here, you fight a handful of opponents to earn the chance to participate in a promotion match. Win and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Approach

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm always attempting to surprise a rival and unleash an unopposed move, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks operate on recharge periods, indicating both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Despite playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling of attacks in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Creature fights depend on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on screen in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to visit. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach similar to actual city birds obstructing my path when walking in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You might discover a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights within Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and meaning. Conversely, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place on a court with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Royale, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I