🔗 Share this article

I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, however I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Whether it's a main series title or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction alternates between male and female characters, featuring black and purple hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the enduring franchise (and among the most fashion-focused entries). Other times they're limited to the assorted school uniform designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have transformed across installments, with certain superficial, others significant. However at their core, they remain identical; they're always Pokémon through and through. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to innovate upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Throughout every version, the core gameplay loop of catching and fighting alongside adorable monsters has remained consistent for almost as long as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes into that framework. It's set entirely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of earlier games. Pokemon are meant to coexist alongside humans, battlers and civilians, in ways we have merely glimpsed previously.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' almost ideal core cycle undergoes its biggest transformation yet, replacing deliberate turn-based bouts for something more chaotic. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself ready for another turn-based entry. Although these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to become part of their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression of past games. However here, you battle several trainers to earn the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights take place during nighttime, while navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and launch an unopposed move, because everything happens instantaneously. Moves operate on cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other at once). It's much to adjust to initially. Despite playing for nearly 30 hours, I still feel that there is much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Placement also factors as a major role during combat as your Pokémon will follow you around or move to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I often sometimes cycling through moves in the same order, despite this results in a less effective approach. There isn't moment to breathe in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on feedback post-move execution, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons getting in my way when walking in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote eventually. You might discover an alley you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design lacks character, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I haven't been to Paris, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed terraces.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with two random people watching. It's a total letdown. 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 invite you to a tournament, 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 the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I