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

Whether it's a main series game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction switches from male to female characters, featuring black and purple hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this long-running series (and one of the most style-conscious releases). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved across installments, with certain superficial, some substantial. But at their heart, they remain identical; they're always Pokemon through and through. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately three decades back, and just recently seriously tried to innovate on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every version, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and battling with charming creatures has stayed steady for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations into that formula. It's set entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive journeys of earlier games. Pokémon are meant to live together alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only seen glimpses of before.

Far more drastic is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation to date, replacing deliberate sequential fights with something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, even as I feel eager for a new traditional entry. Although these changes to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to join her team of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement from earlier titles. But here, you fight a handful of opponents to earn the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, while navigating stealthily the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise an opponent and launch an unopposed move, since all actions occur instantaneously. Moves function with recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to initially. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I still feel that there is much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in ways that complement each other. Placement also plays a significant part in battles as your Pokémon will follow you around or go to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on feedback post-move execution, and that data remains visible on the display in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your adversary will result in certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach similar to actual city birds obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. 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 provide minimal diversity. While I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality missing in the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

During the Championship, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I