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I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a main series game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Malfunction switches between male and female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Sometimes their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the long-running series (and one of the most style-conscious releases). Other times they're limited to the various school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved across releases, some cosmetic, others substantial. But at their core, they remain the same; they're always Pokemon to the core. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some three decades back, and just recently truly attempted to innovate upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Throughout all iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and fighting alongside adorable monsters has remained steady for almost as long as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes into that formula. It takes place completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of earlier titles. Pokémon are intended to live together with humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed previously.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time battle system. This is where the franchise's near-perfect core cycle experiences its most significant transformation to date, replacing methodical turn-based fights for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself eager for another traditional release. Although these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula sound like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're promptly enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to become part of her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Royale is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. But here, you fight several opponents to gain the chance to participate in a promotion match. Win and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, while sneaking around the designated combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm always attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash an unopposed move, since everything happens instantaneously. Attacks operate on recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to initially. Despite playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Placement also plays a significant part during combat since your creatures will follow you around or move to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles rely on feedback post-move execution, and that information is still present on screen in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach similar to actual city birds obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You might discover an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district differs, and they're all vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It features tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) hanging above. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Championship, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I