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I'm not sure exactly how the tradition began, but I always name every one of my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a core franchise title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Malfunction alternates from male to female characters, featuring black and purple hair. Sometimes their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this enduring series (and among the more fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're limited to the assorted school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed across installments, some superficial, some substantial. However at their heart, they stay the same; they're always Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula approximately three decades back, and just recently truly attempted to evolve on it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Throughout all iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside charming creatures has remained steady for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that formula. It's set completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the expansive adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together with humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only glimpsed before.

Even more radical is Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the series' almost ideal core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution yet, replacing deliberate sequential fights with something more chaotic. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for a new turn-based release. Though these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they create a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by Taunie (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to join their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. But here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the chance to participate in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Approach

Character fights take place at night, while sneaking around the designated combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on an opponent and launch an unopposed move, since everything happens instantaneously. Moves operate on recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways 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 perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There isn't moment to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on feedback post-move execution, and that information is still present on the display in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near similar to actual city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality missing in the larger city in general.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I