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I'm not sure exactly how the custom started, but I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series title or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female avatars, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this long-running franchise (and one of the most style-conscious releases). Other times they're confined to the various school uniform designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, some superficial, others significant. But at their heart, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. The developers discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Throughout all version, the core gameplay loop of catching and fighting alongside charming creatures has remained steady for nearly as long as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, with its absence of gyms and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes to that framework. It's set completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of previous titles. Pokémon are intended to coexist alongside humans, battlers and civilians, in manners we have merely glimpsed previously.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the series' near-perfect core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution yet, replacing deliberate sequential bouts for something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself ready for a new traditional entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they form an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to join her team of battlers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and are sent to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Royale is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. However here, you battle a handful of trainers to earn the opportunity to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, while navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise an opponent and launch an unopposed move, since all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks operate on recharge periods, indicating both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously at the same time (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Despite playing for nearly 30 hours, I still feel like there's much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a major role in battles since your creatures will follow you around or go to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The live combat makes battles progress so quickly that I often sometimes cycling of attacks in the same order, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to become swamped. Creature fights depend on response after using an attack, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your opponent will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

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 elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of Pokémon and people living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach like the real-life pigeons obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them real weight and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with two random people observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) hanging above. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings brim with character missing in the larger city in general.

The Familiarity of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I