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

Be it a main series title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the long-running series (and one of the most fashion-focused entries). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed between releases, with certain cosmetic, others substantial. However at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. The developers uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Across every iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and battling with charming creatures has stayed steady for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple deviations to that formula. It's set entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the expansive journeys of earlier games. Pokémon are meant to coexist with humans, trainers and civilians, in ways we have merely glimpsed before.

Far more drastic than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. This is where the series' almost ideal core cycle experiences its biggest evolution to date, swapping methodical sequential bouts with something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for another traditional release. Though these changes to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they form 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

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to become part of her team of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. However here, you fight several opponents to earn the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights take place during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise an opponent and launch an unopposed move, because everything happens in real time. Attacks operate on recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's much to get used to at first. Despite playing for nearly 30 hours, I still feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a significant part during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or go to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in the same order, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on screen within Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to visit. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near similar to actual city birds getting in my way when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You might discover a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights within Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and meaning. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place 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 patrons watching as they dine. 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) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

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