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I don't recall precisely when the tradition began, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch alternates between male and female avatars, featuring dark and violet hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in this long-running series (and one of the most fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're limited to the assorted school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved across installments, with certain cosmetic, some significant. However at their core, they stay the same; they're always Pokemon through and through. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only truly attempted to innovate upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Across every iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and battling with charming creatures has remained steady for nearly as long as I've been alive.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations to that formula. It takes place completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of previous games. Pokémon are intended to coexist with humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we have merely glimpsed before.

Even more radical is Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the series' almost ideal core cycle experiences its most significant evolution yet, swapping methodical sequential bouts with more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, even as I find myself ready for another turn-based entry. Although these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they form an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to become part of their squad of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and are sent to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression of past games. However here, you battle a handful of opponents to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm constantly attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash an unopposed move, since all actions occur in real time. Moves function with cooldown timers, meaning both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's much to get used to initially. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will follow you around or move to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, whereas others must be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in the same order, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response after using an attack, and that data remains visible on screen within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since diverting attention from your adversary will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach like the real-life pigeons getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling to trees.

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 an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I never visited Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It has tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which the city really shines, oddly enough, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will invite you to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales brim with character missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Championship, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I