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

Be it a core franchise game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch switches from male to female characters, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this enduring franchise (and one of the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're limited to the various school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed across releases, some cosmetic, some substantial. However at their core, they remain the same; they're always Pokemon to the core. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only seriously tried to innovate upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Across all iteration, the core gameplay loop of catching and battling with adorable monsters has stayed consistent for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes to that framework. It takes place entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of previous games. Pokemon are intended to coexist with people, battlers and civilians, in manners we've only glimpsed before.

Even more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle undergoes its biggest evolution yet, replacing methodical sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, despite I find myself ready for a new turn-based release. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon initially reaching in Lumiose City, whatever plans your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; Urbain for female characters) to become part of their squad of trainers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

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

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Character fights occur at night, while sneaking around the assigned combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with recharge periods, indicating both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to adjust to at first. Despite playing for nearly 30 hours, I still feel that there is much to master regarding using my Pokémon's moves in ways that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or move to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, while others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Creature fights rely on response post-move execution, and that information is still present on screen in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote eventually. You might discover a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I