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I'm not sure exactly how the tradition began, but I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a main series game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates from male to female avatars, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the long-running franchise (and one of the more style-conscious entries). Other times they're limited to the assorted school uniform designs from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokémon games have transformed across releases, with certain superficial, some substantial. But at their core, they stay the same; they're always Pokemon to the core. The developers discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately three decades back, and just recently seriously tried to evolve upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Across all version, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling with adorable monsters has remained consistent for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that formula. It takes place entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are intended to live together alongside humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Far more drastic is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the series' almost ideal core cycle undergoes its biggest evolution to date, replacing methodical sequential bouts for something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel eager for another turn-based entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe sound like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to become part of her team of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Royale is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you fight several opponents to gain the opportunity to compete in an advancement bout. Win and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise an opponent and launch a free attack, since everything happens in real time. Attacks function with recharge periods, indicating both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to get used to initially. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on response after using an attack, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your opponent will result in certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to visit. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near similar to actual city birds obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You might discover an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I never visited the French capital, 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 features beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries 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 the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Championship, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I