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I don't recall exactly how the custom started, however I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch switches between male and female characters, with dark and violet hair. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this long-running franchise (and among the most style-conscious entries). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, with certain cosmetic, others significant. But at their core, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. Game Freak discovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to evolve on it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Throughout all version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of capturing and battling with adorable monsters has remained steady for almost as long as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple deviations to that formula. It takes place entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of earlier games. Pokemon are intended to live together alongside people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed previously.

Even more drastic is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' almost ideal core cycle experiences its biggest transformation yet, replacing methodical turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself ready for another turn-based entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they create a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to join her team of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Royale is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. However here, you fight several opponents to earn the chance to participate in a promotion match. Win and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the final objective of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the designated combat areas is very entertaining. I'm always attempting to get a jump on a rival and launch an unopposed move, because all actions occur in real time. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, indicating both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel that there is much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Placement also factors as a major role in battles since your creatures will trail behind you or move to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling to trees.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You might discover a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I haven't been to Paris, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and all are alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored the way creature fights in Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in eateries with patrons watching as they dine. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

During the Royale, along with subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I