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I'm not sure precisely when the tradition started, but I always name every one of my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a core franchise game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch switches between male and female avatars, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the enduring series (and among the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're limited to the assorted school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have transformed between installments, some cosmetic, others significant. But at their heart, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. Game Freak discovered an almost flawless mechanics system some 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to innovate upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character faces peril). Throughout all iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside adorable monsters has remained consistent for almost as long as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple deviations into that formula. It's set completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the expansive journeys of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together with humans, battlers and civilians, in manners we have merely glimpsed previously.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution to date, swapping deliberate turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, even as I find myself eager for a new turn-based release. Although these changes to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to join her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. But here, you battle several trainers to gain the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the final objective of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: An Innovative Approach

Character fights take place at night, while sneaking around the assigned battle zones is quite enjoyable. I'm always trying to surprise an opponent and unleash a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with cooldown timers, meaning both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to adjust to at first. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I still feel that there is much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also plays a significant part in battles since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to perform attacks (some are long-range, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Creature fights depend on feedback post-move execution, and that data remains visible on the display in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to visit. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach similar to actual city birds getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach 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 is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with two random people watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality missing in the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, as well as quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I