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

Be it a core franchise title or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates from male to female avatars, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their style is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the enduring franchise (and one of the most fashion-focused entries). Other times they're limited to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have transformed across releases, some superficial, some significant. However at their heart, they stay identical; they're always Pokemon to the core. The developers discovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately three decades back, and has only truly attempted to innovate on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Across every version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting alongside charming creatures has remained consistent for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes into that formula. It's set completely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of previous games. Pokemon are intended to live together with people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely glimpsed before.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution to date, replacing deliberate sequential fights with something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, even as I feel eager for a new traditional entry. Although these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula sound like they create a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

Upon initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to join their squad of trainers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your starter and are sent to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. But here, you fight several opponents to earn the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be promoted to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, while navigating stealthily the designated combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to get a jump on a rival and unleash an unopposed move, because everything happens in real time. Attacks function with cooldown timers, meaning both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to adjust to initially. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a significant part during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I often repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights depend on feedback post-move execution, and that data is still present on the display within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to Paris, the model behind the city, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and they're all vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It features tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, 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 both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Championship, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I