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I'm not sure precisely when the custom started, however I always name all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction switches between male and female avatars, featuring black and purple locks. Occasionally their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this enduring series (and among the more fashion-focused releases). Other times they're confined to the assorted school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokémon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, with certain superficial, some significant. But at their heart, they stay identical; they're always Pokémon through and through. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately three decades back, and just recently truly attempted to innovate upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every version, the core mechanics cycle of catching and fighting with charming creatures has stayed steady for almost as long as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and focus 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, ditching the region-spanning adventures of previous games. Pokémon are meant to coexist with humans, trainers and civilians, in manners we've only glimpsed previously.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle experiences its biggest transformation yet, swapping methodical turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, even as I feel ready 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 feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're promptly enlisted by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to become part of her team of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you battle a handful of opponents to gain the chance to compete in a promotion match. Win and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Character fights take place during nighttime, while sneaking around the designated battle zones is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise an opponent and launch a free attack, since all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks operate on recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I often sometimes cycling of attacks in the same order, despite this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on feedback after using an attack, and that information remains visible on screen in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to explore. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near similar to actual city birds obstructing my path while strolling in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You might discover a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, 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 terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I