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I don't recall precisely when the custom began, but I always name every one of my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Whether it's a main series game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction alternates between male and female characters, with dark and violet hair. Sometimes their fashion is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the long-running series (and one of the more fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're confined to the assorted academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, some superficial, some substantial. However at their heart, they remain identical; they're always Pokémon through and through. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Across every version, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and battling alongside adorable monsters has remained steady for nearly as long as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, with its absence of gyms and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple deviations to that framework. It's set entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, ditching the expansive adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are intended to coexist alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed before.

Far more radical is Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the series' near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest transformation yet, replacing deliberate sequential fights for something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, even as I feel ready for a new turn-based release. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to join her team of battlers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. However here, you fight a handful of trainers to earn the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you will be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Battles: A New Approach

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on an opponent and unleash a free attack, since all actions occur instantaneously. Moves function with recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights depend on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to visit. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You might discover an alley you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The building design is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and underground routes offer little variety. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them real weight and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with two random people watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching 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 the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings brim with character missing in the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Championship, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I