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I don't recall exactly how the tradition began, but I always name every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series title or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch alternates from male to female avatars, featuring dark and violet hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the enduring series (and one of the more style-conscious releases). Other times they're confined to the assorted school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have transformed across installments, some cosmetic, some significant. But at their core, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system some 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to innovate upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Throughout every iteration, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling alongside charming creatures has remained steady for almost as long as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its absence of gyms and emphasis on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations to that framework. It takes place entirely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of previous games. Pokemon are meant to live together with humans, battlers and civilians, in manners we've only seen glimpses of before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its biggest evolution yet, swapping deliberate sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for another turn-based release. Although these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to join her team of trainers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you fight several opponents to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be promoted to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights occur at night, and navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always attempting to get a jump on an opponent and unleash a free attack, since everything happens in real time. Moves function with recharge periods, indicating both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to initially. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel like there's much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or go to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I often sometimes cycling of attacks in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on response post-move execution, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since diverting attention from your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to explore. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near similar to actual city birds getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. While I never visited the French capital, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights within Sword & Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with few spectators observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries with patrons watching while they eat. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Royale, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I