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I'm not sure exactly how the custom started, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch alternates between male and female avatars, featuring black and purple locks. Sometimes their fashion is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the enduring series (and one of the most style-conscious releases). At other moments they're limited to the assorted academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved across installments, with certain cosmetic, others significant. But at their core, they remain the same; they're always Pokemon to the core. The developers discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character faces peril). Throughout every iteration, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling with charming creatures has stayed consistent for almost as long as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations into that framework. It takes place completely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of previous games. Pokémon are intended to live together with people, battlers and civilians, in ways we have merely glimpsed before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest evolution yet, swapping methodical sequential bouts for something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, even as I find myself ready for another traditional entry. Though these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe seem like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain for female characters) to become part of their squad of trainers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship 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 fight several trainers to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Character fights occur during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always trying to get a jump on an opponent and unleash a free attack, since everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent can sometimes strike simultaneously concurrently (and knock each other out at once). It's much to adjust to at first. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I still feel like there's much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part in battles since your creatures will trail behind you or go to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others must be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on response post-move execution, and that data remains visible on screen in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You might discover a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I never visited Paris, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where every district are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where the city really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales brim with character that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Royale, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I