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I'm not sure precisely when the custom began, however I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a core franchise game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female avatars, featuring dark and violet hair. Sometimes their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this long-running franchise (and among the more style-conscious entries). At other moments they're limited to the various school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, with certain superficial, others substantial. However at their heart, they remain identical; they're always Pokemon to the core. Game Freak discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some three decades back, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Across every iteration, the fundamental mechanics cycle of capturing and battling alongside charming creatures has remained steady for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its absence of gyms and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes into that formula. It takes place entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of previous games. Pokemon are intended to coexist alongside people, trainers and civilians, in manners we've only seen glimpses of before.

Far more drastic than that Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle undergoes its most significant transformation to date, swapping methodical sequential bouts with more frenetic action. And it's immensely fun, despite I find myself eager for a new traditional entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately recruited 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 starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression of past games. However here, you fight several trainers to earn the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Win and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Approach

Trainer battles take place at night, and sneaking around the designated combat areas is quite entertaining. I'm always attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash a free attack, since all actions occur instantaneously. Moves function with cooldown timers, indicating both combatants can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master regarding using my Pokémon's moves in ways that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a major role in battles as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to specific locations to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast that I often sometimes cycling through moves in the same order, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Pokémon battles rely on response post-move execution, and that information is still present on screen in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to visit. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach like the real-life city birds obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive over time. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but it feels identical. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights in Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in eateries with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will invite you 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 headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Royale, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I