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I don't recall precisely when the custom began, but I always name all 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 name always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, featuring black and purple hair. Occasionally their style is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the long-running franchise (and one of the most fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokémon games have transformed across installments, with certain cosmetic, some substantial. But at their core, they remain the same; they're always Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to innovate upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Throughout all iteration, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling with adorable monsters has remained consistent for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, with its absence of gyms and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations into that framework. It's set entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of previous games. Pokémon are intended to live together with humans, trainers and civilians, in ways we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Far more drastic is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' almost ideal gameplay loop experiences its biggest evolution to date, replacing deliberate sequential fights with something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself ready for a new turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe sound like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching 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 their squad of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. However here, you fight several opponents to earn the chance to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Character fights take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on an opponent and launch a free attack, because everything happens in real time. Attacks operate on recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's much to adjust to at first. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or move to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Creature fights depend on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach similar to actual city birds getting in my way while strolling in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling to trees.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You might discover an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. While I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks differs, and all are alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and meaning. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with two random people observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in eateries with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) hanging above. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales brim with character missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I