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I'm not sure exactly how the custom began, but I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch switches between male and female characters, with dark and violet hair. Occasionally their fashion is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the enduring franchise (and among the most fashion-focused releases). Other times they're limited to the various academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed between installments, with certain cosmetic, some significant. But at their heart, they remain identical; they're always Pokemon through and through. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to evolve upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Across every iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and battling alongside adorable monsters has stayed steady for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple deviations into that formula. It takes place completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive journeys of earlier games. Pokémon are meant to coexist with humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we have merely glimpsed previously.

Far more drastic than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the series' near-perfect core cycle undergoes its biggest evolution yet, swapping methodical turn-based bouts for more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel ready for another traditional release. Although these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to join their squad of battlers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement of past games. But here, you battle several trainers to earn the chance to compete in a promotion match. Win and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Character fights occur during nighttime, while sneaking around the designated battle zones is quite enjoyable. I'm always attempting to surprise a rival and unleash an unopposed move, because all actions occur in real time. Moves function with cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to get used to initially. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a major role in battles since your creatures will trail behind you or move to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences of attacks in the same order, even when this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on feedback after using an attack, and that information is still present on the display within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your adversary will result in certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It is also rich with character, and perfectly captures the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near similar to actual city birds obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You might discover a passage 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. Although I haven't been to Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights within Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with few spectators watching. 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 invite you to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Royale, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I