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I'm not sure precisely when the tradition started, but I always name every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch switches between male and female characters, with black and purple locks. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the long-running franchise (and one of the most style-conscious releases). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed between installments, with certain cosmetic, others significant. However at their core, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some three decades back, and just recently truly attempted to innovate upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Across all version, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and fighting with charming creatures has remained steady for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes into that framework. It's set completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of previous games. Pokemon are meant to live together alongside people, trainers and civilians, in manners we've only seen glimpses of before.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle undergoes its biggest transformation to date, replacing methodical sequential bouts for more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for another traditional release. Although these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula sound like they form an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to join their squad of trainers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement of past games. However here, you battle a handful of opponents to earn the chance to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, while sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, since all actions occur in real time. Moves operate on recharge periods, meaning both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's much to get used to initially. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part in battles as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in the same order, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way when walking through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive over time. You might discover an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to 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 vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It features tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them real weight and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet and Violet happen on a court with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) hanging above. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings brim with character missing in the larger city in general.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Championship, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I