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I don't recall precisely when the custom started, but I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a main series title or a spinoff such as 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 fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this enduring series (and one of the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're confined to the assorted academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved across installments, some cosmetic, others substantial. But at their core, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Throughout all version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and battling with adorable monsters has stayed steady for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations into that framework. It's set entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of earlier games. Pokémon are meant to live together with people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed previously.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's live-action battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle experiences its most significant transformation to date, replacing deliberate sequential bouts for something more chaotic. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself eager for a new turn-based release. Although these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to become part of her team of battlers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched to participate in 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 from earlier titles. But here, you fight a handful of opponents to earn the opportunity to participate in a promotion match. Win and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, while sneaking around the designated combat areas is quite entertaining. I'm always attempting to get a jump on a rival and unleash a free attack, since everything happens in real time. Attacks function with cooldown timers, indicating both combatants may occasionally attack each other concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to adjust to initially. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Placement also factors as a significant part in battles as your Pokémon will follow you around or go to specific locations to execute moves (certain ones are distant, while others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in the same order, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Creature fights depend on response post-move execution, and that data remains visible on the display in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to explore. It is also rich with character, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near like the real-life city birds obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It features tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights in Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and meaning. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

During the Royale, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I