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I don't recall exactly how the tradition began, however I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a core franchise game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, with black and purple hair. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the enduring series (and one of the more fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're confined to the assorted school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have transformed across installments, some cosmetic, others significant. However at their heart, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. The developers discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only truly attempted to evolve on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every iteration, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and fighting alongside charming creatures has remained consistent for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations into that framework. It's set completely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of previous titles. Pokémon are intended to coexist with humans, trainers and civilians, in ways we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution to date, swapping methodical sequential bouts with more frenetic action. And it's immensely fun, despite I feel ready for another traditional entry. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor are discarded; you're promptly recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to join her team of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you fight several opponents to gain the opportunity to participate in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always attempting to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, because all actions occur in real time. Moves operate on cooldown timers, indicating both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and knock each other out at once). It's much to get used to at first. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a major role during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on feedback post-move execution, and that information is still present on the display in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your adversary will result in certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You might discover an alley you never visited, but it feels identical. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. While I never visited Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks differs, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights in Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet happen on a court with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I