🔗 Share this article

I don't recall precisely when the custom started, but I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a main series game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Malfunction alternates from male to female characters, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the long-running series (and among the most fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across releases, some cosmetic, others significant. But at their heart, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. The developers discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to innovate upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Throughout all iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and fighting alongside charming creatures has remained consistent for almost as long as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes into that formula. It's set completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive journeys of previous games. Pokemon are meant to live together alongside people, battlers and civilians, in ways we've only seen glimpses of previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle experiences its biggest transformation to date, replacing deliberate turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself ready for another turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain for female characters) to join her team of battlers. 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 comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. However here, you fight several opponents to earn the chance to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights occur at night, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is quite enjoyable. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on a rival and unleash an unopposed move, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks function with recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, whereas others need to be up close and personal).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and rooftops to visit. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people living together. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach like the real-life pigeons getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling to trees.

An emphasis on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You might discover an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and most rooftops and underground routes offer little variety. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and meaning. Conversely, fights within Scarlet and 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 eateries with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) hanging above. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings brim with character missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Championship, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I