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I'm not sure precisely when the tradition started, however I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a core franchise title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Malfunction switches from male to female characters, with dark and violet locks. Sometimes their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the long-running series (and one of the more style-conscious releases). Other times they're limited to the assorted school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have transformed across installments, some cosmetic, some significant. But at their heart, they remain identical; they're always Pokemon through and through. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately three decades back, and just recently truly attempted to innovate upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Across every iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and fighting alongside adorable monsters has stayed consistent for almost as long as I've been alive.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations to that framework. It takes place entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of previous titles. Pokémon are intended to coexist alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Far more drastic is Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation yet, swapping methodical turn-based bouts with something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, even as I find myself eager for another turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula sound like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

Upon initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to join their squad of trainers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your first partner and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the chance to participate in a promotion match. Win and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching the top rank.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Frontier

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, while navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise an opponent and launch a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with recharge periods, 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 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a significant part in battles as your Pokémon will follow you around or go to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights depend on response post-move execution, and that information is still present on screen in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since diverting attention from your opponent will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and rooftops to visit. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach like the real-life pigeons getting in my way when walking in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive over time. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops 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 metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. 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 on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

During the Championship, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the Pokédex, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I