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I'm not sure exactly how the tradition began, however I always name every one of my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch switches from male to female avatars, featuring black and purple locks. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the long-running franchise (and one of the more fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're limited to the assorted academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed between installments, with certain cosmetic, some significant. But at their heart, they remain the same; they're always Pokémon through and through. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout all iteration, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling with charming creatures has stayed consistent for almost as long as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations to that formula. It takes place entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of previous games. Pokémon are meant to coexist alongside humans, battlers and civilians, in ways we have merely glimpsed before.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's real-time battle system. This is where the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation to date, swapping methodical sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel eager for a new traditional entry. Although these changes to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to become part of their squad of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. But here, you fight a handful of trainers to earn the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Win and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles occur at night, and navigating stealthily the assigned battle zones is quite enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to get a jump on an opponent and unleash a free attack, since everything happens instantaneously. Attacks function with recharge periods, meaning both combatants may occasionally attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to at first. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or move to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, whereas others must be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I often sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Creature fights rely on response post-move execution, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to explore. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but it feels identical. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I never visited Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet and Violet happen on a court with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching as they dine. An elite combat club will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings brim with character that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Royale, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I