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I don't recall exactly how the custom started, but I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction switches from male to female avatars, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the enduring series (and among the most fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're confined to the assorted academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved across releases, with certain cosmetic, others significant. But at their core, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. The developers discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately three decades back, and has only seriously tried to innovate on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Across every version, the core gameplay loop of catching and battling with adorable monsters has stayed consistent for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of earlier titles. Pokemon are meant to live together with people, trainers and civilians, in ways we've only seen glimpses of previously.

Even more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the series' almost ideal core cycle experiences its most significant transformation to date, swapping deliberate turn-based fights for more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel ready for another turn-based entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe sound like they create a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to join her team of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. But here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the opportunity to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise an opponent and launch an unopposed move, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks operate on recharge periods, meaning both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's much to get used to initially. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Placement also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to perform attacks (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in the same order, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that data is still present 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 immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It is also rich with character, and perfectly captures the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach similar to actual pigeons getting in my way when walking in New York City. The monkey trio joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You might discover an alley you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The architecture is devoid of personality, 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 nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where every district differs, and all are 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 The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not Chandelure) hanging above. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Championship, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I