🔗 Share this article

I'm not sure precisely when the custom started, but I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch alternates from male to female avatars, featuring dark and violet hair. Occasionally their style is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in this long-running franchise (and among the more fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're confined to the assorted school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, with certain cosmetic, some substantial. But at their core, they stay the same; they're always Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout all iteration, the core gameplay loop of catching and fighting alongside charming creatures has remained consistent for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes to that formula. It's set 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 live together alongside humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only seen glimpses of previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest transformation yet, swapping deliberate turn-based bouts for more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, even as I find myself ready for another traditional release. Although these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; Urbain for female characters) to become part of her team of battlers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Championship.

The Royale is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. But here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the chance to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Combat: A New Approach

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on an opponent and launch an unopposed move, because all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks function with recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's much to get used to initially. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Placement also factors as a significant part during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I often sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, despite this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on feedback post-move execution, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your opponent will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and rooftops to visit. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near like the real-life pigeons obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where every district differs, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It features tan buildings topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching as they dine. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Routine

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