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I'm not sure exactly how the tradition started, but I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a core franchise title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch alternates from male to female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Sometimes their fashion is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in this long-running franchise (and among the more style-conscious entries). At other moments they're limited to the assorted academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed between installments, some cosmetic, some significant. However at their heart, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to innovate on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Across every version, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting with adorable monsters has stayed steady for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations into that framework. It's set completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of previous titles. Pokémon are meant to coexist alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed before.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation to date, replacing methodical turn-based bouts with something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel eager for another traditional entry. Although these changes to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they create an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to join her team of trainers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Championship.

The Royale is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. However here, you fight a handful of opponents to gain the opportunity to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of achieving rank A.

Real-Time Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights take place at night, while sneaking around the designated combat areas is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash a free attack, since all actions occur in real time. Attacks function with recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's much to get used to initially. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a major role in battles since your creatures will follow you around or move to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, 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 amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Creature fights depend on response after using an attack, and that data remains visible on screen in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your opponent will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored the way creature fights within Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, 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 its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales brim with character missing in the larger city in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

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