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I'm not sure exactly how the custom began, however I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction switches from male to female characters, with dark and violet hair. Occasionally their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this long-running franchise (and one of the more fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're confined to the assorted academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved across releases, with certain cosmetic, others substantial. But at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately three decades back, and just recently seriously tried to innovate upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Across all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting alongside charming creatures has stayed steady for almost as long as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes into that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to coexist alongside humans, trainers and civilians, in ways we have merely glimpsed previously.

Even more radical is Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the series' near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its biggest evolution yet, swapping deliberate sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, despite I feel ready for a new traditional entry. Although these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe seem like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to join their squad of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and are sent to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Royale is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. But here, you fight a handful of trainers to earn the opportunity to compete in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: An Innovative Approach

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, while sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always attempting to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, because all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks function with recharge periods, indicating both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's much to get used to at first. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I still feel that there is plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part in battles as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I often repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe in Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles rely on response post-move execution, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you can't even read it because taking your eyes off your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way while strolling in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna cling to trees.

An emphasis on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You might discover a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes offer little variety. While I never visited the French capital, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them real weight and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching as they dine. An elite combat club will invite you to a competition, and you will combat in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) hanging above. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Royale, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I