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I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch switches between male and female avatars, featuring black and purple hair. Sometimes their style is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the long-running series (and one of the most fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're limited to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed across releases, with certain superficial, some significant. However at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. The developers discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some three decades back, and just recently seriously tried to evolve upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout every version, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside adorable monsters has stayed steady for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes into that formula. It takes place completely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the expansive adventures of earlier titles. Pokemon are intended to coexist alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely glimpsed previously.

Far more drastic than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the franchise's near-perfect core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution yet, replacing deliberate sequential bouts for more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel eager for a new traditional entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe sound like they create a completely new adventure, 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, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to join her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement of past games. However here, you battle a handful of opponents to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. 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 occur during nighttime, while sneaking around the assigned battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm always trying to surprise a rival and launch an unopposed move, since everything happens in real time. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, indicating both combatants can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other at once). It's much to adjust to initially. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Placement also plays a major role in battles since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others must be up close and personal).

The live combat makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, even when this results in a less effective approach. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on response after using an attack, and that data remains visible on the display in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It is also rich with character, and perfectly captures the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away when you get near similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for the franchise, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive over time. You might discover a passage you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes offer little variety. While I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and meaning. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot 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 as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I