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I don't recall precisely when the custom started, however I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, featuring dark and violet hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in this enduring franchise (and among the most style-conscious releases). Other times they're confined to the assorted academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, with certain superficial, others substantial. However at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and fighting alongside adorable monsters has stayed consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring absence of gyms and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations into that formula. It takes place entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive adventures of previous titles. Pokémon are meant to live together alongside humans, battlers and civilians, in manners we've only glimpsed before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' near-perfect core cycle experiences its most significant transformation to date, replacing methodical turn-based fights for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for a new turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe sound like they form an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to become part of her team of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and are sent to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. However here, you fight a handful of opponents to gain the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Win and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of achieving rank A.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Character fights occur during nighttime, while sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always trying to surprise an opponent and unleash a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with recharge periods, indicating both combatants can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's much to adjust to initially. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to specific locations to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The live combat makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on screen in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your opponent will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering new shops and rooftops to visit. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach like the real-life pigeons obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, 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 grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design lacks character, and most rooftops and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place on a court with two random people 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 extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings brim with character missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I