🔗 Share this article

I don't recall exactly how the tradition began, however I always name every one of my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates from male to female characters, featuring dark and violet locks. Occasionally their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this long-running franchise (and one of the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have transformed across releases, with certain cosmetic, some substantial. But at their core, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. The developers discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to innovate on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Across all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting alongside charming creatures has remained consistent for almost as long as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations to that formula. It's set completely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the expansive adventures of previous games. Pokemon are meant to live together alongside people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only glimpsed before.

Far more drastic is Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle experiences its most significant evolution yet, replacing methodical sequential fights with more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, despite I feel ready for another turn-based release. Though these changes to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to join their squad of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. However here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the chance to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights occur at night, and navigating stealthily the designated combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise a rival and unleash a free attack, because all actions occur in real time. Attacks operate on recharge periods, indicating both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel that there is plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also plays a major role during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your opponent will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering 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, flying away as you approach similar to actual city birds getting in my way when walking through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. While I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and all are alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights in Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Royale, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I