🔗 Share this article

I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, however I always name all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a core franchise game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction switches between male and female avatars, with black and purple hair. Occasionally their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this enduring series (and one of the more fashion-focused entries). Other times they're limited to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, some cosmetic, others substantial. However at their heart, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to evolve on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Throughout all version, the core gameplay loop of catching and fighting with charming creatures has stayed consistent for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, with its absence of gyms and emphasis on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that formula. It's set entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of previous titles. Pokémon are intended to coexist with people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed before.

Even more radical than that Z-A's live-action battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle undergoes its most significant transformation to date, swapping methodical sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself eager for another traditional entry. Although these changes to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your created character planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to join her team of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Royale is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement of past games. However here, you fight a handful of trainers to gain the chance to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Approach

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise a rival and launch a free attack, because all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks function with recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to get used to initially. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part in battles since your creatures will follow you around or go to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others must be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast 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 plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on screen in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to visit. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach like the real-life pigeons getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling from lampposts, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling to trees.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes offer little variety. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where every district differs, and they're all vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights within Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in eateries with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will invite you to a competition, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Championship, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I