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I don't recall exactly how the custom started, but I always name every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a main series game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, with dark and violet hair. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in this long-running franchise (and among the most style-conscious releases). At other moments they're confined to the assorted academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, with certain cosmetic, some substantial. However at their core, they stay identical; they're always Pokemon to the core. The developers discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to evolve upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Across all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting with adorable monsters has remained consistent for almost as long as my lifetime.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, with its absence of gyms and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that framework. It's set completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to coexist alongside people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed before.

Far more drastic than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution to date, swapping deliberate sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself ready for a new traditional release. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to become part of their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. But here, you fight several trainers to earn the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Approach

Character fights take place at night, and sneaking around the assigned combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to adjust to at first. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to specific locations to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in the same order, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on response post-move execution, and that data is still present on screen in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to visit. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You might discover an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You will fight in eateries with patrons watching as they dine. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I