🔗 Share this article

I'm not sure exactly how the tradition started, but I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Whether it's a core franchise game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction switches between male and female characters, with dark and violet hair. Occasionally their fashion is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this enduring series (and among the more style-conscious entries). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have transformed between installments, some cosmetic, others significant. However at their heart, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. The developers discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Across all iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside adorable monsters has remained consistent for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes into that framework. It's set entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of earlier games. Pokémon are meant to live together with humans, trainers and civilians, in manners we have merely glimpsed previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the franchise's near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest transformation to date, replacing deliberate turn-based fights for something more chaotic. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel eager for a new turn-based entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to become part of their squad of trainers. You receive 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" progression from earlier titles. However here, you battle a handful of opponents to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, while sneaking around the assigned combat areas is very entertaining. I'm always trying to surprise a rival and unleash a free attack, since all actions occur in real time. Attacks function with recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to get used to initially. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling of attacks in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on feedback post-move execution, and that data is still present on screen within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your opponent will result in certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to visit. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away when you get near like the real-life city birds obstructing my path while strolling in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose becomes rote eventually. You might discover 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. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind the city, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has tan buildings with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights within Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

During the Royale, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I