🔗 Share this article

I don't recall precisely when the custom began, but I always name all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Whether it's a main series title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates from male to female characters, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the long-running franchise (and among the most style-conscious entries). At other moments they're confined to the assorted school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved across releases, with certain superficial, others substantial. However at their core, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately three decades back, and just recently seriously tried to evolve upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character faces peril). Throughout every iteration, the core mechanics cycle of catching and fighting with charming creatures has remained steady for nearly as long as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes to that framework. It's set completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of previous games. Pokemon are meant to coexist alongside humans, battlers and civilians, in ways we've only glimpsed previously.

Even more drastic is Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the series' near-perfect core cycle undergoes its biggest evolution to date, replacing deliberate sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, even as I find myself ready for another turn-based release. Though these changes to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

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

The Championship serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression of past games. However here, you battle a handful of trainers to earn the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Approach

Character fights occur at night, and sneaking around the designated combat areas is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, because everything happens in real time. Moves operate on cooldown timers, indicating both combatants can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to initially. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in ways that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a significant part during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or go to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I often repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, despite this results in a less effective approach. There isn't moment to pause during 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 within Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You might discover an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. While I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing as they dine. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Royale, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I