🔗 Share this article

I'm not sure exactly how the custom began, but I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female avatars, featuring dark and violet hair. Occasionally their fashion is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the enduring series (and one of the more fashion-focused releases). Other times they're limited to the various academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, some cosmetic, others significant. However at their core, they remain the same; they're always Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to innovate on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Across all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of catching and fighting with charming creatures has stayed steady for almost as long as I've been alive.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes to that formula. It takes place entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of previous games. Pokemon are meant to coexist with humans, battlers and civilians, in ways we've only glimpsed previously.

Even more radical than that Z-A's real-time battle system. This is where the series' near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest transformation yet, replacing deliberate sequential bouts with something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, despite I find myself eager for another turn-based entry. Though these changes to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they create an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to become part of their squad of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you battle several opponents to earn the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Battles: A New Frontier

Character fights take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always trying to surprise an opponent and launch an unopposed move, because all actions occur instantaneously. Moves operate on recharge periods, meaning both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or move to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, while others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I often sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights depend on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on screen in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it because taking your eyes off your opponent will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Deep into the game, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to visit. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away when you get near similar to actual city birds obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You might discover a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where every district differs, and all are vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them real weight and meaning. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you 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 headquarters of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Championship, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the Pokédex, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I