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I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, but I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch switches between male and female characters, featuring dark and violet locks. Sometimes their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this enduring franchise (and among the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're confined to the assorted academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across releases, with certain cosmetic, others significant. But at their heart, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to evolve on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Across all iteration, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and fighting with adorable monsters has stayed consistent for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its absence of gyms and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes into that framework. It takes place completely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive adventures of earlier games. Pokémon are meant to coexist with humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the series' almost ideal gameplay loop experiences its most significant evolution yet, replacing methodical turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, despite I feel eager for a new turn-based entry. Although these changes to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they create a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're promptly recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; Urbain for female characters) to become part of their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. However here, you battle several trainers to gain the opportunity to participate in a promotion match. Win and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles occur during nighttime, while sneaking around the assigned combat areas is quite entertaining. I'm always trying to get a jump on an opponent and launch an unopposed move, since all actions occur in real time. Attacks function with cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and knock each other out at once). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I still 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 go to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences of attacks in the same order, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response post-move execution, and that data remains visible on screen in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive over time. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind the city, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It features tan buildings with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with two random people watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You will fight in eateries with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) hanging above. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales brim with character that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Championship, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I