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I'm not sure precisely when the custom started, but I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, 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 among the more fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed across installments, some cosmetic, others substantial. However at their heart, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to innovate upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Across all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting with adorable monsters has remained consistent for nearly as long as I've been alive.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of previous games. Pokémon are intended to live together alongside humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely glimpsed before.

Even more radical is Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the series' almost ideal core cycle undergoes its biggest evolution to date, replacing methodical turn-based bouts with more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself eager for another turn-based release. Although these changes to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to become part of her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement of past games. But here, you fight several opponents to gain the opportunity to participate in a promotion match. Win and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights take place during nighttime, while navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm constantly attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash an unopposed move, since everything happens instantaneously. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, meaning both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's much to adjust to initially. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also plays a major role during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or go to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on response post-move execution, and that information remains visible on screen in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your adversary will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering new shops and rooftops to visit. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture lacks character, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I haven't been to Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district differs, and all are vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed terraces.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights in Sword & Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and meaning. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with two random people watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I