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I'm not sure exactly how the custom began, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Malfunction switches between male and female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Occasionally their style is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the long-running series (and among the more fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're confined to the assorted school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, some cosmetic, others substantial. However at their heart, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to evolve upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Throughout all version, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside adorable monsters has stayed steady for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes into that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together alongside humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the series' almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its most significant evolution yet, replacing deliberate sequential bouts for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself ready for a new traditional entry. Although these changes to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to join her team of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in 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" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you fight several trainers to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Battles: A New Approach

Trainer battles occur at night, while sneaking around the designated battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise a rival and launch an unopposed move, since all actions occur in real time. Attacks function with recharge periods, indicating both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Placement also plays a major role in battles since your creatures will follow you around or move to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on feedback after using an attack, and that data is still present on the display in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans coexisting. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach similar to actual city birds getting in my way when walking through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You might discover a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It features tan buildings topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place on a court with two random people observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat 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 its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales brim with character missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Royale, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I