🔗 Share this article

I'm not sure exactly how the custom started, but I always name every one of my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch switches between male and female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the long-running franchise (and among the most fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're limited to the assorted school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, with certain superficial, others substantial. But at their core, they stay identical; they're always Pokemon through and through. Game Freak discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only truly attempted to innovate upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Across all version, the core gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside adorable monsters has remained steady for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that formula. It's set completely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive journeys of earlier games. Pokémon are intended to live together with humans, trainers and civilians, in ways we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop undergoes its most significant transformation yet, replacing deliberate turn-based bouts with more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself ready for another traditional entry. Although these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula sound like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to become part of her team of battlers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and are sent to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. But here, you battle a handful of opponents to gain the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: An Innovative Approach

Character fights take place during nighttime, while sneaking around the designated battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always trying to surprise an opponent and launch an unopposed move, since all actions occur in real time. Attacks function with cooldown timers, meaning both combatants can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's much to get used to initially. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to 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 major role in battles since your creatures will follow you around or go to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling of attacks in the same order, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on feedback post-move execution, and that information is still present on the display in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to visit. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons getting in my way when walking in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive over time. You might discover an alley you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design lacks character, and most rooftops and underground routes offer little variety. Although I haven't been to Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a city where every district are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality missing in the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Royale, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I