🔗 Share this article

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

Be it a core franchise title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates between male and female avatars, featuring black and purple hair. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the enduring franchise (and among the more fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're confined to the various school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between releases, some cosmetic, others significant. But at their core, they stay identical; they're always Pokemon through and through. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately three decades back, and has only seriously tried to innovate upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Across all iteration, the fundamental mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting with adorable monsters has remained consistent for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations to that framework. It takes place entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of earlier titles. Pokémon are intended to live together alongside humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely glimpsed before.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its most significant evolution yet, swapping deliberate turn-based bouts with more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for another turn-based release. Though these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, 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; the male guide for female characters) to join their squad of trainers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

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 battle a handful of trainers to earn the chance to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles take place at night, while sneaking around the designated combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to get a jump on an opponent and unleash 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 at once). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I still feel that there is much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Placement also factors as a major role in battles since your creatures will follow you around or move to specific locations to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I often repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles rely on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on the display in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your adversary will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to explore. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, flying away when you get near similar to actual pigeons getting in my way when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and most rooftops and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. While I never visited the French capital, the model behind the city, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in eateries with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales brim with character missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I