Pokemon Legends: Z-A - An Innovative Transformation While Remaining True to Its Roots

I'm not sure exactly how the custom began, however I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Whether it's a main series game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates from male to female characters, with black and purple locks. Sometimes their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this long-running franchise (and one of the most fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're confined to the assorted academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Games

Much like my trainers, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, with certain cosmetic, some significant. But at their core, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. Game Freak discovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to evolve on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character faces peril). Throughout every version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and fighting with adorable monsters has remained steady for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, with its absence of gyms and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations to that formula. It takes place completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive adventures of previous titles. Pokémon are meant to coexist with people, battlers and civilians, in manners we've only seen glimpses of before.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle experiences its biggest evolution to date, replacing deliberate turn-based bouts for something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel ready for a new turn-based release. Though these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're promptly recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to join their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and are sent to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the chance to compete in a promotion match. Win and you'll be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: A New Frontier

Trainer battles take place at night, and navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is very entertaining. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and launch an unopposed move, since all actions occur in real time. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, meaning both combatants can sometimes strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to get used to initially. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a major role in battles as your Pokémon will trail behind you 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 often repeating sequences of attacks in the same order, despite this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles rely on feedback post-move execution, and that data remains visible on screen within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your adversary will result in immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near similar to actual city birds obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling from lampposts, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes offer little variety. 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 give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It features tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored the way creature fights within Sword and Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. 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 both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching as they dine. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, and you will combat in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) hanging above. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, as well as quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I