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I'm not sure precisely when the tradition began, but I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Malfunction alternates from male to female avatars, featuring dark and violet hair. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the long-running series (and one of the most fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're limited to the assorted school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokémon games have transformed between installments, some superficial, some significant. But at their heart, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some three decades back, and has only seriously tried to innovate upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Across all version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and fighting with adorable monsters has stayed steady for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes to that formula. It's set completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of previous games. Pokemon are meant to live together alongside humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Even more drastic is Z-A's live-action battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation yet, replacing methodical sequential bouts for something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, despite I find myself ready for another traditional entry. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula sound like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

When first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to become part of their squad of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you battle several trainers to gain the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, while sneaking around the designated combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise a rival and launch a free attack, since everything happens instantaneously. Moves operate on recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes strike simultaneously at the same time (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I still feel that there is plenty to learn 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 designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I often sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights depend on feedback after using an attack, and that data is still present on the display in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your opponent will result in certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach similar to actual city birds getting in my way while strolling in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive over time. You might discover a passage you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes offer little variety. While I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, giving them real weight and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with two random people observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Royale, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I