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I'm not sure exactly how the custom began, but I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a main series title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, with dark and violet locks. Sometimes their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this long-running series (and one of the most fashion-focused releases). Other times they're limited to the assorted school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have transformed across releases, some cosmetic, some significant. But at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to evolve on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout every iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and fighting with charming creatures has remained steady for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations to that formula. It's set completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, ditching the expansive journeys of earlier games. Pokemon are meant to coexist with people, battlers and civilians, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Far more drastic than that Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the series' near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation to date, replacing deliberate sequential bouts with more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself ready for another traditional release. Although these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to join her team of battlers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression of past games. But here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Approach

Character fights occur during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm always attempting to surprise a rival and unleash an unopposed move, since all actions occur instantaneously. Moves operate on recharge periods, indicating both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master regarding using my Pokémon's moves in ways that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in the same order, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights depend on feedback after using an attack, and that data is still present on screen within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will result in certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive over time. You may stumble upon an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes offer little variety. Although I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for the city, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a city where every district are the same, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which the city really shines, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in eateries with patrons watching as they dine. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I