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

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates from male to female characters, with black and purple locks. Sometimes their fashion is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this enduring series (and among the more style-conscious entries). At other moments they're limited to the various academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved across releases, with certain superficial, others substantial. But at their heart, they remain the same; they're always Pokémon to the core. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every version, the core mechanics cycle of catching and fighting alongside charming creatures has remained consistent for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes into that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the expansive journeys of previous games. Pokémon are intended to live together alongside humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only seen glimpses of before.

Even more drastic is Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest transformation to date, replacing methodical sequential fights for something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel eager for a new turn-based release. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to join her team of battlers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. But here, you fight a handful of opponents to earn the chance to compete in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Frontier

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks operate on recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and knock each other out at once). It's much to adjust to initially. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Placement also plays a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to designated spots to perform attacks (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, despite this results in a less effective approach. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on feedback post-move execution, and that data is still present on screen in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It's also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near like the real-life pigeons obstructing my path when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. While I haven't been to Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and all are vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights in Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen on a court with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings brim with character missing in the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Royale, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I