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I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, however I always name all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a core franchise game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates from male to female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the enduring franchise (and among the more fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're confined to the various school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokémon games have transformed between releases, with certain superficial, others significant. But at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some three decades back, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Across every version, the core 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

Like Arceus previously, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes to that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive adventures of previous titles. Pokémon are meant to live together with humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only glimpsed before.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time battle system. This is where the series' almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its most significant evolution to date, swapping methodical turn-based bouts for something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, despite I find myself eager for another traditional entry. Although these changes to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide 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 into 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" progression from earlier titles. However here, you battle several opponents to gain the chance to participate in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Character fights occur at night, and navigating stealthily the designated combat areas is very entertaining. I'm always attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash an unopposed move, since everything happens instantaneously. Attacks function with cooldown timers, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's much to adjust to at first. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master regarding using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be in close proximity).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences through moves in the same order, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely 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 because taking your eyes off your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to explore. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You might discover a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which the city really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored the way creature fights within Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, giving them real weight and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will invite you to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Championship, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I