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I don't recall exactly how the tradition began, but I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a core franchise game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction alternates between male and female avatars, with dark and violet hair. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this enduring series (and one of the more fashion-focused entries). Other times they're limited to the various school uniform designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed across installments, with certain superficial, others significant. However at their core, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to evolve on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Throughout all version, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and fighting alongside charming creatures has stayed consistent for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its absence of gyms and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations to that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of earlier games. Pokémon are intended to coexist alongside people, trainers and civilians, in ways we've only glimpsed before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect core cycle experiences its most significant transformation yet, swapping methodical sequential fights with something more chaotic. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for a new turn-based release. Though these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they create an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide for female characters) to become part of her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. However here, you fight a handful of opponents to earn the chance to compete in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be promoted to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm always trying to surprise a rival and unleash an unopposed move, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks function with cooldown timers, indicating you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and defeat each other at once). It's much to adjust to at first. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to perform attacks (some are long-range, whereas others need to be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I often sometimes cycling through moves in the same order, even when this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on response after using an attack, and that information is still present on the display in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your opponent will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive over time. You might discover an alley you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes offer little variety. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind the city, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which the city really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and meaning. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality missing in the larger city in general.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Royale, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the Pokédex, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I