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I'm not sure exactly how the tradition began, however I always name all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Malfunction alternates from male to female avatars, with dark and violet hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the long-running series (and among the more style-conscious releases). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, some cosmetic, some significant. However at their heart, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. The developers uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to evolve on it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Throughout every iteration, the core gameplay loop of catching and battling with adorable monsters has stayed steady for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple deviations to that framework. It takes place completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of earlier games. Pokémon are intended to coexist alongside people, trainers and civilians, in manners we've only seen glimpses of previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the series' near-perfect core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution to date, replacing deliberate turn-based bouts with more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, despite I feel ready for a new turn-based release. Although these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to become part of her team of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Championship.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. But here, you battle several trainers to gain the opportunity to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Battles: A New Approach

Character fights occur during nighttime, while navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise a rival and launch an unopposed move, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks operate on recharge periods, meaning both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a significant part during combat since your creatures will trail behind you 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 progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Creature fights rely on feedback post-move execution, and that information remains visible on screen in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to visit. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and underground routes offer little variety. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights within Sword & Shield occur in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct combat settings brim with character missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

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