🔗 Share this article

I don't recall precisely when the custom started, however I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a main series game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Malfunction alternates between male and female characters, featuring black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this long-running franchise (and one of the most style-conscious releases). At other moments they're confined to the assorted academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, some cosmetic, some significant. However at their heart, they stay identical; they're always Pokémon through and through. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Across every version, the core mechanics cycle of catching and battling with charming creatures has stayed consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes into that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of earlier titles. Pokemon are intended to live together with humans, trainers and civilians, in manners we have merely glimpsed before.

Even 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 to date, replacing deliberate sequential fights for something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel eager for another turn-based entry. Though these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe seem like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to become part of their squad of trainers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you fight a handful of opponents 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 achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Battles: An Innovative Approach

Character fights occur during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly trying to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, since all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks operate on recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and knock each other out at once). It's much to get used to at first. Despite playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others need to be up close and personal).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast that I often repeating sequences of attacks in the same order, despite this results in a less effective approach. There isn't moment to breathe in Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on feedback post-move execution, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it because taking your eyes off your adversary will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and rooftops to explore. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling to trees.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You might discover an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. While I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where every district differs, and all are vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored the way creature fights within Sword & Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them real weight and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in eateries with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

During the Championship, as well as subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I