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I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, however I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a core franchise title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch switches between male and female characters, featuring dark and violet hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the enduring franchise (and among the more fashion-focused releases). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved across releases, with certain superficial, others substantial. However at their heart, they stay identical; they're always Pokémon through and through. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Throughout all version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and battling alongside charming creatures has stayed steady for almost as long as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes to that formula. It takes place entirely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of previous games. Pokemon are meant to live together with people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely glimpsed previously.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the series' near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation yet, swapping deliberate turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it's immensely fun, despite I feel ready for a new turn-based entry. Though these changes to the classic 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 Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to become part of their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression of past games. However here, you battle several opponents to gain the chance to compete in a promotion match. Win and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: A New Approach

Character fights take place at night, while sneaking around the assigned combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm always attempting to get a jump on an opponent and launch a free attack, since everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with recharge periods, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's much to get used to at first. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I still feel that there is plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a significant part during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or go to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to 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's no time to breathe in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and rooftops to visit. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on city living is a new direction for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It features beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet take place on a court with few spectators 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 invite you to a competition, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Royale, as well as quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I