🔗 Share this article

I'm not sure exactly how the custom began, however I always name every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch switches from male to female avatars, featuring black and purple locks. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the enduring series (and one of the most fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're confined to the assorted school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved between releases, some superficial, some significant. However at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. The developers discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of catching and fighting alongside adorable monsters has remained steady for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations to that framework. It takes place entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive journeys of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together alongside people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' almost ideal gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation to date, replacing deliberate turn-based bouts with more frenetic action. And it's immensely fun, even as I feel ready for a new turn-based release. Though these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe sound like they form an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to become part of their squad of battlers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. However here, you fight a handful of trainers to earn the chance to participate in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Character fights occur during nighttime, while sneaking around the assigned battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, since all actions occur in real time. Moves function with cooldown timers, indicating both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to get used to initially. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel that there is much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in ways that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on screen in Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since diverting attention from your adversary will result in immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, 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 visit. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way when walking through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but it feels identical. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. Although I never visited Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district are the same, and all are alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword & Shield take place in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in eateries with patrons watching while they eat. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, 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. Various individual battle locales 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's an inescapable feeling of, {"I