Pokémon Legends: Z-A - A Fresh Evolution Yet Remaining Faithful to Its Roots

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

Be it a main series title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch alternates from male to female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in the enduring series (and one of the most fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're limited to the various school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, some superficial, others significant. However at their heart, they remain the same; they're always Pokémon to the core. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system some 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to innovate upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Across every iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and fighting with adorable monsters has remained consistent for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring absence of gyms and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes to that formula. It's set entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together with people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Far more drastic is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its most significant evolution yet, replacing methodical sequential fights with something more chaotic. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel eager for another turn-based entry. Although these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to become part of her team of battlers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. However here, you fight several trainers to gain the opportunity to participate in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: A New Frontier

Trainer battles occur at night, while sneaking around the assigned combat areas is very entertaining. I'm always attempting to get a jump on an opponent and launch a free attack, since all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also plays a significant part in battles as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others must 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, despite this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Creature fights rely on response after using an attack, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your opponent will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It is also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I never visited Paris, the model behind the city, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I adored the way creature fights in Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with two random people observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing as they dine. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not Chandelure) hanging above. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales brim with character missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I