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I'm not sure exactly how the custom started, but I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates from male to female avatars, with dark and violet locks. Sometimes their fashion is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in this long-running franchise (and one of the most style-conscious releases). Other times they're limited to the assorted academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokémon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have transformed between releases, some cosmetic, some significant. However at their heart, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to innovate on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every version, the core gameplay loop of capturing and fighting with charming creatures has remained consistent for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations into that framework. It's set entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together with humans, battlers and civilians, in ways we've only glimpsed previously.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop undergoes its biggest transformation yet, swapping methodical turn-based fights with something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, despite I feel ready for another traditional release. Though these changes to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon initially reaching in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to join their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. But here, you fight a handful of trainers to gain the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Real-Time Combat: An Innovative Approach

Character fights take place at night, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is quite enjoyable. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and launch a free attack, since everything happens in real time. Moves operate on recharge periods, indicating both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel that there is much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that complement each other. Placement also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or move to specific locations to execute moves (certain ones are distant, while others must be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights depend on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on screen within Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Occasionally, you can't even read it because taking your eyes off your adversary will result in immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to visit. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach similar to actual city birds obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures such as Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive over time. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I never visited the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. 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 in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Championship, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I