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I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, but I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a main series title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch switches from male to female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Occasionally their fashion is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the enduring series (and among the more style-conscious releases). At other moments they're confined to the assorted academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, some cosmetic, others substantial. But at their core, they remain identical; they're always Pokemon to the core. The developers 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 (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Across every version, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling with charming creatures has stayed consistent for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes into that formula. It takes place completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of previous games. Pokemon are meant to coexist with people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we have merely glimpsed before.

Far more radical is Z-A's live-action battle system. It's here the series' near-perfect gameplay loop undergoes its biggest transformation to date, replacing deliberate sequential fights with more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, even as I find myself ready for a new turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide if female) to join their squad of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. But here, you fight several trainers to earn the chance to compete in a promotion match. Win and you'll be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm constantly trying to get a jump on an opponent and launch an unopposed move, since all actions occur in real time. Moves function with recharge periods, indicating both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other at once). It's much to get used to at first. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel that there is much to master 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, whereas others need to be up close and personal).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling of attacks in the same order, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause in Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since diverting attention from your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away when you get near similar to actual city birds obstructing my path when walking through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. While I never visited Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and meaning. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in eateries with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you'll battle on its penthouse court 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 magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Championship, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I