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I don't recall exactly how the custom began, but I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, featuring black and purple hair. Occasionally their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the long-running franchise (and one of the more style-conscious entries). At other moments they're limited to the various academic attire designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokemon titles have transformed across installments, with certain cosmetic, some significant. However at their heart, they remain identical; they're always Pokémon through and through. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to evolve upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character faces peril). Across every iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and fighting with adorable monsters has stayed consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, with its absence of gyms and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes into that formula. It's set completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the expansive adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together alongside humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we have merely glimpsed previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' almost ideal gameplay loop experiences its biggest evolution yet, replacing deliberate turn-based bouts for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself eager for a new turn-based release. Although these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to join their squad of battlers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement of past games. However here, you fight a handful of opponents to earn the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Win and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Character fights take place at night, and navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm always attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash an unopposed move, since all actions occur instantaneously. Moves operate on recharge periods, meaning both combatants may occasionally attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to initially. Despite playing for nearly 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. Placement also plays a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I often sometimes cycling of attacks in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous chances to become swamped. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that information is still present on screen within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it because taking your eyes off your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to visit. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the concept of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach like the real-life pigeons obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling to trees.

An emphasis on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose becomes rote eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes offer little variety. While I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where the city really shines, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with two random people observing. 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 competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the creature index, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I