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I don't recall exactly how the custom started, however I consistently call all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a main series title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch switches between male and female characters, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the enduring series (and one of the more fashion-focused entries). At other moments they're confined to the various school uniform styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have transformed between releases, some superficial, others significant. However at their heart, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. Game Freak uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately three decades back, and has only truly attempted to evolve upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Across all iteration, the core gameplay loop of catching and battling with adorable monsters has stayed consistent for nearly as long as I've been alive.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring absence of gyms and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes to that framework. It takes place completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of previous games. Pokémon are intended to coexist with humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only glimpsed previously.

Even more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the series' near-perfect core cycle experiences its biggest transformation to date, swapping methodical sequential fights for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself eager for a new turn-based entry. Although these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they create an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

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

The Championship is the epicenter of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" progression of past games. But here, you fight a handful of trainers to gain the chance to participate in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be promoted to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Battles: A New Frontier

Character fights occur during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the assigned battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly trying to get a jump on an opponent and launch a free attack, because all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks function with recharge periods, indicating both combatants can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's much to get used to initially. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in ways that complement each other. Placement also factors as a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be in close proximity).

The real-time action causes fights progress so quickly that I often sometimes cycling of attacks in identical patterns, even when this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on response after using an attack, and that information is still present on the display within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it since diverting attention from your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and rooftops to explore. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon 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 on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for the franchise, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

In which the city really shines, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place on a court with two random people observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You will fight in eateries with diners observing as they dine. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not Chandelure) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Familiarity of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I