🔗 Share this article

I'm not sure precisely when the custom started, but I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction switches from male to female characters, with black and purple locks. Sometimes their style is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the long-running franchise (and among the more style-conscious entries). Other times they're confined to the assorted academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, with certain superficial, some substantial. But at their core, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to innovate on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Throughout all version, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling alongside charming creatures has stayed steady for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations to that formula. It takes place entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of previous titles. Pokémon are meant to live together with people, trainers and civilians, in manners we've only glimpsed before.

Even more radical than that Z-A's real-time battle system. This is where the franchise's near-perfect core cycle experiences its most significant evolution to date, swapping deliberate sequential bouts with more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, despite I feel eager for another turn-based release. Although these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe seem like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; the male guide for female characters) to become part of her team of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. But here, you fight several trainers to gain the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you will be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Combat: A New Approach

Character fights occur during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the assigned battle zones is quite enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise an opponent and launch an unopposed move, since everything happens in real time. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's much to adjust to initially. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, while others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action causes fights go so fast that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in the same order, despite this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to breathe in Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on response post-move execution, and that information remains visible on the display in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your opponent will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to visit. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away when you get near similar to actual pigeons 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 to trees.

A focus on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. While I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It features tan buildings with blue or red roofs and simply designed terraces.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

In which the city truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and meaning. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with few spectators observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. An elite combat club 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 a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis in general.

The Familiarity of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I