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I'm not sure exactly how the custom began, but I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Glitch.

Be it a main series game or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name never changes. Glitch alternates between male and female characters, featuring black and purple locks. Sometimes their style is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this enduring franchise (and among the most fashion-focused releases). Other times they're limited to the assorted academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they're always Glitch.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, some superficial, some substantial. But at their heart, they remain the same; they're always Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered an almost flawless mechanics system some three decades back, and has only seriously tried to evolve upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character faces peril). Across all version, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling with charming creatures has remained steady for nearly the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations to that framework. It's set completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive journeys of previous titles. Pokemon are meant to coexist alongside people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only glimpsed before.

Far more drastic is Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the series' near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant evolution to date, replacing methodical turn-based fights for something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, despite I find myself eager for a new turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula seem 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 Royale

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to become part of their squad of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" progression from earlier titles. However here, you battle several opponents to earn the chance to participate in a promotion match. Win and you'll be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Character fights take place at night, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm constantly attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash an unopposed move, since all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other at once). It's much to get used to initially. Despite playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to 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 significant part during combat as your Pokémon will follow you around or go to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, while others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in the same order, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on feedback post-move execution, and that data remains visible on screen in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since diverting attention from your opponent will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach like the real-life pigeons 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 represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote eventually. You might discover a passage you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the model behind the city, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a city where no two blocks differs, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword & Shield occur in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with two random people watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in eateries with patrons watching as they dine. An elite combat club will invite you to a competition, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated base of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings brim with character missing in the overall metropolis in general.

The Comfort of Routine

Throughout the Royale, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I