Pokémon Legends: Z-A - A Fresh Evolution Yet Staying True to Its Roots

I don't recall exactly how the custom started, however I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates between male and female characters, with black and purple locks. Occasionally their style is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest installment in this long-running franchise (and among the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have transformed between installments, some cosmetic, others significant. However at their heart, they remain identical; they're always Pokemon through and through. The developers uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system some 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to evolve upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Across every version, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and battling with charming creatures has stayed consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations into that framework. It takes place entirely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose City from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of previous titles. Pokemon are intended to coexist alongside humans, trainers and civilians, in manners we have merely glimpsed before.

Even more drastic is Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's almost ideal core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution yet, replacing methodical turn-based bouts with something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel eager for another turn-based release. Though these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe seem like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to join their squad of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and are sent into 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 from earlier titles. But here, you fight a handful of 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 reaching rank A.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Character fights take place at night, and navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is quite enjoyable. I'm always 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, meaning both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel like there's much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also plays a major role during combat as your Pokémon will trail behind you or go to designated spots to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in the same order, even when this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to become swamped. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that information remains visible on screen within Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you can't even read it because diverting attention from your adversary will spell certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, though densely packed. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to visit. It's also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of Pokémon and people coexisting. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach similar to actual city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote over time. 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 Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is inside buildings. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, giving them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place on a court with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a competition, and you will combat in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales overflow with personality missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, along with subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I