Pokémon Legends: Z-A - A Fresh Transformation While Staying True to Its Roots

I'm not sure precisely when the tradition began, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a core franchise game or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates from male to female characters, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the long-running franchise (and one of the most style-conscious releases). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between releases, some cosmetic, others significant. But at their core, they stay identical; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. Game Freak uncovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some three decades back, and has only truly attempted to evolve upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every version, the core gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside charming creatures has remained steady for nearly the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple changes into that framework. It's set completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X and Y, ditching the expansive journeys of previous games. Pokemon are meant to coexist alongside humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the series' almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its most significant evolution yet, swapping deliberate turn-based fights for something more chaotic. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I find myself ready for a new turn-based release. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokémon formula sound like they form an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're promptly recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to become part of their squad of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and are sent to participate in the Z-A Royale.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement of past games. However here, you battle several trainers to earn the opportunity to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Battles: An Innovative Approach

Trainer battles occur at night, and navigating stealthily the assigned battle zones is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to surprise an opponent and unleash a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with recharge periods, meaning both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to get used to initially. Even after gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel like there's much to master regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a significant part in battles since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to perform attacks (some are long-range, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in the same order, even when this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response post-move execution, and that data is still present on screen in Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your opponent will result in certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to explore. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Common bird Pokemon populate its sidewalks, flying away when you get near like the real-life city birds getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling to trees.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive over time. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The architecture lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I never visited 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 vibrant with differences 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 Truly Shines

Where the city really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with two random people watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You will fight in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation 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 headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Royale, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I