Pokémon Legends: Z-A - An Innovative Evolution While Remaining Faithful to Its Roots

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

Whether it's a core franchise title or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch alternates from male to female avatars, featuring dark and violet hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in this long-running series (and among the most style-conscious releases). At other moments they're confined to the assorted academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have transformed across releases, some cosmetic, others substantial. However at their heart, they remain identical; they're always Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to evolve on it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Across every version, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and battling alongside adorable monsters has stayed consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring absence of gyms and focus on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes to that formula. It takes place completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the expansive journeys of previous titles. Pokemon are meant to coexist with humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only glimpsed before.

Far more drastic than that Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its most significant transformation yet, swapping methodical sequential fights with more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself eager for a new turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to become part of her team of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression from earlier titles. But here, you battle a handful of opponents to gain the opportunity to compete in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Combat: A New Approach

Character fights take place at night, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm always attempting to surprise an opponent and launch a free attack, since all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, meaning both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's a lot to get used to initially. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in ways that complement each other. Positioning also factors as a major role during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or move to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response post-move execution, and that information is still present on the display within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Deep into the game, I continue to find new shops and rooftops to explore. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the concept of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons getting in my way while strolling through NYC. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

An emphasis on urban life is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote eventually. You might discover an alley 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 never visited the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City doesn't have that. It has tan buildings with blue or red roofs and simply designed terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored the way creature fights within Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a competition, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Championship, along with subduing wild powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable sense that, {"I