🔗 Share this article

I'm not sure exactly how the custom started, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Malfunction.

Be it a main series title or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction switches from male to female avatars, featuring black and purple hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this enduring series (and one of the most fashion-focused releases). Other times they're limited to the assorted school uniform designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Yet they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved across releases, some superficial, others substantial. But at their core, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. Game Freak discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula approximately three decades back, and has only truly attempted to innovate on it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your avatar is now in danger). Across every iteration, the core gameplay loop of capturing and battling alongside charming creatures has stayed steady for nearly as long as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations to that framework. It's set entirely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of previous games. Pokemon are meant to live together with people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its biggest transformation to date, replacing deliberate turn-based bouts with something more chaotic. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, even as I feel ready for another traditional entry. Although these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

Upon initially reaching in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're immediately enlisted by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain for female characters) to join their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon 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 traditional "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. But here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Frontier

Character fights take place during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is very entertaining. I'm always attempting to get a jump on an opponent and unleash an unopposed move, because everything happens instantaneously. Moves function with cooldown timers, meaning both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a significant part during combat since your creatures will follow you around or go to specific locations to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others must be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I often sometimes cycling of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights depend on response post-move execution, and that information remains visible on screen in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your adversary will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, though densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to visit. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, flying away when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and insect creatures like Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on city living represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a welcome one. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive over time. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a city where every district are the same, and all are vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed terraces.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

In which Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights within Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, providing them real weight and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet and Violet happen in a field with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You'll battle in restaurants with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not Chandelure) hanging above. The most memorable spot is the beautifully designed base of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales brim with character that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Championship, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I