Pokémon Legends: Z-A - A Fresh Evolution While Staying True to Its Origins

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

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch switches from male to female avatars, with black and purple hair. Occasionally their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the long-running franchise (and one of the more fashion-focused entries). Other times they're limited to the assorted school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokémon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved between installments, with certain cosmetic, some significant. However at their core, they remain the same; they're always Pokemon through and through. The developers discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some three decades back, and just recently truly attempted to evolve upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar faces peril). Throughout every version, the core gameplay loop of catching and battling alongside adorable monsters has remained steady for almost as long as I've been alive.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several deviations into that formula. It's set entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of earlier titles. Pokemon are intended to coexist with people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only seen glimpses of previously.

Even more drastic than that Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop undergoes its biggest transformation yet, replacing methodical sequential fights for something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, despite I find myself eager for another turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to become part of her team of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

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

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative 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 everything happens instantaneously. Moves operate on cooldown timers, indicating both combatants can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's much to adjust to initially. Even after gaming for almost thirty hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn regarding employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Placement also plays a significant part during combat since your creatures will trail behind you or move to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences through moves in the same order, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities 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. Sometimes, you can't even read it since diverting attention from your opponent will result in immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering unseen stores and rooftops to explore. It is also rich with character, and perfectly captures the vision of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away when you get near like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture lacks character, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I haven't been to Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where every district differs, and they're all vibrant with differences that give them soul. Lumiose Metropolis doesn't have that. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where the city really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing 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 the two. You will fight in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a competition, and you'll battle on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual combat settings brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Royale, along with quelling rogue powered-up creatures and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I