Pokemon Chronicles: Z-A - An Innovative Transformation Yet Staying Faithful to Its Roots

I don't recall precisely when the tradition started, however I always name every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction switches between male and female avatars, with black and purple hair. Occasionally their fashion is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this long-running series (and one of the most style-conscious entries). Other times they're confined to the various academic attire styles of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokémon Games

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have transformed between releases, with certain superficial, others significant. However at their core, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokemon to the core. The developers uncovered an almost flawless mechanics system some 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to evolve on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Throughout every iteration, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and battling alongside charming creatures has stayed consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and focus on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations to that formula. It takes place entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of earlier titles. Pokémon are meant to live together with humans, trainers and civilians, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of before.

Far more drastic is Z-A's live-action combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its biggest transformation yet, swapping methodical sequential bouts for more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, even as I feel eager for another turn-based release. Though these alterations to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they create a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to join their squad of battlers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Royale is the epicenter of 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 a promotion match. Succeed and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Character fights take place at night, and sneaking around the designated battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm constantly trying to surprise an opponent and unleash a free attack, because all actions occur in real time. Attacks function with recharge periods, meaning both combatants may occasionally strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I continue to feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Positioning also plays a major role in battles since your creatures will follow you around or move to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others must be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in identical patterns, despite this amounts to a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to breathe during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles depend on response after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you can't even read it because taking your eyes off your opponent will spell certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach like the real-life pigeons obstructing my path while strolling through NYC. The monkey trio gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city grows repetitive eventually. You might discover a passage you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The building design lacks character, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. While I haven't been to 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 provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It has tan buildings topped with colored roofs and flatly rendered terraces.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Really Excels

In which Lumiose City really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, giving them real weight and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet and Violet take place on a court with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You'll battle in restaurants with patrons watching 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 elegantly decorated base of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual battle locales overflow with personality that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Repetition

Throughout the Championship, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I