Pokemon Chronicles: Z-A - A Fresh Transformation Yet Staying Faithful to Its Origins

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

Whether it's a core franchise game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Glitch switches from male to female avatars, featuring black and purple hair. Occasionally their fashion is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in the enduring series (and among the more style-conscious entries). At other moments they're confined to the various school uniform styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between releases, some cosmetic, some substantial. However at their heart, they stay the same; they're always Pokemon to the core. The developers discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula approximately 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to evolve upon it with games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your avatar is now in danger). Throughout all iteration, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and battling with charming creatures has remained consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Breaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings multiple deviations to that formula. It's set entirely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose City of Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning adventures of earlier games. Pokemon are meant to live together with people, trainers and civilians, in manners we've only seen glimpses of previously.

Even more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' near-perfect core cycle undergoes its most significant evolution yet, swapping methodical turn-based fights with more frenetic action. And it's thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel ready for a new traditional entry. Though these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they create a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokémon title.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving in Lumiose City, whatever plans your custom avatar planned as a visitor get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by Taunie (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to become part of their squad of battlers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your starter and you're dispatched to participate in the Z-A Championship.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the traditional "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. But here, you fight several trainers to earn the chance to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you will be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top rank.

Live-Action Battles: A New Frontier

Character fights occur during nighttime, and navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is very enjoyable. I'm always trying to get a jump on a rival and unleash an unopposed move, because all actions occur in real time. Moves operate on cooldown timers, meaning both combatants may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to adjust to at first. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel that there is much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also plays a major role in battles as your Pokémon will follow you around or go to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, while others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles progress so quickly that I often repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a less effective approach. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Pokémon battles rely on response after using an attack, and that information is still present on screen in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and elevated areas to visit. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans coexisting. Pidgey inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path when walking in New York City. The monkey trio joyfully cling from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon like Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

A focus on city living is a new direction for Pokémon, and a positive change. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive over time. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I never visited Paris, the model behind Lumiose, I reside in New York 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 features beige structures topped with colored roofs and simply designed balconies.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where the city really shines, oddly enough, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with two random people observing. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing 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 the Pokemon) suspended overhead. The most memorable spot is the elegantly decorated headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Familiarity of Repetition

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