Pokémon Chronicles: Z-A - An Innovative Transformation While Staying True to Its Origins

I'm not sure precisely when the custom started, but I always name every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates between male and female avatars, with dark and violet locks. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest installment in this long-running series (and one of the more fashion-focused releases). At other moments they're confined to the various school uniform designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokemon Titles

Much like my trainers, the Pokemon titles have evolved across releases, with certain cosmetic, some substantial. But at their core, they stay the same; they're consistently Pokémon through and through. The developers discovered a nearly perfect gameplay formula some 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to evolve upon it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Across all iteration, the core mechanics cycle of catching and fighting alongside charming creatures has stayed consistent for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes into that formula. It takes place entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X and Y, ditching the region-spanning journeys of previous games. Pokemon are meant to coexist with humans, trainers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only glimpsed before.

Far more radical is Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. It's here the franchise's almost ideal gameplay loop experiences its most significant evolution yet, swapping deliberate turn-based bouts for something more chaotic. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I feel ready for another traditional release. Though these changes to the traditional Pokémon formula seem like they form a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as any other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When initially reaching at Lumiose Metropolis, whatever plans your created character had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately enlisted by the female guide (if playing as a male character; the male guide if female) to become part of their squad of trainers. You're gifted one of her Pokémon as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Royale serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. However here, you battle a handful of trainers to gain the opportunity to compete in an advancement bout. Succeed and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Approach

Character fights occur at night, and navigating stealthily the assigned combat areas is quite enjoyable. I'm always attempting to get a jump on an opponent and launch an unopposed move, because all actions occur in real time. Attacks operate on recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and knock each other out at once). It's a lot to get used to at first. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's much to master in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also factors as a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will follow you around or go to designated spots to execute moves (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I find myself sometimes cycling through moves in the same order, despite this amounts to a less effective approach. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and plenty of chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that data remains visible on the display in Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you cannot process it since taking your eyes off your adversary will result in immediate defeat.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to visit. It's also rich with character, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight as you approach similar to actual pigeons getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling to trees.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon a passage you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The building design is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. While I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for the city, I reside in New York for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks differs, and they're all alive with uniqueness that give them soul. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

The Areas Where Lumiose City Truly Shines

Where the city really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I loved how Pokémon battles within Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, fights within Scarlet & Violet happen on a court with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with patrons watching while they eat. A fancy battle society will invite you to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Several distinct battle locales brim with character missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

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