🔗 Share this article

I don't recall exactly how the tradition started, however I consistently call every one of my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a core franchise title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker always stays the same. Glitch switches from male to female avatars, with black and purple hair. Sometimes their fashion is impeccable, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in this long-running series (and one of the more style-conscious releases). At other moments they're confined to the various academic attire styles from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Glitch.

The Ever-Evolving World of Pokemon Games

Similar to my trainers, the Pokemon titles have transformed between releases, with certain cosmetic, others substantial. But at their core, they stay identical; they're always Pokemon to the core. The developers discovered an almost flawless mechanics system approximately 30 years ago, and has only truly attempted to innovate upon it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character is now in danger). Throughout all version, the fundamental mechanics cycle of catching and battling with charming creatures has stayed consistent for almost as long as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus previously, featuring lack of arenas and focus on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several changes into that formula. It takes place completely in one place, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X and Y, abandoning the expansive journeys of previous titles. Pokemon are intended to coexist alongside humans, battlers and non-trainers alike, in ways we've only seen glimpses of before.

Far more drastic than that Z-A's real-time battle system. It's here the series' almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its biggest evolution to date, swapping methodical sequential bouts with more frenetic action. And it is immensely fun, even as I find myself eager for a new turn-based release. Though these changes to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they create a completely new experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

Upon first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're promptly recruited by the female guide (for male avatars; Urbain for female characters) to become part of their squad of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. However here, you fight a handful of opponents to gain the chance to compete in a promotion match. Win and you'll be elevated to the next rank, with the ultimate goal of achieving rank A.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Trainer battles take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the designated combat areas is very entertaining. I'm constantly attempting to get a jump on a rival and unleash an unopposed move, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks function with recharge periods, meaning both combatants can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to get used to initially. Despite gaming for almost thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in methods that complement each other. Placement also plays a major role in battles as your Pokémon will follow you around or move to specific locations to execute moves (certain ones are distant, while others must be in close proximity).

The live combat makes battles go so fast that I often repeating sequences of attacks in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on feedback after using an attack, and that information remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by rapidly. Occasionally, you can't even read it because taking your eyes off your opponent will result in certain doom.

Exploring Lumiose City

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, though tightly filled. Far into the adventure, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to explore. It's also rich with character, and perfectly captures the concept of Pokémon and people coexisting. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, flying away as you approach similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path while strolling in New York City. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for the franchise, and a positive change. Even so, exploring Lumiose becomes rote over time. You may stumble upon an alley you haven't been to, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and sewer paths offer little variety. Although I haven't been to Paris, the model behind 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 City lacks that quality. It features tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where the city really shines, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored the way creature fights within Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet and Violet happen on a court with few spectators watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A strikes a middle ground between both extremes. You will fight in eateries with patrons watching as they dine. A fancy battle society will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) hanging above. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales brim with character that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Championship, along with subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I