Pokemon Chronicles: Z-A - An Innovative Evolution Yet Staying Faithful to Its Origins

I'm not sure exactly how the tradition started, but I consistently call every one of my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Whether it's a core franchise title or a spinoff like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates from male to female avatars, with dark and violet hair. Sometimes their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the long-running series (and among the more style-conscious releases). At other moments they're confined to the assorted school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing Realm of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved across releases, some superficial, others substantial. But at their core, they remain the same; they're always Pokémon through and through. Game Freak discovered an almost flawless mechanics system some 30 years ago, and just recently truly attempted to innovate on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character faces peril). Throughout every version, the core mechanics cycle of capturing and battling with adorable monsters has stayed consistent for nearly as long as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold with Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus previously, with its lack of arenas and focus on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces multiple changes into that formula. It takes place completely in a single location, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the expansive journeys of earlier titles. Pokemon are meant to coexist with humans, battlers and civilians, in ways we've only seen glimpses of before.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' near-perfect core cycle undergoes its biggest transformation yet, replacing methodical turn-based fights with something more chaotic. And it's immensely fun, even as I feel ready for a new traditional entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokemon recipe seem like they create an entirely fresh adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

Upon first arriving in Lumiose City, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly enlisted by the female guide (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to join their squad of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your first partner and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Royale is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" advancement from earlier titles. But here, you fight a handful of opponents to earn the chance to compete in an advancement bout. Win and you'll be elevated to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Real-Time Battles: A New Approach

Character fights take place during nighttime, while sneaking around the designated battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm always attempting to surprise a rival and unleash a free attack, because everything happens instantaneously. Attacks function with recharge periods, indicating you and your opponent can sometimes strike simultaneously concurrently (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's much to adjust to at first. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel that there is plenty to learn in terms of employing my creatures' attacks in ways that work together synergistically. Positioning also plays a significant part in battles as your Pokémon will trail behind you or move to specific locations to perform attacks (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The real-time action makes battles go so fast that I often repeating sequences through moves in the same order, even when this amounts to a less effective approach. There isn't moment to breathe in Z-A, and plenty of chances to become swamped. Pokémon battles rely on response post-move execution, and that data remains visible on the display within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Occasionally, you cannot process it since diverting attention from your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose City

Outside of battle, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I'm still discovering new shops and rooftops to explore. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the vision of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight as you approach like the real-life pigeons getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures like Kakuna attach themselves on branches.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a positive change. Even so, navigating the city grows repetitive over time. You may stumble upon a passage you haven't been to, but it feels identical. The architecture is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths offer little variety. While I never visited Paris, the inspiration for the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose City lacks that quality. It features tan buildings with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where the city truly stands out, oddly enough, is indoors. I loved the way creature fights in Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, providing them genuine significance and meaning. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet and Violet take place in a field with few spectators watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A finds a balance between both extremes. You will fight in restaurants with diners observing while they eat. An elite combat club will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the elegantly decorated headquarters of a certain faction with its moody lighting and purple partitions. Several distinct battle locales brim with character that's absent from the larger city in general.

The Comfort of Repetition

During the Royale, as well as quelling rogue powered-up creatures and completing the Pokédex, there's an inescapable sense that, {"I