Pokémon Chronicles: Z-A - A Fresh Evolution Yet Remaining Faithful to Its Origins

I don't recall precisely when the custom began, however I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a core franchise title or a side project such as Pokkén Tournament DX and Pokémon Go — the name always stays the same. Malfunction alternates between male and female avatars, featuring dark and violet locks. Sometimes their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the enduring franchise (and among the more style-conscious releases). Other times they're confined to the assorted school uniform designs from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokémon games have evolved between installments, with certain cosmetic, others substantial. However at their heart, they remain identical; they're consistently Pokémon to the core. The developers discovered an almost flawless gameplay formula some three decades back, and just recently seriously tried to innovate on it with games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character faces peril). Across every iteration, the core gameplay loop of capturing and fighting alongside charming creatures has remained consistent for almost the same duration as my lifetime.

Shaking the Mold in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on compiling a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations to that framework. It takes place completely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the expansive adventures of previous titles. Pokemon are intended to live together with humans, battlers and civilians, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's real-time combat mechanics. This is where the series' near-perfect gameplay loop experiences its biggest evolution yet, swapping methodical sequential fights with something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, despite I feel ready for a new traditional release. Although these changes to the traditional Pokemon recipe sound like they create an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels as recognizable as every other Pokemon game.

The Core of the Journey: The Z-A Championship

When initially reaching in Lumiose City, whatever plans your created character planned as a visitor are discarded; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (for male avatars; Urbain if female) to join her team of trainers. You're gifted a creature from them as your starter and you're dispatched into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "gym badges to Elite Four" advancement from earlier titles. But here, you battle a handful of opponents to earn the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be promoted to a higher tier, with the ultimate goal of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Character fights take place at night, while navigating stealthily the assigned battle zones is quite entertaining. I'm constantly trying to surprise a rival and launch an unopposed move, since all actions occur instantaneously. Attacks operate on cooldown timers, meaning you and your opponent may occasionally attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other at once). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Despite gaming for almost 30 hours, I still feel like there's plenty to learn regarding using my Pokémon's moves in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also plays a major role during combat as your Pokémon 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 makes battles progress so quickly that I find myself repeating sequences through moves in the same order, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and numerous opportunities to become swamped. Pokémon battles depend on response post-move execution, and that data is still present on the display in Z-A, but flashes past rapidly. Sometimes, you cannot process it because diverting attention from your adversary will spell immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Outside of battle, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's relatively small, although densely packed. Far into the adventure, I'm still discovering new shops and rooftops to visit. It is also rich with character, and perfectly captures the concept of Pokémon and people living together. Common bird Pokemon inhabit its pathways, taking flight when you get near like the real-life city birds getting in my way when walking in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang on streetlights, and insect creatures such as Kakuna cling on branches.

A focus on urban life represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Even so, exploring Lumiose grows repetitive eventually. You may stumble upon an alley you never visited, but it feels identical. The building design is devoid of personality, and many elevated areas and sewer paths provide minimal diversity. While I never visited Paris, the model behind the city, I've lived in NYC for almost ten years. It's a city where no two blocks are the same, and all are alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It has beige structures with blue or red roofs and simply designed terraces.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where the city really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved the way creature fights within Sword and Shield occur in football-like stadiums, providing them real weight and importance. Conversely, fights within Scarlet & Violet take place on a court with two random people watching. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You will fight in eateries with patrons watching as they dine. An elite combat club will invite you to a competition, and you'll battle in its rooftop arena with a chandelier (not the Pokemon) hanging above. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of the Rust Syndicate with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings brim with character missing in the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Championship, along with subduing wild powered-up creatures and filling the creature index, there's an inescapable feeling of, {"I