Pokémon Chronicles: Z-A - A Fresh Evolution While Staying Faithful to Its Origins

I don't recall exactly how the tradition began, however I consistently call all my Pokemon characters Malfunction.

Be it a main series game or a side project like Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Malfunction alternates from male to female avatars, with dark and violet locks. Sometimes their style is flawless, like in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the newest addition in the enduring series (and among the most fashion-focused releases). Other times they're limited to the various academic attire designs from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Yet they remain Malfunction.

The Ever-Evolving Realm of Pokémon Titles

Similar to my characters, the Pokemon titles have evolved across installments, some cosmetic, others substantial. However at their heart, they remain the same; they're consistently Pokemon through and through. The developers discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some 30 years ago, and has only seriously tried to innovate on it with entries like Pokémon Legends: Arceus (different timeline, your character is now in danger). Across every iteration, the fundamental gameplay loop of capturing and battling with adorable monsters has stayed steady for almost the same duration as I've been alive.

Breaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, featuring lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a Pokédex, Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings several deviations into that framework. It's set entirely in one place, the Paris-inspired Lumiose Metropolis from Pokémon X & Y, abandoning the region-spanning journeys of earlier games. Pokémon are intended to live together with people, battlers and non-trainers alike, in manners we've only glimpsed previously.

Far more radical than that Z-A's live-action battle system. This is where the franchise's almost ideal core cycle experiences its most significant transformation to date, swapping deliberate sequential bouts for something more chaotic. And it is immensely fun, even as I feel eager for another traditional release. Although these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula seem like they form an entirely fresh experience, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokemon game.

The Heart of the Journey: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist get abandoned; you're immediately recruited by the female guide (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to become part of their squad of trainers. You receive a creature from them as your starter and are sent into the Z-A Championship.

The Championship is the epicenter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's similar to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. But here, you fight several opponents to gain the opportunity to compete in a promotion match. Win and you will be promoted to a higher tier, with the final objective of reaching rank A.

Live-Action Combat: An Innovative Approach

Character fights take place during nighttime, and sneaking around the assigned battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm always attempting to surprise an opponent and launch a free attack, because everything happens in real time. Moves operate on cooldown timers, meaning both combatants can sometimes attack each other at the same time (and defeat each other simultaneously). It's a lot to adjust to initially. Even after playing for nearly thirty hours, I continue to feel like there's plenty to learn in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that work together synergistically. Positioning also factors as a significant part during combat as your Pokémon will follow you around or move to specific locations to execute moves (some are long-range, whereas others must be up close and personal).

The live combat causes fights go so fast that I often repeating sequences through moves in identical patterns, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There isn't moment to pause during Z-A, and plenty of opportunities to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on feedback after using an attack, and that information is still present on the display within Z-A, but whips by quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since taking your eyes off your adversary will result in certain doom.

Navigating Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you'll explore Lumiose City. It's fairly compact, though tightly filled. Deep into the game, I continue to find unseen stores and elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and fully realizes the concept of creatures and humans living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, taking flight when you get near like the real-life pigeons getting in my way while strolling in New York City. The monkey trio joyfully cling on streetlights, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna attach themselves to trees.

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 never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture lacks character, and most rooftops and underground routes provide minimal diversity. Although I haven't been to the French capital, the inspiration for Lumiose, I've lived in NYC for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where every district are the same, and they're all alive with uniqueness that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It features tan buildings with blue or red roofs and simply designed balconies.

The Areas Where The Metropolis Really Excels

Where Lumiose City really shines, oddly enough, is inside buildings. I loved how Pokémon battles in Sword and Shield take place in arena-like venues, providing them genuine significance and importance. On the flipside, battles in Scarlet & Violet take place in a field with few spectators observing. It's a total letdown. Z-A finds a balance between the two. You'll battle in eateries with diners observing 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) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed base of a certain faction with its moody lighting and magenta walls. Various individual combat settings overflow with personality that's absent from the larger city as a whole.

The Familiarity of Routine

Throughout the Championship, along with quelling rogue Mega Evolved Pokémon and completing the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I