>>53904591And that's why Johto is the perfect candidate for a Legends game. Changing the gameplay loop is not a problem. There's only one Legends game, and it was more of an experiment than anything else, so there isn't really any established gameplay loop.
Have Ecruteak City as your base, fully established, shops everywhere, streets bustling with life. Making the region fully open like SV, instead of multiple segmented areas unlocked in a linear order like LA would make the game so much more interesting. Have Mahogany Town nearby as a little ninja hideout, crossing the waterfalls to reach the small town. The Rocket Hideout could be a ninja base before it got taken over by Rocket in the future. You could go south from Route 42 straight to Violet City by the little stream that appears on the world map, but not in game, and you'd end up right at Sprout Tower. Azalea Town is hidden away in an opening in the forest, surrounded by tall pine trees that cover it completely. In the nearby forest is Celebi's shrine, and to the south of Azalea Town, you can weave through the woods to reach the shore. There's also Union Cave which leads to the secret chambers in the Ruins of Alph, and the road back up to Violet City. Goldenrod City is even more packed than Ecruteak City, with the roads to the north and south full of people picnicking, children playing, Pokémon roaming about. The road to the south is a wetland with a lot of tall grass, and the road to the north is a wide dirt path full of life. A tall pagoda stands where the Radio Tower will be built, housing the Clear Bell. National Park is re-imagined as a beautiful open park with the century-old Bug-Catching Contest tradition still going even this far back. Make your way through the forest clearing to reach Ecruteak City again. To the west is an open road leading to a farm that sells Moomoo Milk. Heading south, you can begin to feel the cool ocean breeze, as you reach the port town of Olivine City.
