Pokemon Legends Z-Ais thrusting Lumiose City back into the spotlight of the series, but something needs to change. With different gameplay mechanics being used,Pokemon Legends Z-Aneeds to reinvent an important part of the city’s skyline.
WhenPokemon X and Ywere released, fans were introduced to Lumiose City, the largest of the hub cities in the series up to that point.Legends Z-Ais also set to take place in the Kalos region; more specifically,Legends Z-Awill take place entirely within Lumiose City. The game will center on the city’s redevelopment, so it’s a safe bet that the large area will become even more expansive to shoulder the weight of an entire game. Given the focus on changing the city and the different type of gameplay theLegendsseries has introduced, Lumiose Tower, thePokemonworld’s version of the Eiffel Tower, will need some heavy changes.
What Does Pokemon Legends Z-A Hold For Lumiose Tower?
With the Kalos region representingPokemon’s version of France, the game needed to represent the country’s most iconic landmark. Lumiose City is Kalos’ hub and capitol, and so it featured Lumiose Tower, a near-replica of the real world Eiffel Tower. Whilemany landmarks in Lumiose City should return inLegends Z-A, Lumiose Tower is the most important. Being such an important staple of the region, Game Freak knew that Lumiose Tower had to play a central role in the game, so it was chosen to house the city’s gym. While that makes perfect sense in the mainPokemongames, theLegendsseries has a very different focus, and notably hasn’t featured gyms. With such an important monument,Legends Z-Ahas to give Lumiose Tower an equally important function.
How Lumiose Tower Could Change
Much is still unknown aboutPokemon Legends Z-A, but the story will revolve around the redevelopment of Lumiose City. With Lumiose Tower being the largest building in the region and a literal hub in the middle of the circular city, it might make the perfect base of operations for the player and their colleagues as they redesign and rediscover the location.Pokemon Legends Arceusgave players a home base in Jubilife Village and Galaxy Hall, places they would often return to in order to report their findings to the Galaxy Expedition Team and receive permission to explore new areas of the Hisui Region. Lumiose Tower would make the perfect equivalent of this location inLegends Z-A,preserving the gameplay loop established inLegends Arceus.
Lumiose Tower should be one of the most important parts ofLegends Z-A, and forcing players to return there would make it feel like a home to them. In the expansive and evolving city around them, a safe haven would provide them with a comfortable location to rest between missions. This would likely be the location where Pokemon will be housed, and the redevelopment team will be living. All of this would make Lumiose Tower the perfect target forwhatever villainous team or Pokemon the player will face off against.Legends Arceussaw its final boss battle at Mt. Coronet, the Hisui Region’s defining landmark, so placingLegends Z-A’s final battle at Lumiose Tower could achieve the same goal of a climactic battle.
No matter what Game Freak decides to use Lumiose Tower for inPokemon Legends Z-A, it can’t remain the same as it was inPokemon X and Y. Such an imposing landmark needs to be important to the gameplay, and in a game with no gyms, leaving the location as one leaves players without a reason to go there. With Lumiose City at the heart of the game, the issue of how to use Lumiose Tower could make or break the experience.Legends Arceusprovided plenty of mechanics and story beatsto set up theLegendsseries, so Game Freak may look to its past to influence the future. Whatever the case, expect Lumiose Tower to be both important and unfamiliar inPokemon Legends Z-A.
Pokemon Legends Z-A
The sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Legends: Z-A takes Pokemon trainers back to the Kalos region’s Lumiose City.
