The Sinnoh region in the Pokemon world is one that proved incredibly popular with fans. The fourth major region to be detailed by Pokemon games, it contains the fourth generation of the popular pocket monsters and has become the setting for Pokemon's newest titles as well, in Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Brilliant Pearl and Shining Diamond. The latter of these titles is a 3D remake of the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, which originally released in 2008, while Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes fans on a wholly new adventure.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus though, takes fans to a Sinnoh region the likes of which they've not seen before. Taking players hundreds of years in the past, Pokemon Legends: Arceus' version of the Sinnoh region is similar to a historical, feudal Japan than it is the modern Sinnoh region seen in the Diamond and Pearl titles. This historical setting has brought some welcome changes, such as the introduction of new Hisuian forms of Pokemon alongside some more controversial additions, like the retcon about Pokeball lore.
Something that fans have enjoyed in the return to Sinnoh though is comparing how the map of Legends: Arceus compares to the Diamond and Pearl maps. Jubilife City, for example, is a sprawling settlement in Diamond and Pearl, while in Pokemon Legends: Arceus Jubilife is a village rather than a city, showing how different the Sinnoh landscape was historically. Perhaps the most clear difference in the maps of both games is in Floaroma Town, specifically the Floarama Garden.
Outlined by a post on Reddit, the Garden in Diamond and Pearl is one of the most colorful places in the Sinnoh region, with flowers all over the place. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus though, the Floara Garden is a barren hill, filled with attempts by people to plant flowers, though all of them have withered and died. The keen-eyed Redditor who posted the comparison also collected all the lines of dialogue concerning the lore of Floaroma Town in Pokemon Platinum. Floara Garden is one of many Sinnoh locations based on real-life Japanese locations.
Floara Garden is one of many nods to the original Diamond and Pearl games hidden in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. The latest mainline game in the Pokemon universe may return to a previous region, yet it is placing a new spin on Sinnoh with more than just areas of the map experiencing change. New variations of existing Pokemon have been designed, alongside a change to how Pokemon learn moves that is being praised by the community.
Pokemon Legends Arceus is available now on Switch.