Hisui in Relation to Present Day Sinnoh (Spoilers for Location Names)

[Bolt Strike]

Disclaimer: This thread details the locations of various areas in Legends Arceus, so if you have not fully explored the region in game and want to find these areas for yourself read no further.

So there was a conversation in the general discussion thread about how Cobalt Coastlands matches up with some of the areas in present day Sinnoh and I wanted to discuss this in a bit more detail, extending it to the entire region. So, we have some general idea of where the different areas in Hisui are relative to each other and some of the present day areas, but there's a lot of little discrepancies that make this conversation much more interesting and unclear, possibly even subjective. So the question here is, how do you think the areas match up to present day Sinnoh? What areas from Hisui correspond to present day Sinnoh?

In lore I think the space time distortions due to Volo's meddling may have caused some of these discrepancies, so there's a bit of leeway in terms of what's where between the two, but there do seem to be a lot of hints for these locations.

Here is what I think:

Confirmed Areas (explicitly named the same/similarly in game):
Jubilife Village : Jubilife City
Lake Verity
Solaceon Ruins
Lake Valor
Spring Path
Turnback Cave
Wayward Cave
Lake Acuity
Snowpoint Temple

It's worth noting, however, that even with these explicitly named areas, a few things are off (mainly for gameplay related reasons. Lake Verity is a bit further east than it is in the present day (mainly because in LA, everything is east of Jubilife Village and where Lake Verity is now is the closest to its original location they could put it). Lake Valor also seems to be a bit further from Sinnoh's East Coast than it probably should be and doesn't really have any connection to the areas that would be a part of Valor Lakefront/Rt. 213's beach resort which would be in Cobalt Coastlands (probably to distribute plot important locations evenly between areas in the game, as otherwise there would be two in Cobalt Coastlands and nothing in Crimson Mirelands). Turnback Cave is also further north than it would be in the present, it's north of Tranquility Cove in LA, whereas in the present day, it would be about where Gingko Landing is (this is probably to hide Turnback Cave and have you explore Cobalt Coastlands a bit more to discover it).

With those locations in mind, here's some of the others that I think match up:
Sandgem Flats : Sandgem Town
Ramanas Island : Rt. 220

Like with Lake Verity, the location is a bit off because everything is west of Jubilife, but the naming and the relative proximity to Lake Verity leads be to believe these areas match up relatively with their namesakes. However, with Ramanas Island, Rt. 221 and Pal/Ramanas Park are not on an island, so I'm not quite sure this is specifically where those areas would be. Instead, I think this might be Rt. 220, which is an island, and Ramanas Park was named after the nearby island in the present.

Oreburrow Tunnel : Oreburgh Gate

Not as sure about this one because that area of the map isn't particularly as rocky as its present day counterpart, but the name is clearly meant to evoke Oreburgh City and Oreburgh Gate is a relatively linear connecting tunnel, so I guess that's what this is meant to be.

Mirelands Camp : Solaceon Town

Professor Laventon mentions that some people want to turn one of the camps into a village, and one of the NPCs in the present mentions that the town formed because people kept passing through the area. It makes a lot of sense that this is how. Also of course, Solaceon Ruins is shortly to the east just as it is in the present. That being said, I'm not sure this is the camp he's referring to as Solaceon is much more rural and unpopulated, so it probably took longer for the camp to become a full city. There are other candidates that could be the camp he's talking about, and I don't think this is the one.

Gapejaw Bog/Sludge Mound : Rt. 212
Bogbound Camp : Pastoria City
Scarlet Bog : Great Marsh

Crimson Mirelands seems to be largely based on the marshland areas in and around Pastoria, with the muddy areas evoking memories of trudging through the marshlands of Rt. 212S and the Great Marsh. Geographically, the two bogs seem to match up as such. As for Pastoria itself, this could be one of the camps that developed into a village, the camp neighbors the bog areas as Pastoria does in the present.

Beachside Camp/Veilstone Cape : Veilstone City

I'm a bit torn on this one and you could make an argument for either. The name and location seem to be about right for Veilstone Cape, but Beachside Camp is an actual camp that might be another candidate for camp-turned-city.

Crossing Slope/Aipom Hill/Gingko Landing : Rt. 214
Bathers Lagoon/Deadwood Haunt : Rt. 222
Coastlands Camp : Sunyshore City
Tranquility Cove : Rt. 223

The location seems to be about right for this. I also have a headcanon that the development of Sunyshore is also why there are no longer any Ghost types on Rt. 222, the construction of the lighthouse probably scared them away.

Firespit Island : Pokemon League/Battle Zone

I'm split on this debate. It seems a bit too small to be the entire Battle Zone, but it's possible. On the other hand, I like @Dorothy's idea that the volcano cooled and this is actually the Pokemon League, but I'm still a bit iffy on that one.

Celestica Ruins : Celestic Town

Again, because of the name. It does seem to be missing the mural, but other than that this is probably Celestic.

Summit Camp/Sacred Plaza : Eterna City

Eterna City does contain the infamous statue that blurs together Dialga/Palkia, perhaps it was built near these ruins. Also helps that it's near a camp.

Ancient Retreat : Rt. 210N, specifically Grandma Wilma's house

The location seems to be about right for this and Grandma Wilma's house is pretty secluded. Perhaps she's a descendant of Cogita?

Pearl Settlement : Snowpoint City

Both of them are near Snowpoint Temple and Lake Acuity. It makes perfect sense that this settlement developed into a full city, similar to the camps. I would think the same would happen with the Diamond Settlement in Crimson Mirelands, but I'm less able to place that one. It might have just been abandoned, or perhaps it developed into Valor Lakefront (although it's on the opposite side of the lake for that).

the rest of Alabaster Icelands : Rt. 216/Rt. 217/Acuity Lakefront

Do I even need to explain this one?

Temple of Sinnoh : Spear Pillar

This one should be obvious, as the box legendaries are all encountered in this area. Also Volo comments about how the temple has worn down and the pillars are like spears piercing the sky, which is probably where the modern name came from.

Thoughts?

 

[Dorothy]

oh yay my little theory made it on here

 

[Bolt Strike]

Quoting you here because I made a new thread to discuss this topic further (truth be told I wanted to make this thread for a while but I was too busy with the game, then you guys started discussing this and thought "Why not?").

I mean...for all we know this could also be some other alternate universe separate from the main universe (Gen 1 - Now) and the Original Remake universe (FRLG - ORAS, give or take LGPE) and the protagonist is from the future of one of those universes. It would give new meaning to the "this world seems strange to you" line past the obvious "your being transported to the past. Hope you aced history class. 'Kay bye."

I mean it's possible, they love pulling that card, but it does seem like they're intentionally trying to evoke memories of some of those locations, they're just taking liberties on exact locations based on what parts of Sinnoh are explorable in the present and what parts of Sinnoh are explorable in the past.

Also time anomoly or not, where are the mud hut ruins? The Lost Tower could have easily been built within 100 something years. But those mud huts have to be from before the clans.

You mean the ones in Amity Square? I'm not sure, is Hearthome even anywhere on the map? It doesn't look like it. There are some parts of present day Sinnoh that don't seem to appear in LA, such as Floaroma Town and the area around Canalave City and the nearby islands. You might be able to make an argument that they could exist somewhere in Obsidian Fieldlands or Coronet Highlands, but I can't match it to any locations in those areas.

 

[Pyrax]

Very minor but I was so surprised by the lack of a Munchlax rock at the southern end of the bay in Cobalt Coastlands. Given the time difference is only a century or two it should already exist off the coast of what'll become Sunnyshore. Another anomaly?

Also time anomoly or not, where are the mud hut ruins? The Lost Tower could have easily been built within 100 something years. But those mud huts have to be from before the clans.

You mean the ones in Amity Square? I'm not sure, is Hearthome even anywhere on the map? It doesn't look like it. There are some parts of present day Sinnoh that don't seem to appear in LA, such as Floaroma Town and the area around Canalave City and the nearby islands. You might be able to make an argument that they could exist somewhere in Obsidian Fieldlands or Coronet Highlands, but I can't match it to any locations in those areas.

Just checked, Hearthome and those mud huts are in an area the player never visits. Likewise for Canalave future location. Floaro Gardens, being in the Obsidian FIeldlands, is too south to be Floaroma Town imo - it's north of Jubilife in modern day Sinnoh.

 

[Nicolas721]

I think the zone in East Crimson Mirelands where you can find small and cute Pokemon like Pachirisu and Togepi represents Mr. Backlot's house which is also known for that.

Obsidian Fieldlands in general makes more sense as the area below Jubilife City, that way Lake Verity fits in more easily.

I find it a massive stretch that what is just a volcan became a giant volcan and a region around half the size of Sinnoh in less than two centuries. It either has to be something else or it disappeared.

 

[Bolt Strike]

I think the zone in East Crimson Mirelands where you can find small and cute Pokemon like Pachirisu and Togepi represents Mr. Backlot's house which is also known for that.

Backlot's Mansion is further west and nowhere near Lake Valor though. I don't think that garden is the Trophy Garden.

 

[CuboneKing]

I’m in the Firespit is the Pokémon League and/or Victory Road camp. It’s too small and too close to the mainland to be the Battle Zone, and the positioning with Sunyshore lines up with the league. That said they obviously took some liberties. I bet those clouds in the coastlands are obscuring the actual Battle Zone and that’ll be DLC

 

[venusboi79]

Like @Cute Charm , I’ve been wondering if PLA if is meant to be an alternate timeline from the main DPPt/BDSP games. Not just because of the changes to the map, but also because of all the random “ancestors” in the game, particularly ones from regions outside of Sinnoh/Johto.

On top of that, the game does take a lot of ummm… inspiration from BoTW, which famously crunches all sorts of lore bits together (and LoZ has even more insane split timeline debates due to being older and crossing more platforms than Pokémon) to tell its own story.

I’m not completely married to this theory. I think its also possible that this IS actually the past of a Sinnoh we’ve experienced (there are at least two, possibly three timelines between DPPt and BDSP); maybe affected by the time/space distortions, along with the fact that the Pokémon world has creatures that can control forces of nature that don’t exist in the real world.

 

[Poke Dragon]

There's actually one key thing that we all forget: Regigigas

Why? Because Regigigas's Pokedex entry states that it toed continents with ropes. So, it could be entirely possible that the change in geography was actually Regigiga's doing rather than the natural shift of tectonic plates.

Sandgem Flats could have had some its river dry up while another part of the river merged with the sea long before the events of the modern Sinnoh games, thus allowing Sandgem Town to be founded.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Firespit is absolutely Stark Mountain, given it's home to Heatran, whose cave will eventually become buried in its depths once the volcano erupts

 

[Bolt Strike]

There's actually one key thing that we all forget: Regigigas

Why? Because Regigigas's Pokedex entry states that it toed continents with ropes. So, it could be entirely possible that the change in geography was actually Regigiga's doing rather than the natural shift of tectonic plates.

Sandgem Flats could have had some its river dry up while another part of the river merged with the sea long before the events of the modern Sinnoh games, thus allowing Sandgem Town to be founded.

Regigigas' dex entry already mentions this legend in LA, so this likely happened further in the past. And Regigigas pulling the continents together wouldn't account for subtle discrepancies such as the ones I mention in the OP, continents are huge landmasses, not small areas.

 

[Dorothy]

Firespit is absolutely Stark Mountain, given it's home to Heatran, whose cave will eventually become buried in its depths once the volcano erupts

The location is all wrong, and so is the size of the area. Who's to say Heatran didn't move as the island cooled?

 

[Twilight-Kun]

The location is all wrong, and so is the size of the area. Who's to say Heatran didn't move as the island cooled?

Looking at a map of Sinnoh compared to Hisui and Firespit is literally in the same exact place as Stark Mountain