2016’s release of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokémon’s 7th Generation titles Sun and Moon brought a variety of new concepts to the franchise, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:which were later built upon with the slightly updated Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon versions. In addition to new Pokémon, the titles reimagined Pokémon from previous generations, introduced potent new items which could be h✃eld by Pokémon, and brought an interesting new region to the franchise 𓄧which followed the familiar trend of drawing inspiration from real-life locations.
With Generation VII, the Pokémon franchise traveled to the island-based Alola Region. Fans quickly identified the inspiration for this tropical region as Hawaii. Just as Kalos w🦄as not a direct representation of France and Unova varied from New York, Alola has some vari🌳ations from Hawaii. Here are ten things you might have missed in comparing the region with its inspiration.
10 ꦑ Based On The Hawaiian๊ Islands
Here’s a softball which most players probably already know: The islands in the Alola Region are based on the Hawaiian Islands. While this is relatively common knowledge, some might be surprised to find out. For those who already knew that the region is based on the 50th state, they might still be unaware of the specific islands in🐲cluded.
The state of Hawaii is actually comprised of several land features. Ignoring smaller islets and such, the state is comprised of eight islands. Condensing that down to four, A♑lola’s Melemele Island is based on Oahu, Akala Island is based on Maui, Ula'ula Island is based on Hawaii (The Big Island), and Poni Island is based on Kauai.
9 𝄹 A Fifth Island?
In addition to the four islands above, there is another floating structure instantly recognizable on the map. This artificial🤡 island is known as Aether Paradise and is a research facility꧅ for the mysterious Aether Foundation. Geographically, Aether Paradise is located near Akala Island.
Roughly seven miles southwest of Maui is the uninhabitable island of Kaho’olawe. Kaho’olawe is the smallest of the eight major islands and serves today as a cultural site with no permanent residents. It may be a stretch to say that Aether Paradise is Kaho’olawe, but the comparison is certainly interesting, and its addition would mean that five Hawaiian Islands are actually represented in Sun and Moon.
8 ﷽ ♐ Alola Is Much Smaller
Moving back to the 🉐more populated areas of Alola, there is a 💮huge difference between this region and the state it represents.
Including the Pokémon League, Alola only has 10 total settlements. In the original Sun and Moon releases, the population of this region doesn’t even mee🐻t 400 total residents. By comparison, Hawaii boasts nearly 1.5 million residents with almost two-thirds of that residing on Oahu💟.
Melemele Island certainly boasts similarities, but it doesn’t hold a candle to that number. This is understandable when considering Hawaii has many more than 10 distinct cities,🐼 and a scaled-down representation💯 is to be expected.
7 ✃ ꦓ Real Settlements
Unsurprisingly, most of the settlements in the Alola Region sufficiently represent their real-life counterparts. While it might be tough to make an argument for Alola’s Iki Town, Hau’oli City bears several striking similarities to the real-life Waikiki area. Not only is it positioned perfectly on the map, but Hau’oli City's shopping area and “big city” feel also do a great job b𒐪ringing its counterpart to life.
Presuming Aether Paradis🦩e is based on Kaho’olawe, the research conducted there also matches its Hawaiian counterpart. Until the 1990s, Kaho’olawe was used extensively by the US military as a weapon testing site.
6 🅠 🅠 Black Sand Beaches
Hano Beach is a fantastic location in Sun and Moon which takes players pa🌳st a beautifully crafted resort and into a location where sandcastles come alive as Pokémon. It’s truly♍ magical. The only thing missing is a black sand beach.
Why is that important? Because Hano Beach is located on Akala Island which appears to be based on Maui. Traveling to the east coast of Maui, travelers can treat themselves to breatꦕhtaking black and red sand beaches. Despite the majestic view presented by Hano Beach, it cannot compare to the Hawaiian spectacle.
5 Geographical Differences ✨
Speaking of differences, the general geography of Alola is a bit different from the Hawaiian landscape. Those familiar with Hawaii will know that the major islands are comprised of volcanoes. In the case of the island of Hawaii, five large volcanoes make up the distinct regions. Viewing aerial or grou♏nd images of any of the islands in Hawaii will reveal extensively mountainous geography.
By comp𒉰arison, the Alola region has relatively few mountains. It isn’t unrecognizable, but the difference is certainly noticeable. As an example, Oahu is defined by a spine which runs along the center of the island, Melemele Island is relatively flat. On the plus side, Oahu’s Diamond Head State Monument has an excellent Melemele Island counterpart in Ten Carat Hill.
4 🀅 Lighting The Way ꧟
Lighthouses are pretty popular in Hawaii. While there aren’t as many in the state as other coastal locations, the ones present are relatively well-known. As such, it isn’t unexpec𒁏ted to see a lighthouse on🤪 Akala Island located in Konikoni city.
As mentioned earlier, Akala Island most lines up with the island of Maui. To see similarities in the structure of the two, it’s best to rotate Akala Island a bit. Interestingly enough, when this is done, Konkoni City lines up relatively closely with the Maui city Lahaina. While the lighthouse currently located in Lahaina wasn’t the original, Lahaina was the site of the first lighthoꦑuse built in the state.
3 ༺ The Peak Of The Mountain
The highest point in Hawaii is the dormant volcano Mauna Kea, which is located on the island of Hawaii. While this volcano is far pas🦩t its active prime, the peak of Mauna Kea sits 13,803 ft above sea level. As would be expected, the peak of Mauna Kea is marked by snow year-round.
Comparatively, the highest point in the Alola Region, and home to the 𓄧Elite Four, is Mount Lanakila on Ula'ula Island. Similar to Mauna Kea, Mount Lanakila is noticeably out of place in its topical enviro𒁏nment by being covered in snow. It is also home to some of Ice Pokémon population.
2 🀅 Architectural Disparity
Zooming in a bit🦄 from the map as a whole, one notable difference between the Alola Region and the Hawaiian Islands is the architecture used throughout the various settlements in Alola. While we’ve already discussed the scaled accuracy of locations such as Hau’oli City, the representation is not purely representative of Hawaii.
It’s key to remember that Alola is only based on Hawaii. It isn’t a mirror image. Alola presents a more traditional architectural style which is mostly present in Hawaii, but it isn’t a true reflection of the microcosm of society which can be found in the 50th state today.
1 ♎ ဣThat Cloudy Landmass
When Sun and Moon were first announced, fans anticipated a return to Kanto. The theory never amounted to more than speculation, but many believed that this generation would follow the pattern of Generation II by allowing access to a second region after completion of the new one. Given that Generation VII marked 20 years since the Pokémon games first released, many were optimistic about a return to the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:popular original region.
This t⛎heory, bolstered by a cloudy landmass in the northeastern portion of the Alola Region map, quickly proved false. The game explains multiple times that the original region is far from Alola. Rumors and the Ha💖waiian theme still might keep the dream alive.