As a prequel to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Pokémon Legends: Arceus references many of the Sinnoh region's most famous locations.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl were released just a few short months before Pokémon Legends: Arceus, giving players a chance to refamiliarize themselves with the Sinnoh region before diving into ancient Hisui. As a direct prequel to BDSP, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is full of Easter eggs and references to Sinnoh’s most famous cities and landmarks. Longtime fans of the Pokémon franchise will find plenty to be nostalgic about while exploring Legends: Arceus’ open map.
Since Pokémon Legends: Arceus takes place before people and Pokémon began living in harmony, the wilderness outside of Jubilife Village is mostly uninhabited, allowing wild Pokémon to roam freely. However, as the game progresses and Hisui’s residents begin to build bonds with the Pokémon of the region, players who are familiar with Pokémon BDSP will see the seeds of the future Sinnoh region being planted. Even the name “Sinnoh” is a reference to the ancient name the people of Hisui gave to Arceus, the God Pokémon.
While the Hisui and Sinnoh regions’ maps aren’t exactly identical, their layout and geography are extremely similar. The swampy areas of Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Crimson Mirelands are in the same location as the future Great Marsh of BDSP, and the snowy landscape of the Alabaster Icelands is every bit as frigid as Sinnoh’s Snowpoint City. As players explore more of ancient Hisui on their journey through Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the foundations of the future Sinnoh region can be seen in almost every area of the map.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus players begin their journey in Jubilife Village, which serves as the base of operations for the Galaxy Expedition Team. This bustling village shares a name with the future Jubilife City, one of the largest cities in Sinnoh as well as the Pokémon world as a whole. This future metropolis will someday be the home of BDSP's Jubilife TV Station, Trainer School, and Global Wonder Station, but ancient Hisui’s Jubilife Village has plenty of attractions of its own. Since trainers return to Jubilife Village after every excursion, they’ll quickly get familiar with the shops, Training Grounds, Pastures, and Galaxy Hall as they rest up and prepare for their next adventure into the wilds. Jubilife Village also has a few hidden references to Pokémon BDSP tucked away, including the Canala Bridge that references Canalave City and Floaro Main Street, which nods to the future Floaroma Town.
While Sandgem Town hasn’t been built yet in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players can still visit the Sandgem Flats that will house this quaint town in the future. Just like the modern version of this area from Pokémon BDSP, the sands of the region’s southern shore stretch far into the Sandgem Flats, making “Sandgem” a very fitting name. Eventually, this area will host the laboratory of Professor Rowan, Commander Kamado’s ancestor, but it’s home to plenty of free-roaming Abra, Kadabra, and Mime Jr. in the ancient days of Hisui.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus references plenty of Sinnoh’s Legendary Pokémon, and the story of Floaroma Town’s foundation is actually depicted in this BDSP prequel. According to Floaroma Town’s legend, the hill the town is founded on was once desolate, and no flowers would grow. However, once someone expressed their gratitude to nature on that hill, the flowers burst into bloom and have continued to bloom beautifully ever since.
In Legends: Arceus, the Floaro Gardens can be found in the Obsidian Fieldlands, but the flowers are withered and lifeless when players first visit the area. However, during Request 92, “A Token of Gratitude,” trainers witness Medi express her thanks to Shaymin in the Floaro Gardens, causing the field to bloom. It’s safe to say that this is the very same event that the legend of Floaroma Town references, giving players the chance to be a part of Sinnoh’s history itself.
While the Heartwood of Pokémon Legends: Arceus and BDSP’s Eterna Forest don’t share names, the connection between them is clear thanks to Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ soundtrack. The Eterna Forest of Pokémon BDSP has some of the most iconic music in the game, and fans of the franchise will likely recognize this nostalgic tune as they explore the Heartwood in the Obsidian Fieldlands. The Pokémon that can be encountered in these areas are similar as well, and while it seems some Pokémon have come and gone between the time of Hisui and modern Sinnoh. However, trainers can still catch Pokémon like Wurmple, Cascoon, Silcoon, Beautifly, Dustox, and Buneary in both of these serene forests.
Located on the east side of the Obsidian Fieldlands nearest Mt. Coronet, Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Oreburrow Tunnel will eventually become the Oreburgh Mine that fuels Pokémon BDSP’s Oreburgh City. Led by Gym Leader Roark, the mine is not only the city’s main energy source, but it also serves as a Pokémon training ground for its residents. Like the Shaymin quest of Floaro Gardens, Legends: Arceus gives players a glimpse of the Sinnoh region’s history in the Oreburrow Tunnel. In the Legends: Arceus Daybreak update, trainers are called to calm an Alpha Onix raging in the Oreburrow Tunnel as part of Request 103, “Digging for Tomorrow.” After calming the Pokémon down, Kochika teams up with the Onix to dig for coal in the tunnel, hinting at the foundation of the future Oreburgh Mine.
Even ancient Hisui has its fair share of ruins, and the Solaceon Ruins in Pokémon Legends: Arceus are the same ruins that appear near Pokémon BDSP’s Solaceon Town. While the labyrinthine layout of BDSP’s Solaceon Ruins differs from the one-room ruins of Legends: Arceus, the two locations are undoubtedly the same. Not only do they share a similar location on the map, but they’re the only location in BDSP and Legends: Arceus where wild Unown appear.
The message inscribed in the ruins is the same as well: “All lives touch other lives to create something anew and alive.” In both games, the Solaceon Ruins stand as a testament to friendship and connection, though their origins and the strange Unown remain a mystery.
The Legendary Lake Guardians of Legends: Arceus and Pokémon BDSP reside in the region’s three major lakes: Lake Verity, Lake Valor, and Lake Acuity. Unsurprisingly, these massive bodies of water don’t change much between the ancient days of Hisui and modern Sinnoh, and trainers will have to visit all three of these legendary lakes to catch Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie. Trainers can enter the lakes’ underground caverns through an island in the middle of each lake, and even the layouts of these caves are identical in both games. Based on Volo and Cogita’s knowledge, it seems that these lakes are steeped in ancient myths and legends even in the days of the Hisui region.
Veilstone Cape is a rocky cliff that juts out into the Cobalt Coastlands of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, so it’s no surprise that its namesake Veilstone City is located nearby in Pokémon BDSP. Veilstone City isn’t a coastal city, but it still shares its clifftop geography with Veilstone Cape. In the future, the cliffs and mountains of the area will be the home of the famous Veilstone Department Store and Veilstone Gym, but in ancient Hisui, players will only find wild Pokémon like Hisuian Growlithe, Glameow, and Mothim roaming the cape.
While the Seaside Hollow of Pokémon Legends: Arceus doesn’t appear as a location in BDSP, it’s referenced in a book in the Canalave Library. The book details “The Sea’s Legend,” which tells the story of a brave human who traveled with three special Pokémon to meet the Legendary Manaphy, Prince of the Sea. By copying the legend found in this book as part of Request 66, Legends: Arceus players can encounter Manaphy and Phione in the Seaside Hollow, just like the ancient hero of The Sea’s Legend.
Surprisingly, Manaphy and Phione are two of the few Pokémon in the Hisui region that trainers don’t actually have to catch before encountering Arceus. However, trainers who want to fully complete their Hisui Pokédex will have to study up in BDSP’s Canalave Library to figure out the secret of encountering this Legendary pair.
Firespit Island is a volcanic island in the oceans of the Cobalt Coastlands in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and while it may not seem to have a direct connection to Pokémon BDSP, it’s likely that the future Stark Mountain was formed from Firespit Island’s eruptions. While the island’s volcanic activity seems to have slowed by the time BDSP takes place, trainers will still have their resolve tested in this lava-filled mountain as they battle the Ace Trainers and Dragon Tamers inside. Not only do the two share their geographical location, but the Legendary Pokémon Heatran can be encountered in this area in both games.
The Celestica Ruins of Legends: Arceus can be found in the same part of the map as BDSP’s Celestic Town, though the ancient ruins are surprisingly different in both versions of the region. In BDSP, the Celestic Ruins are a cave that can be entered from Celestic Town, but Legends: Arceus’ Celestica Ruins appear to be the remnants of a crumbling outdoor temple. However, the similarities in their names and location suggest that they’re connected, and it’s possible that Celestic Town was built near the Celestica Ruins to honor the history of the Sinnoh region. Interestingly enough, the ancient statues of Dialga and Palkia can be found in Legends: Arceus’ Celestica Ruins as well, which could be a reference to the statue of the ancient Pokémon outside Eterna City in either version of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Mt. Coronet stands as the central landmark of the Hisui and Sinnoh regions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus and BDSP, and this stoic peak plays a central role in both games’ stories. Legend has it that the entire region was created by Arceus from the top of Mt. Coronet, and players can encounter the Legendary Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus at the top of the mountain in both games. However, the caves inside the mountain have yet to be carved in the ancient days of Legends: Arceus, so trainers have to scale the steep cliffs of the Coronet Highlands with the help of the ride Pokémon, Sneasler.
The Temple of Sinnoh was built at the top of Mt. Coronet in Pokémon Legends: Arceus in honor of Arceus’ creation of the region. The very same temple can be seen in the final showdown of BDSP, though it’s referred to as the Spear Pillar instead. By the ending of Legends: Arceus, the two look nearly identical, and the temple’s broken pillars make it easy to see how the modern version got its name.
Snowpoint Temple is tucked away in the snowy northern tundra of Hisui and Sinnoh, and this ancient sanctum is home to the Legendary Regigigas in both Legends: Arceus and Pokémon BDSP. While the inside of both versions of Snowpoint Temple differ between games, each one has the same number of floors and challenges the player with a rock, steel, and ice-themed puzzle. In BDSP, trainers can only encounter Regigigas with Regirock, Registeel, and Regice in their party. However, since these Legendary Titans reside in the Hoenn region during the events of Legends: Arceus, players are presented with a statue puzzle that must be solved to progress through the main story.
In the post-game of both Pokémon BDSP and Pokémon Legends: Arceus, trainers can encounter the infamous Giratina in Turnback Cave. Turnback Cave is completely surrounded by the cliffs of Spring Path in both games, and this hidden area is said to be the region’s lost lake where space and time distort. While Turnback Cave is a simple one-room cavern in ancient Hisui, it becomes a complex labyrinth by the modern era of Pokémon BDSP, presenting a much greater challenge for trainers attempting to catch Giratina.
After beating Pokémon BDSP and unlocking the National Pokédex, trainers can travel to Ramanas Park to challenge Legendary Pokémon from across the franchise. Before becoming a thrilling battle park, however, this little area was known as Ramanas Island in Legends: Arceus’ Hisui region. Ramanas Island can be found in the southernmost part of the Obsidian Fieldlands in the same location on the map as the future Ramanas Park, but the only Legendary Pokémon trainers will encounter here is Landorus, one of the Forces of Nature that appears as part of Cogita’s quest. While the unassuming Ramanas Island doesn’t have much in common with the modern Ramanas Park, details like these make it easy to see how the Sinnoh region of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl evolved from Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ ancient Hisui region.
