Is it me or is Alola a bit small?

[Mark Kamill]

It's not small at all. You have around 24 routes and 13 cities. It should be around B2W2 sized in number count, bit since the scale is pretty huge, the game is likely going to be bigger then ever. Then there are WAY more dungeons and points of interest then before, so many side paths caves and forests in between all the cities and routes. Even looking at the blurry in game screenshot of the map makes it obvious that there is a lot going on.

 

[smocks]

I think there's going to be a huge underwater portion of Alola to explore (maybe like underwater ruins or something) because in the map the islands are kinda in an arc and the islands are curving a darker bluer water which could be dive spots

 

[User Anon 1848]

It does look a little small and there doesn't appear to be a Battle Frontier either. I hope to be proven wrong on both accounts.

 

[Admiralblack]

I think there's going to be a huge underwater portion of Alola to explore (maybe like underwater ruins or something) because in the map the islands are kinda in an arc and the islands are curving a darker bluer water which could be dive spots

I agree we have way too much water not to have underwater caverns. I believe caves, and surfing will be a big part of this region.

 

[Bigdog]

There could be a chance that later on, we could be seeing something like California or Okinawa-like addition. Maybe the Plus/Minus rumors were right on the fact that other parts of the game are based in Southeast Asia, a location controlled by France via Vietnam and Cambodia. Even if I'm wrong on that end, any connection to Kalos doesn't have to be necessarily on the mainland. We know so little about Kalos that they could be a colonial power, where it can still be another part of Kalos we haven't explored. If we're really relying on airplanes for travel they could go to any of the other parts of Kalos' control without issue. We could even get Morocco, Algeria, Egypt or even Syria and Lebanon. It depends on the time period they are aiming for. I doubt a French occupied Mexico would work.

Maybe the reason why Alola is so small is because the rest is more vast. If they are even going to Kalos once more , they'd have to redo all of it in the newer style anyways. But Gamefreak has been bucking traditions since Black and White so anything can be possible when it comes to these games.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

I don't mind some surfing. The last time surfing more than a little bit was important to complet the game were the Gen IV games (not counting remakes), with surf needed to get to the sixth gym, and to Victory road.

 

[Rivvon]

It does look a little small and there doesn't appear to be a Battle Frontier either. I hope to be proven wrong on both accounts.

I'm hoping that big ice cave is actually the home to the Pokémon League; that way the artificial island can be used for Alola's Battle Frontier or whatever new thing I'm hoping they have (that isn't just a reskinned solitary Tower).

The Pokémon Twitter confirmed that Alola is "four islands and an artificial one," so it's even safer than before to say there's nothing under the clouds, and that the islands we see are the islands we get. There is the matter of the one very northeastern island home to a single giant sprout (which I suspect is related to the region's giant tree), but it's really too soon to make any judgments regarding that island and its purpose.

 

[PkmnTrainerElio]

There could be a chance that later on, we could be seeing something like California or Okinawa-like addition. Maybe the Plus/Minus rumors were right on the fact that other parts of the game are based in Southeast Asia, a location controlled by France via Vietnam and Cambodia. Even if I'm wrong on that end, any connection to Kalos doesn't have to be necessarily on the mainland. We know so little about Kalos that they could be a colonial power, where it can still be another part of Kalos we haven't explored. If we're really relying on airplanes for travel they could go to any of the other parts of Kalos' control without issue. We could even get Morocco, Algeria, Egypt or even Syria and Lebanon. It depends on the time period they are aiming for. I doubt a French occupied Mexico would work.

Maybe the reason why Alola is so small is because the rest is more vast. If they are even going to Kalos once more , they'd have to redo all of it in the newer style anyways. But Gamefreak has been bucking traditions since Black and White so anything can be possible when it comes to these games.

This is a bit of a reach, I believe Plus and Minus are fake or were rumored titles for Sun and Moon, remember Pokémon Dusk Gold and Dawn Silver (which were later confirmed as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver)?

If there IS another region, then it might be somewhere near Alola or a return to a previous region...

The Pokémon Twitter confirmed that Alola is "four islands and an artificial one," so it's even safer than before to say there's nothing under the clouds, and that the islands we see are the islands we get. There is the matter of the one very northeastern island home to a single giant sprout (which I suspect is related to the region's giant tree), but it's really too soon to make any judgments regarding that island and its purpose.

They always leave us with surprises.

 

[MarinoKadame]

On the artificial island there's a building that remind me of Battle Chateau.

 

[Bigdog]

This is a bit of a reach, I believe Plus and Minus are fake or were rumored titles for Sun and Moon, remember Pokémon Dusk Gold and Dawn Silver (which were later confirmed as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver)?

If there IS another region, then it might be somewhere near Alola or a return to a previous region...

In the rumors, assuming even 10% of them are true, it said that the region was going to be in Southeast Asia. And where were the French in the 1800's through the 1970's? I mean it was obvious the other details like it being also on a home console were probably either beta or barely considered, and maybe the starters changed dramatically if they changed focus [which I doubt myself. They probably were planning this all along.]. However, I feel the reason why Alola looks so small is because we could be seeing Kalos, but it's not going to be a place we have seen. Instead of doing the Gold and Silver route and haphazardly including the older region, they're probably thinking to create a smaller extension of a previous one. It wouldn't be the first time.

Pokemon Z/X2-Y2 were dropped and maybe they are going to wrap things up in S/M by adding more to it perhaps, like the different Zygarde forms and unused aspects. Even if I am overreaching on much of this speculation,

 

[shatteredxfrost]

Underground routes sounds about right. It's based on Hawaii, so I assume we'll be venturing into a volcano at some point >.>

 

[Y2A_Alkis]

Underground routes sounds about right. It's based on Hawaii, so I assume we'll be venturing into a volcano at some point >.>

You mean like the road that goes straight into the volcanic area on the top right island? ;-)