Postwick
Real-world inspiration: Wales / The Cotswolds / Greendale from Postman Pat
We're not sure if two houses technically constitutes a village, but you and your rival Hop start out in Postwick, a picturesque little corner of Galar bound by rolling fields and just outside Wedgehurst. It brought to mind any number of Welsh villages, but could equally be a hamlet in the Cotwolds or any quiet countryside retreat. Lovely.
Its little streets and rolling hills also took us back to our childhood and Greendale from Postman Pat. Check out the intro below and wonder how many Pokémon Pat has crammed in the back of his van:
You heard it here first - Jess is actually a special Galarian Meowth.
Slumbering Weald
Real-world inspiration: Winter
A mysterious fog drifts through the woods in the Slumbering Weald. The creeping mist might seem attractive in a brooding, romantic, Wuthering Heights kind of way, but most of us don't awaken to see the fog rolling evocatively over the moors at daybreak.
Actually, for us this place exemplified just how grim and grey it can get over here. The ever-changing conditions of the Wild Areas also do a good job of capturing the changeable weather, with shadows from the clouds above constantly racing over the landscape, but the Slumbering Weald gives a pretty authentic impression of the murkiness most of the UK wakes up to for at least six months of the year. When it's not raining, that is.
Still, sometimes it's rather pleasant.
Spikemuth
Real-world inspiration: Margate / Folkstone / any urban centre at 3 in the morning
A depressed coastal town, Spikemuth is a stand in for a whole bunch of places. Margate and Folkstone spring to mind, although those places have changed a lot since the mid-to-late 20th century, and Spikemuth's shuttered storefronts and bleakness mirror virtually any town centre area in Britain at 3am in the morning. Yes, some of us are lucky to live in picturesque villages with rustic pubs, bakeries and boutiques, but most of us head down high streets like this of an evening when we're meeting mates for a beverage and a chat.
Stow-on-Side
Real-world inspiration: Erm, well, it's... we'll get back to you!
Despite all the inspiration and similarities, it's important to remember that the Galar region is not actually Britain, and nowhere is that more apparently than in Stow-on-Side. Despite having an appropriately British-sounding name, there's really not much besides the red brick buildings that we found very familiar. The lighting, the dust, the corrugated steel sheet roofs on the houses - as with Ballonlea, Game Freak gave themselves some leeway with Stow-on-Side. Maybe it's a nod to the infinite diversity in infinite combinations that makes up the fabric of the British Isles! With Andean pan pipe-style music, because that always goes down well. Remember Dragon Roost Island?
Turffield
Real-world inspiration: Avebury / Salisbury / Stonehenge
Turffield channels Avebury, Salisbury (sawls-berry) and their respective stone circle monuments (the most famous being Stonehenge, where the demons dwell). The white figure on the hillside also resembles the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire. The game plays into the ancient legends and myths surrounding the rocks that scatter the landscape and of all the inspirations, this is one of the easiest to identify.
Wedgehurst
Real-world inspiration: Wells, Somerset
Despite concept art from Game Freak designer Shigeru Ohmori showing a sketch from Windermere in the Lake District which apparently informed the look of the first real town you come across, it immediately brought to our minds the town that stood in for Sandford from Hot Fuzz. As a general rule, having a cathedral is a good indication of city status; Wells is the smallest city in England.
To be fair, rolling fields and livestock can be found all over the UK, but something about the infectious joviality of Wedgehurst and its residents made us think of Sandford - it's almost too perfect, you know? Of course, we're not implying that Wedgehurst residents are actually a bunch of cultists that meet in the dead of night to perform weird rituals on Pokémon. No, we never said that. Stop thinking that.
And finally, Wyndon
Real-world inspiration: Swindon
Only joking. Wyndon is obviously based on the English capital London. Tall buildings and landmarks aplenty, it'd be tough to miss the parallels with this one...
Oh course, there's plenty missing from Game Freak's interpretation on this green and pleasant land - ugly concrete flyovers, roundabouts, absurd one-way systems in the city centres - but overall Galar gave us a great shot of nostalgia for the old place. We did very much enjoy the naming of the Lake of Outrage, too.
If you're eager for a full list of the 400 Pokémon available in the Galar Pokédex, check out our snazzy Galar Pokédex database tool. You can also find out more about the three Pokémon Sword and Shield starters and their evolutions, hunt out Easter Eggs in Pokémon Sword and Shield, and find out how to find and evolve Galar region Pokémon from Sirfetch'd to Frosmoth, Alcremie and many more.
Let us know below how you're getting on in Galar, which areas you have particularly enjoyed, and if any of the places we've mentioned reminded you of different real-life locations. Ta-ra for now!
Comments 62
Pokemon Sword and Shield are actually based on America. In fact, every Pokemon game and also every game that has been made is about America. America is just too cool to not make a game about them. I think the whole world should celebrate Happy America Day every Sept 1st. Also, every man should dress the same way, same colors and same everything and the same goes for women. Plus every man should have the same name and the women too. So many people love this idea a lot. Oh, I forgot to mention that this is Opposite Day, so if you say this is a bad idea then you actually mean it's a great idea. Hehe
The starting town of Postwick may also be a subtle nod to the real-world town of Postwick, just east of Norwich, in my home county of Norfolk. ^_^ Ashens would be proud!
What no love for Doncaster?
The U.K. seems like a parallel universe to the U.S. Except for the fact that I have no idea what a crumpet is.
As someone from Grimsby, I approve of Hulbury
What? Motostoke is definitely Birmingham, if your reasoning is because of the industrial revolution then it has to be the Black Country and thus be Birmingham (Well more the towns around like Dudley, Bilston and Wolverhampton)
@Lordplops don't worry pal.. I'm darn t'too-ad in Barnsley and I love Doncaster! It's well known that Shigeru Miyamoto spent time there in the 90s and based Mario Galaxy on it!
Whit? Edinburgh's braw an aw, but nae Glasgow?! XD
I wonder which country will be next for Generation 9 Pokemon.
Game Freak can consider Indonesia as the next Pokemon region since Indonesia have some history related with Japan and Indonesia have a lot of islands with different cultures for each island. 😁
@Xylnox
1) You’re totally not an idiot.
2) I think this is actually the best comment I’ve ever read.
3) You should always voice your exemplary intelligence on NintendoLife.
#HappyOppositeDay
@Xylnox
Um...
Galar region is actually based on UK.
Unova was based on New York City.
You put the horse in here but I say that hillside figure might as well be based on that giant bared dong dude in Dorset.
This article is the only thing I've seen about Pokemon Sword/Shield that makes me interested in this game.
They need to go back to basics and make a tight experience built around 150 monster. No complicated mechanics and a solid story are needed.
In fact, get rid of online multiplayer completely.
@Hams96 It’s a bloody outrage is what it is, some wee fannybaws at Game Freak didn’t see the potential in the squinty bridge and Buchanan Street 😉
I’d argue that Hammerlocke is also based heavily on the Tower of London. The architecture, the small houses built into the walls and the fact there’s a vault full of treasures are all very familiar factors.
Love that Spinal Tap reference. I'm more curious about the scale and functionality of these towns; are there really entire towns entirely comprised of a single horizontally-oriented street featuring decrepit, non-specific storefronts that cannot be entered, with a population exclusively comprised of gang members? It's interesting to note that the English Hull is far more picturesque than its namesake sister city in Massachusetts, which calls to mind 'Everyday Is Like Sunday' by Morrissey.
I bought a bandana from that bong shop in Margate years ago!
@Anti-Matter Every game made in existence is about America.
@Zach777 Why thank you.
And here was I thinking Hammerlocke was a take on Camelot...
@WolfyWardark
Last two years, I went on holiday to Cromer. Would live there if I could.
I visited the Galar region for a spot of tea and a good chin wag without any rubbish, mate.
@Lucarianzx UK really is opposite America, if you lose your job medicine becomes more accessible as job seekers get free prescriptions.
And crumpet is what old men call attractive women. As in "that's a nice bit of crumpet".
Well, I'll just accept the Cotswolds and realise that a massive company will never acknowledge a spa town in South West England.
Definitely Luton
Also loving the mention of oasis and Beatles, some of my favourite bands
Wow Bath made it into a video game! Hope the rugby team features too
Other things I've noticed-
That last one may be a stretch though. You know, 'rule of three' and all that...
@dantesolablood Yeah, U.S. politics are a mess but I thought a crumpet was like a desert or something.
@Hams96
That’d be Spikemuth.
@Rensch
I know that guy.
Ballonlea itself may not have a direct inspiration, but Opal herself seems to based on the Queen.
@Ooyah Cromer sure is a lovely seaside town, I try to go as many times as I can during the summer. ^_^ Sheringham is another nice town, it's about two miles from Cromer.
@DanteSolablood You left out the dirty laugh those old guys make, like ‘Ohohoho, I’d butter that crumpet’.
Yikes! England has really gone down hill!
@WolfyWardark
One day, I somehow managed to walk from Cromer to Salthouse, and I passed through Sheringham... it was indeed very nice. There was another very lovely village along the way... I think it was Weybourne?
p. s. I'm a big fan of the "Slow you down" signs! 😆 And please keep yew a troshin'! 😊
Motostoke reminds me of Birmingham. It's industrial and filled with canals. The stadium even looks like the University's main tower.
Stow-On-Side is at least partly inspired by places like the Jurassic Coast in Dorset and Devon.
@Lucarianzx I guess that means you don't understand cricket. After all, you have to know what a crumpet is to understand cricket, as a certain "ninja" (not "hero") claimed.
@BongoBongo123 You do recall that the first generation games were full of bugs and glitches and horribly unbalanced, don't you? They were still great games that launched an empire, but they were objectively anything but a "tight experience."
Meanwhile, online multiplayer is one of the best things about the franchise since it first became available back in Generation 4.
I think Slumbering Weald is based on the Kent Weald.
I thought that the Toxtricity statues by the lighthouse and the four member Pokémon band being there post-game had made a blatant connection between Hulbury and the Beatles (and so, Liverpool)
@Lucarianzx Haha, sorry. Yup a crumpet is also a bready kind of griddle cake. They're not really that popular but seem to be a stereotype we got labelled with..
Crumpet is also derrogatory slang for an attractive woman mostly used by aging men.
@dantesolablood Yeah I think the american stereotype is hotdogs and beer. Here we associate you guys with tea.
Anyone wanna Trade? I just need the following:
207-Appletun
294- Sableye
342-Oranguru
374-Dracozolt
382- Silvally
Message me if u fancy helping me out 😁
Thank God they mostly based Galar off a relatively more traditional England/ Great Britain/UK.
If they based it off "modern" UK, the evil team would still be team yell, but the yelling would be all too familiar to people in the counter terrorism profession, and the costumes would be much longer and more suited to deserts, and they would be armed with swords, knives, box cutters and AK-47s and they would probably kill Marnie instead of follow her. That would be a very dark and adult version of pokemon.
@KamenRiderGENM yhea, I thought this looked like a scene from Peaky Blinders...so Birmingham sounds right!
@PiplupJ I'm an Agatha Christie fan, and she based a few on places where people celebrate summer vacation and try to get a tan. (It's Devon she's taking about I think)
She describes it a lot like this summery spot in pokemon!
@BulbasaurusRex I don't remember any major bugs that made me think less of the experience. The game wasn't anywhere near 'broken'. Imo even if it was unbalanced it didn't matter, everyone was on the same level. With online play and the multiple complicated systems in the new games it makes them hard to understand and just not worth 59 quid. Plus the stories of pokemon games are so poor and silly (putting it nicely). They wanna go deep with the ideas about saving the universe when what they should be expressing is the issue with the main characters rival (they should make him a dick again basically).
The slumbering weald could be a reference to the dark hedges in Antrim (famous filming location of game of thrones https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Hedges)
@BongoBongo123 They may not have been broken, but they had far more bugs and glitches than any other Pokémon games to date, most notably the Missingno glitch. Then there's the Ghost type bug, the Hyper Beam bug, the accuracy bug, Focus Energy bug, several other ways to glitch the game, etc. They certainly did affect the enjoyment level to a certain degree.
Unbalanced gameplay is terrible no matter if you're in the same boat or not! How could you ever think otherwise?! You could win just about any battle with a team of Psychic types, while Mewtwo itself was practically invincible one-on-one, and that's just the biggest issue.
How the heck is online play complicated?! It just makes it easier than ever to battle and trade. It simplified things, not made them more complicated! If you don't like things like Max Raid Battles, just don't bother with them.
Some game mechanics like IVs, Natures, and Amie may be too complicated for many players, but those are easily ignored without providing too much of an overall disadvantage in battle. Meanwhile, other mechanical additions over the years like hold items, breeding, and Abilities were great additions (that are quite simple to understand) to the point that you just can't imagine the games without them anymore. Just look them up on Serebii or Bulbagarden if you need a refresher. On the contrary, the first generation's mechanics were far too simple in comparison. Meanwhile, other additions like the added types, special defense, and move specific physical/special split were absolutely necessary to properly balance the games.
Who cares about the relatively simple stories? Nobody plays Pokémon specifically for the stories. They are what they are to appeal to the target demographic. Besides, the first generation's story was just as juvenile as any of the others (dealing with a dick rival is no better of a story and arguably even more juvenile than the saving the world plots), while the best story we've had to date was in the relatively more recent Black/White games.
Waitwaitwait, I thought Motostoke was an analogue for Glasgow?
@Anti-Matter That's an awesome idea. I would love to see that Indonesia-influenced Region.
As an aside, I once made a concept of a Pokemon region based on not just Indonesia, but the entirety of Southeast Asia. Since SEA is a mish-mash of different cultures, I made that region a multiple-part region like Alola and Kalos, with one part analogous to Thailand and Myanmar, another part analogous to Vietnam, Laos etc., the next one analogous to the Philippines, and the last one analogous to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei etc. The Pokemon League for that region was set in Singapore.
What do you think? Do you think this could be realistic?
The german localists really missed the mark by renaming "Wyndon" into.... Score City.
A little disappointed with Stow-on-side here.
I got insanely excited when I first saw it in the game. I was thinking of the Minack Theatre, which was built to look Greek and is also located next to the cliff, close to Lands End!
Of course it's not a city, but it's insanely interesting to say the least!
@Xylnox you are absolutely deluded. Clearly Galar is the uk, Kalos is France and the gen 1-4 is Japan! Gen 5 and 7 I’ll give you ,but if you think j every region is America, you are an idiot
@Anti-Matter that would be cool!
@Xylnox has been reported
@Xylnox you are only saying as you have been called out by multiple people.
You think you're calling me out but it was a joke. If you read more article posts then you'll see me occasionally post jokes.
@Pokejackofalltrades @Xylnox stop it you two.
Please do not start arguments over comments that were made so long ago. Specially when they're that inconsecuental.
And let's not insults other users.
@Eel @Pokejackofalltrades I apologize for my actions. I just couldn't believe someone would necro a thread and then take my comment for such seriousness when I was joking. Anyway, I reacted poorly and I am sorry.
Wouldn’t Stow-on-Side literally be based off of Stow-on-the-Wold?!
@WillQuan As someone who is also from Grimsby, I get the blend. Especially with the Alexandra Dock.
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