That the open world of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Purple is blatantly inspired by the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal and Andorra) is a powerful additional claim. To the paradisiacal and varied climate we must add its enormous cultural wealth and the unquestionable beauty of its cities, towns and landscapes. In Extra Life not only do we attest to it first hand, but we take the idea one step further: how much of the real world is really in the Paldea region?
We are aware that the mystery surrounding the game gives us room to make mistakes, of course, but also very specific information that gives us unequivocal clues such as that our character will begin his adventure in the equivalent of the South of Andalusia (going up the Senda de Cahíz de Paldea) and we will end up discovering the counterpoints of Murcia, Madrid, Barcelona, the Spanish Levante, Sierra Nevada and even the equivalent of the Sagrada Familia itself. What a trip!
How much of the real world is there in the Paldea region?
Only the shapes give it away. The silhouette and topography of Paldea are a cheerful caricature and homage to the Iberian Peninsula, starting from a very outstanding replica of the rock of gibraltar in the southwestern area where, by the way, you can find a picturesque urban area that we have not yet named. And yet, we expect that it will be based on British territory. Or rather from Galar?
As you will see below, there are lots of parallels, with the map of the Iberian Peninsula as well as intentionally mysterious areas, starting with a gigantic crater in the central area. What kind of mystery will we find there?
The interesting thing here is that using the information and screenshots of the trailers offered to date, it is possible to locate the different locations of Paldea and begin to recompose the intentionally disassembled puzzle that it presents us. Pokemon Company. Establishing, as you can see through these clues, even more parallels with Spain.
That said, there are a plethora of licenses and changes haphazardly offered to make everything feel familiar, new, and special at the same time. Because finding paintings of flamenco dancers inside houses is a very nice detail but, above all things, Pokémon Scarlet and Purple must work and achieve its excellence as an attractive open world RPG and in which it is a pleasure to get lost.
Our starting point in this curious tour of Paldea? The most important location shown to date: Plateau City. Which, by the way, is a curious mix between Madrid, Barcelona and Toledo.
Plateau City (Mesagoza) and the academy
- Based on : Madrid, Barcelona and Toledo
The Pokémon Company has combined three of the most important cities in all of Spain into one when designing the capital of Paldea. Located right in the central area of the region, you can clearly distinguish the architecture of the interior of the Iberian Peninsula as well as very specific locations such as the Plaza Mayor and a kind of tribute to the Parque del Retiro and even the Alcázar de Toledo.
However, the most colorful part of this reinterpretation of the capital of Spain is that we will see many elements belonging to the Ciudad Condal: the entrance and the main square are a replica of the mythical Park Güell in Barcelona. However, the most distinctive feature is that the Academy itself, the place where we will really start our adventure, pays homage to the Sagrada Família.
As a result, we have a very curious mixture that combines the Mediterranean charm of Barcelona wrapped in both the architecture and the most characteristic landscapes of the Central Plateau area, which, by the way, is inspired by the very name of Plateau City.
However, there is a curious additional detail that is lost from the international name of this city: Mesagozawhich invites us to think that we can also find elements and tributes to the city of Zaragoza.
However, it seems that the true tribute to the countrymen of Aragon will be found much further north of Paldea.
Sierra Napada (Frosted)
- Based on: Pico Aneto, in Aragon and Sierra Nevada in Granada
Spain is a land of contrasts. You will find paradisiacal beaches and snowy peaks in the north of the Iberian Peninsula as well as in the south. In the rich world of Pokémon, they opted to combine the best of both worlds in the same location and locate the wonderful snowy mountains north of Paldea in a spectacular tribute to Pico Aneto and Sierra Nevada. His name in the game? Sierra Napada, of course.
Known as the Glazed area in the international versions of Pokémon, Sierra Napada is a huge mountainous area that takes inspiration from the Aragonese Pyrenees and, for that matter, locates Grusha’s gym, an Ice type (of course) after half of the way to the top.
However, it should be remembered that the Pico Mulhacén is the highest peak in the Iberian Peninsula and that, by the way, it is in the Sierra Nevada de Granada, in southern Spain. As with Plateau City, The Pokémon Company combined several real locations to create its homage to the privileged snowscapes of the entire Peninsula.
Altamía Town (Artazon)
- Based on: Murcia, Castilla la Mancha and the Spanish Levante
It was absolutely impossible that Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Purple no homage was paid to Murcia, Castilla la Mancha, Valencia and their people.
Altamia It is a small town with a very special charm presided over by a huge windmill. Its architecture, by the way, does not have much to do with that of Plateau City and you can see as soon as you enter that the Gym leader is an expert of Grass-type Pokémon.
However, and as in the previous examples, if we go through the huge white administration building we will find a huge mountain range with many caves. Here the clue is given by the name in Spanish: Pueblo Altamía seems to refer to the Altamira cave, where the recognizable cave paintings were found, despite the fact that they are found in Cantabria, in the north of Spain.
At this point it is important to remember that the area where Cantabria would normally be on the map of Spain is already represented in Paldea with Sierra Napada. So the change of location makes a lot of sense. Will we see the Fossil Pokémon there?
Murcia and La Mancha and all of the Spanish Levante have always been the cradle of artists, and Paldea is no exception: Brais, the Gym Leader, is an expert in wrestling and has a very special artistic sensibility.
Of course, we must recognize that, despite the fact that art has always been very well distributed in Spain, there is a specific region in which it is so large that “I can’t stand it”. And not only that: it seems that it will be our starting point in the game.
The South of Paldea, the Senda de Cahíz (Little Path) and Grotto Caleta (Inlet Grotto)
- Based on: the South of Andalusia (especially Cádiz and Málaga)
Every great Pokémon adventure begins in a very special place. In Pokémon Red, Green and Blue the mythical Pallet Town is inspired by Machida, the hometown of Satoshi Tajiri himself. In Galar, the inspiration for Pueblo Yarda and Pueblo Par places us in the northwest of Wales, possibly in Beddgelert. And in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon PurpleExcept for last minute surprises, we will start from a cozy Cortijo going up the Senda de Cahíz, a tribute to the south of Andalusia.
The architecture, the flora and the landscapes so far from the south of the Mediterranean already revealed the location of our character’s house from the first trailer of Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Purple, but the fact that the initial route is called the Senda de Cahíz (referring to Cadiz with an Andalusian accent) clears up any possible doubt. Of course, the design of the south coast of this area and the rise to the north are very typical of the most universal Malaga.
Very special mention to Cove Grotto (Inlet Grotto), which seems to allude to both La Caleta and the Costa del Sol and even the Nerja Caves. However, there is a city between the two that we have not named yet and we will be happy to discover.
Extra Ball: sandwich time!
If in Pokémon Sword and Shield we had camping and Curry, in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Purple We will have some very important snacks having a picnic and preparing some vice sandwiches.
In Spain there are very typical dishes, of course. The paella, of course, and the Asturian bean stew. But also the Madrid stew either Catalan Tomato Breadthe Galician octopus or the Campero from Malaga. But if there is something universal, simple and perfect to annihilate hunger after an intense day, it is the sandwich. And we can prepare it to taste in this new installment.
The recipe? Bread with whatever you want inside. In Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon PurpleAlso, this happens to be a mini-game and the ingredients will have different effects on our player and our Pokémon. Let’s hope that the lettuces and tomatoes weren’t Pokémon and we don’t even want to ask what the bologna and cured ham are made of. But as a detail it is simply ten.