The world believed that GameFreak was done making new Pokémon games after Generation II. This was all that they had originally planned, and Gold, Silver, and Crystal seemed like a direct sequel to the original games. But Hoenn and Sinnoh would soon follow, opening the Pokémon world up to continued development and several new regions over the years.
As we await a new Generation IV remake, it’s nice to look back on Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum and reminisce about Sinnoh itself. What makes it great? And is it better than Hoenn? Each region has its ups and downs, but it’s ultimately up to what they mean to you. Here are some of what makes each region better than the other.
10 Sinnoh: Feet on solid ground
The Hoenn region has long been bemoaned as having “too much water,” from fans, to critics, to developers. The region was based around the warring Kyogre and Groudon, who respectively represent water and land. As such, Hoenn is about half water, leaving fans of walking on solid land a little dissatisfied.
This is where Sinnoh excels. It only has four water routes (two of which are in the post-game) to Hoenn’s 17. Sinnoh instead features a ton of different land routes, avoiding that Surf fatigue and keeping you away from those incessant water-types that plague water routes, like Tentacool and Wingull.
9 Hoenn: No trudging
While Sinnoh does not have the overdone water-based areas, it does fall short in another category: movement speed. While the Gen IV games are often criticized for being slow (slow health bars, slow surfing, slow saving, etc), one aspect of this is mind-numbingly frustrating: trudging through the terrain.
Various routes in Sinnoh have terrain features that slow the player down, making you walk extremely slowly between your departure and destination. Route 212 and the Great Marsh both have marshy terrain that you get stuck in, sinking into the mud, and the routes leading up to Snowpoint are covered in what seems like ten feet of snow. Hoenn, while not perfect, doesn’t make you trudge through all of this.
8 Sinnoh: Champion
The Pokémon games have always featured fantastic character design in NPCs that you truly get attached to. Often, gym leaders, Elite 4 members, and Champions are prime candidates for story development and people to meet in your adventures. Never is this truer than in Cynthia, Sinnoh’s Pokémon League Champion.
Not only is Cynthia considered one of the most beloved Champions, but she’s often cited as the ultimate fan-favorite character. Her fight is as tough as nails, ensuring you’ll remember it for a lifetime. Her backstory is relatable, and her Pokémon are as iconic as she is. Hoenn’s Champion Steven Stone is cool, but he doesn’t have the staying power that Cynthia wields.
7 Hoenn: Rivals
While the Elite 4 and Champion are the ultimate final boss in the Pokémon games, each entry in the series has featured one or more rivals, either friendly or evil antagonists that venture through the region at your pace, challenging and testing you along the way. Fans have long-debated over who is the best rival, often bemoaning the “friendlier” ones in favor of evil bullies like Silver and Blue.
But what is true is that Hoenn blew Sinnoh out of the water in the rivals department. Gen IV’s Barry is fun, with a quirky personality, but he’s also annoying. Hoenn’s rivals — May/Brendan and Wally — feel like living people. Brendan/May feel like real challenges, testing your strength as you grow stronger, while Wally feels like real character development, starting as a shy young boy and growing to be the ultimate master of Pokémon standing between you and total glory.
6 Sinnoh: Lore and Legends
Each entry in the Pokémon franchise has a story, often revolving around the Legendary Pokémon. As time has gone on, these mythologies have been more and more fleshed out and detailed.
In Sinnoh, many could argue the lore in the games is some of the best ever created in the franchise. The mythology and legends of the Pokémon here seem real and authentic, with overarching elements that give it weight and lasting power. Hoenn’s Groudon vs. Kyogre epic was great, but it doesn’t have the depth that you find with the legends in Sinnoh.
5 Hoenn: Villains
While the whole Groudon-and-Kyogre-fighting thing was a little less interesting than what Sinnoh offered, what really made it stand out was the evil teams associated with it. Team Magma and Team Aqua have clear goals and detailed methods to achieve them. Magma wants to harness Groudon to create new landmass in Hoenn, while Team Aqua wanted to submerge the region in water. In the remakes, they war over creating a world for human progress or one for Pokémon awakening.
Team Galactic in Sinnoh is cool too, but their goals seem more far-fetched and nonsensical. They want to use the power of Dialga and Palkia to recreate the universe. Magma and Aqua are cooler, they have better outfits, and they just seem to be more plausible in their goals, so they take the spot on this list.
4 Sinnoh: Cities and Towns
World-building is a vital part of any game, and Pokémon always takes it to the limits. Often, the regions themselves seem like a character in the game, living and breathing with a clear style and attitude. But, which is better in each region? The cities and towns or the places between them? Arguably, Hoenn and Sinnoh claim opposite titles.
Sinnoh has amazing cities. They have clear designs, obvious styles, and represent something unique and different. Each has its own role in the region and stands out among the others with varying aesthetics and feel. Oreburgh is clearly a mining town, while Snowpoint is a wintry mountaintop escape, Floaroma is a gorgeous garden town, and so on.
3 Hoenn: Routes
Where Sinnoh excels in towns, Hoenn takes the cake in its routes and rural areas. Each route in Hoenn has a personality, and they send a clear message. This was the first time in game history that the routes really stood out, with vibrant colors, new mechanics, and wide diversity between them.
Sinnoh, of course, has some cool routes. The aforementioned routes leading to Snowpoint and the marshy Route 212. But the routes in Hoenn are different — they feel individual and fully-realized, offering something that makes the journey between cities fun instead of tedious.
2 Sinnoh: Underground
What else is there to say about the Sinnoh Underground that hasn’t already been said? This was the pinnacle of multiplayer design in Pokémon, offering something that had never been seen before and hasn’t been seen since. This huge underground network allowed you to connect with friends, build a hideout, and mine for goodies.
The feature strikes instant nostalgia for many players of the original Generation IV games. Many of us spent dozens and dozens of hours up late exploring the Underground with friends, forging friendships and a love for Pokémon that would last through the years. If the Gen IV remakes don’t have some version of the Underground, what’s the point?
1 Hoenn: Secret Bases
But, what was the original inspiration for the Underground? Was it Secret Bases from the Hoenn games? For all we know, it could very well have been. This new mechanic allowed players to find hideaways tucked into natural features of the terrain and build a small home for themselves and their Pokémon.
It was a fantastic feature that is widely-beloved by fans. Of course, the Sinnoh Underground features bases, but they just didn’t have the same feel as the ones in Hoenn. These truly felt like a small home away from home in the Pokémon games, where you could get away from it all and do a ton of different things. Since they made a return in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it could be a sign that the Sinnoh Underground will return as well.
NEXT: 20 Hidden Locations You Never Found In Pokémon
