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‘Pokémon Winds and Waves’ trailer hints at Southeast Asian-inspired setting

SEAblings, it’s your time to shine!

Pokémon has recently released the teaser for its new video game series, ‘Pokémon Winds and Waves,’ which will be exclusively released in Nintendo Switch 2 later in 2027.

Pokemon Winds and Waves
via Pokemon.com

Aside from the excitement surrounding the new Pokémon series, fans—particularly those in Southeast Asia—were thrilled to spot locations that appear to be inspired by the landscapes of countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

The 10th generation trailer showed a familiar layered rice terraces that resembled the Philippines’ Banaue Rice Terraces located in Ifugao. The 2000-year-old landscapes are said to have been carved into the mountains and hillsides by the ancestors of the local indigenous Ifugao tribes.

Pokemon Winds and Waves
via Pokemon.com

It is also one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and has been called ‘The 8th Wonder of the Modern World’ by the locals.

Additionally, the floating bamboo houses and the deep blue-green waterfronts along cliffsides in Palawan were also featured. 

Pokemon Winds and Waves
via Pokemon.com

Aside from the Philippines, multiple landscapes from Indonesia and Malaysia were also used as a new location for the video game series. 

Previous games 

The resemblance to real-world settings is nothing new to the community, as previous installments in the game series have also drawn inspiration from actual locations around the world.

In ‘Pokémon Scarlet and Violet,’ the Paldea region was based on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain/Portugal), featuring vast landscapes, diverse ecosystems, and cities like Mesagoza.

The seventh generation’s Alola region from ‘Pokémon Sun and Moon’ is a tropical archipelago heavily inspired by Hawaii, consisting of four main islands: Melemele, Akala, Ula’ula, and Poni.

Additionally, the star-shaped Kalos region in ‘Pokémon X and Y’ is France-inspired featuring landmarks like Prism Tower in Lumiose City.

The latest generation appears to lean more toward a tropical setting, leading fans to speculate that it may be inspired by regions in Southeast Asia.

Region 

Despite the lack of official confirmation and the region’s name yet to be revealed, Pokémon SEAblings remain hopeful that their countries will be represented in the upcoming video game series.

The ‘Pokémon Winds and Waves’ let players explore an open world filled with windswept islands and a wide ocean with sparkling waves.

 

 

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