5th Gen Journey to the heart of Unova

[Ho-Oh]

This generation had a lot of amazing locations, and across all four games, every location in the game was unique in some way. Castelia city for its bustling nature, being central, Nuvema for being where it all started, N's castle for being the most amazing place ever... and even the specific routes were unique to an extent!

Which do you believe really was the heart of the games? Which location do you think reflected Unova the most? The location that you remember the most about when you think back to Unova? It's not your favourite location really, but rather the one that to you, seems like the heart of the region. The place that, if you were in Unova, you'd know you wouldn't be able to stay away from. I'm sure it isn't just Castelia city, so share your thoughts, no matter how crazy they are!

 

[Amore]

This is really, really tough actually!

I'm going to go with Castelia City though. I think it really captures the essence of what Unova was all about, which was kinda "hey, we're going to take this places we've never been!" but with just enough to keep it familiar.
There was so much new about Castelia City: the sheer size of it, for one. The multiple different camera angles (The only standard camera angle is for interiors), and actual skyscrapers, where it's stated there are loads of floors you don't visit, as opposed to 3-4 storey buildings that were the norm in all previous generations.
Royal Unova was an example of how Nintendo finally got round to utilising the capabilities of the DS system fully - again, located in Castelia City. The city is also the most closely based off of its' real life equivalent, in this case Downtown Manhattan - the view at the edge of the curved round outside path with the piers is strikingly similar to if you take a ferry towards the Statue of Liberty and look back.
With a Pikachu, Relocator and the Zorua event activated by Celebi (BW only) its also the place with the most links back to previous generations, I'd argue.

So for all these reasons (plus possibly some I can't think of right now), Castelia City is definitely the heart of Unova, what it's all about IMO.

 

[Yato]

I'd have to say Opelucid City. Compared to the other cities, I feel that they stick out the most due to their aesthetic variation. In B/B2, the city is high-tech. In W/W2, it's more rustic. Additionally, its Japanese name, Souryuu, not only refers to the fact that there are two Gym Leaders in the city (BW only), but also can refer to Reshiram and Zekrom, which play a major role in Unova's history and in the plots in all four games. Also of note is that the player is in Opelucid right before a huge turning point in the story. In BW's case, they're in it right before they go off to challenge the Pokemon League. In BW2, Neo Team Plasma sets their main plan in motion, freezing Opelucid (and the areas around it) and prompting the player to chase after and stop them. All in all, I feel Opelucid really fits as the heart of Unova.

 

[Altairis]

I would say Castelia City, since it had a lot of useful locations in it, was a major landmark, and was a new type of city that hadn't appeared in previous games. However, for me personally, I think the heart may be Nimbasa City. I didn't enjoy Castelia too much maybe because of how different it was; its big and confusing layout didn't really have me running back. Nimbasa City, however, had another type of "lively" vibe. It had several attractions that interested me such as the Sports Stadiums and the Battle Subway, plus the ferris wheel was always really fun. So yup, Nimbasa City it is!

 

[Gulpin]

For me, it honestly is Castelia City - it was the first big city ever in a Pokemon game, which really stood out in my first play through.

However, to avoid repeating the above posts, I could also say Victory Road. The iteration in this version Unova was so drastically different from the dark and dank caves in the first four regions. Also, for me Victory Road (especially in Black 2 and White 2) was sort of the penultimate Unovian landscape, featuring the beauty of the streams and outdoor landscapes that remind me of Route 6 along with the ruins and the cave that remained from the Unova in Black and White.

 

[Nakasu]

It would ave to be Castelia City. It stood out the most as the biggest city in a Pokemon Game. It has many useful People, items and locations that would assist you on your journey. Castelia City won't have you returning all the time though. Since almost everything in Castelia City is already obtainable or accessible, I found myself only revisiting Catelia twice. My favorite would have to be Nimbasa City. There is so much to do there. The Musicals, Sports Center, Battle Subway, the strange People you meet on the Ferris Wheel. Its just so lively. For me the best thing about Unova would have to be Nimbasa City.

 

[Ho-Oh]

I'd have to say Opelucid City. Compared to the other cities, I feel that they stick out the most due to their aesthetic variation. In B/B2, the city is high-tech. In W/W2, it's more rustic. Additionally, its Japanese name, Souryuu, not only refers to the fact that there are two Gym Leaders in the city (BW only), but also can refer to Reshiram and Zekrom, which play a major role in Unova's history and in the plots in all four games. Also of note is that the player is in Opelucid right before a huge turning point in the story. In BW's case, they're in it right before they go off to challenge the Pokemon League. In BW2, Neo Team Plasma sets their main plan in motion, freezing Opelucid (and the areas around it) and prompting the player to chase after and stop them. All in all, I feel Opelucid really fits as the heart of Unova.

That's pretty cool (the ONE not Castelia lmao). I think it's really cool that it has those two qualities to it, because it really does reflect the theme of ying/yang which GF was trying to heavily promote. I always wanted to explore more of the technical one though, it just seemed like a whole other world, a ~futuristic~ world. C:

This is really, really tough actually!

I'm going to go with Castelia City though. I think it really captures the essence of what Unova was all about, which was kinda "hey, we're going to take this places we've never been!" but with just enough to keep it familiar.
There was so much new about Castelia City: the sheer size of it, for one. The multiple different camera angles (The only standard camera angle is for interiors), and actual skyscrapers, where it's stated there are loads of floors you don't visit, as opposed to 3-4 storey buildings that were the norm in all previous generations.
Royal Unova was an example of how Nintendo finally got round to utilising the capabilities of the DS system fully - again, located in Castelia City. The city is also the most closely based off of its' real life equivalent, in this case Downtown Manhattan - the view at the edge of the curved round outside path with the piers is strikingly similar to if you take a ferry towards the Statue of Liberty and look back.
With a Pikachu, Relocator and the Zorua event activated by Celebi (BW only) its also the place with the most links back to previous generations, I'd argue.

So for all these reasons (plus possibly some I can't think of right now), Castelia City is definitely the heart of Unova, what it's all about IMO.

I actually agree with you on basically everything here, but also the fact that Castelia was the selling point of the games. Whenever you saw things about the games, it just always pointed to Castelia. Castelia also is one of the nicest names of the cities ever it just... sounds majestic and rare. Something dressed up in white where the royals lie, and I think that's what fans also think of too. The fact that it leads to so many places also means that it's the place of opportunities, which is something I think GF really wanted to convey, that nothing is impossible in Unova, and whatever road you take there's always a new adventure awaiting, which is why there were so many ports imo. But yeah, my vote is definitely for Castelia, the city which really captured the heart of the games, because it literally IS in the centre of the world.

 

[XtinaIsMeLuvinWWE]

I'm going to say Nacrene City :)


For me the heart of a place isn't necessarily the hustle and bustle of it but rather the spirit or atmosphere of it :) This is something I feel Nacrene exudes, especially the way Burgh comes home to protect it from (and to help Lenora and the protagonists defeat) Team Plasma.


In addition, the museum imo would be an indicator of Nacrene being the heart as it provides its history and therefore noble beginnings. While there are fossils kept in the museum, the location of Pinwheel Forest so close to Nacrene provides an image of bustling Pokémon activity which insinuates Nacrene as being a flourishing city, where life and death comes full circle.


Finally I feel that Uxie choosing to appear in Nacrene City in BW2 is relevant as it is the being of knowledge and as such, there must be some old wisdom at the core of Nacrene City. Plus, you know what they say about knowledge equalling power lol so yeah, those are my reasons for picking Nacrene :)

 

[Pendraflare]

Victory Road, as mentioned a couple posts above, is one i'd like to speak of. Aside from being the road to the Pokémon League like it always has been, N's Castle stems out of it, and in the sequels it's the ruins of the castle. But I also want to give mention to the Entralink, because that's literally in the middle of the Unova region. Granted it doesn't have much effectiveness anymore what without Wi-Fi or the Dream World, but given that it was one of the things it was known for, that's one area that felt mystic and a major part of Unova.

 

[Oryx]

THE BRIDGE!!

When I saw this for the first time was actually when I joined PC - I wanted so badly to talk about how cool it was with someone but all my friends had restarted and I didn't want to spoil the amazement they would get crossing the bridge themselves. So without Skyarrow Bridge PC, you wouldn't have me!