MAP ANALYSIS:
Finally, after a week and a half saying I would do this, it's time for a quick map lookover. As I said, I don't really consider myself a map expert so I'll be following along
DHR-107's
post, commenting on stuff he pointed out and spring boarding into my own thoughts. I won't try to speculate too much, though sometimes you can't help it. I'm using the maps images that
Cresselia~~ posted if you want to follow along (which would be a good idea. Actually, I'll link to the map to make things easier):
ISLAND ONE:
Hometown(?): Starting where DHR-107 did, we start at the possible hometown. It's made of three small houses, a bigger building, and a stage which you may recognize as the stage where you pick your Starter in the trailer. One of thee smaller houses will obviously be yours and possibly your rival's, Hau, with the third maybe being the professor's assistant, Lillie's. The bigger building could belong to Hala, the older gentlemen we see tossing out the starters in the trailer.
Behind the hometown there looks to be the forest, probably our first "dungeon" and having to go in their for some reason. The forest has an opening though I can't quite tell what's being revealed, a waterfall?
Down The Path: Going down the steps leading away from the hometown we come to some lookout points, one which we saw the mother looking out to the ocean from in the trailer if I recall. I'm going to guess this hilly area also has tall grass. This leads us to a large unknown building, but it also leads us to the beach where Professor Kukui's lab in the trailer. Or maybe that's his house and that mysterious blue roofed building is the actual lab.
Right next to the lab is a Pokemon Center and a building which I agree is probably the Trainer School. In a few games the Trainer School also is the location of the first gym, though with not a lot of info we can't really say that's the case here. Still, a battlefield promises battles.
Following the road leads us into the city we saw in the trailer. Now if the Japanese reveal trailer is any indication, this island is Oahu as the dormant volcano is based on Diamond Head, which means the city we're entering is based on Hawaii's capitol, Honolulu. Also the closed off bay area is probably based on Hanauma Beach. However this is all just fun trivia and I'm not going to do this for the other islands as I don't know the Hawaiian islands enough to know which is which (I'll leave that to Bulbapedia). Another thing I was curious about is also answered here: Oahu island is where Pearl Harbor is. Looks like omitted that, understandable though I must admit am a bit disappointed as I was curious if it was added in how would a possbily touchy subject be handled. Oh well, moving on.
In The City: Now on the other side of the city there's another Pokemon Center. This perplexes me honestly. Two Pokemon Centers so close to each other? This makes me think that it might actually take us a while to get into the city or that there's going to be so much to do in the city its just easier to have a second Pokemon Center nearby than forcing the player to run back. But wait, doesn't the mother heal our Pokemon, why would we need the first Pokemon Center than? I have to think the placement of the Pokemon Centers must represent locations where there's a bulk of battling activity and placed just so you don't need to run back to the other healing spot even though it'll probably only take a minute or so.
As for the city itself, obviously the most eye-catching building is the tower building but there's also some other fancy looking buildings. Not only that, there's a dock and what looks to be an vacant lot. There's also a small beach area, and from the looks of it once you get Surf you can go from that beach to the one Kukui's lab/house is (plus two other odd islands within the bay, one being surrounded by rocks). Now the City probably won't have any wild Pokemon unless they do something special, like I can see maybe on the beach having sand start shuffling to indicate there's a Pokemon you can battle. However I feel the city will be like the most cities and have you rely on the areas/routes around it to provide your wild Pokemon needs.
Beyond The City: We can continue on from the city to more mysterious buildings, one which looks a bit like a motel with a parking lot and another a small farm. Actually before then we've come up a slope which looks to have an indentation which could be a thing or the art being a bit wanky. We keep going and follow a path (no doubt having plenty of tall grass) that leads behind the hill where the hometown is, or more specifically the forest behind the hometown. It looks like there's a cliff side on the other side (though who knows what's behind it, for all we know there's a maze we can't see) and, though it could just be how they drew it, could I possibly see a cave entrance? And here is where we end our initial tour of Island One.
Other Notable Places: Well there's the dormant volcano of course though there doesn't seem to be a way inside on the map. Also there's a secluded island to the right of the hometown/dead end spot (with a possible cave). Now we don't know exactly how Surfing will work in the game. Upon seeing the Bay Area I thought we'd be secluded to Surfing in closed off areas, but if that's true I don't know how we'd get to that island (if it's a thing) so maybe we can surf at least around the island's borders? We'll have to see. Now let's get to the dock and go to Islands Two.
ISLAND TWO:
Huh, where to start? I'd start at the dock but there looks to be three of them! Hmm, how about we start in the west city? Specifically at the dock there, the blue & black building connected to a white platform.
West City: Well lookie there, the blue resort place we saw concept art is located her! Is it a Gym? Maybe, sort of looked like a Water-type Gym but who knows. But aside from another Pokemon Center that's all there's really to note as of now. Now we two paths to take, either go to the southern part of the island or follow the road. Since we could just as easily start on this island from the southern part how about we go there to cover our bases:
Southern Part: Well first it looks like we may need to go through a forest or cave and I don't quite know where you'll come out (I think I see a cave entrance all the way on the bottom pass what looks to be gravestones). Since I don't know we'll just talk about the city there in general. First there's a lighthouse which is nicely placed as its between the two docks here. Now the dock in this city looks a bit more complete with a wooden boardwalk, honestly we could come here first and then the west city. Past the Pokemon Center there's a torii, a Japanese gate you often find at the entrance of a Shinto shrine. So I guess those white blocks could be gravestones. Of course coming down here there's really nothing else aside from a possible cave entrance (and if so I'm going to guess the cave would be a nice place to catch some Pokemon, probably some Ghost-types considering the torii and gravestones). Anyway back to the west city and this time we'll follow the road.
Fork In The Road: At the end of the road we find a split path, one through a forest area and another across the bridge. Since there's no Pokemon Center across the bridge I'm going to guess it's part of the story would be connected to west city's.
Across The Bridge: Going across the bridge we find a fancy hotel-looking building and our third dock. Being this dock leads to this hotel place I'm going to guess it's not where we're going to first go to, but you never know so let's cover our bases once more before moving to the northern part of the island. Right of the hotel is a beach with white umbrellas in another bay area. The bay areas has an island you'd probably need surf to get to. The beach goes off someplace that looks like a dead end, but before then there's a path of green striped grass that leads to a "battle circle" as DHR-107 called it. However that's all there looks to be of the hotel area, so let's cross back over the bridge and get to the meaty part of this island.
Loop-A-Forest: The path through the forest looks to loop pass a patch of water. Still, a forest means wild Pokemon which so far seems like there being almost an equal amount of cities to Pokemon catching spots unless I'm missing something. Getting out of the forest there's a path that leads up but there's a white entrance gate off to the side so let's go there first for I see a Pokemon Center.
East Complex: There's two main buildings here with one looking like the old style Gyms (as DHR-107 pointed out). However I have to disagree with him on something, the "battle circle" he says in front of the Gym-like building to me looks more like a water fountain with benches around it. We have a rather colorful building next but that's all I can really say about it. Next to it is a plainer but still fancy building that has two parked cars in front of it (remember to look under them, you may find a Mew... or at best a Lava Cookie if they feel like indulging us). However its not the building or the cars that's interesting but what it seemingly leads to: an active volcanic area! Hawaii has a ton of natural preserves, some being volcanoes and the areas around them, so how could GF pass that up? I don't think we'll have the Sinnoh problem of there not being many Fire-types in the Alola region.
But we're not done, next to the volcanic area is yet another island which looks like you need Surf to get to yet it's not in a closed off area (well, at least on one side). Now I notice the water color is lighter here, possibly being the indication what water is Surfable on? But that mystery will have to wait until we get the game, let's get back on the road and go further up north.
Another Distraction: Welp that didn't take long. Looks like we have a farm town with a Pokemon Center. Nothing really here but, as I said, to justify a Pokemon Center here I have to think something goes down in this town. I don't know, maybe someone tries to take that wagon in that fenced area next to the phallic-looking building. Let's go back on the road.
Finally North: After passing another indentation though this time looks like something being there, we reach all the way up north. There's another Pokemon Center but what is more interesting multiple waterfall step formation. It looks really interesting, hopefully it is. But that's not the only waterfall, below the formation is a small beach which leads to a waterfall that goes to a secluded pool. There looks to be a path leading down into the loopy forest so maybe it's not secluded and is connected (or maybe it's just a quick one-way shortcut out of there).
Above the waterfall step formation there's a building and what looks to be yet another Pokemon Center. Actually it looks like there's a road which goes behind the volcano, maybe you need to go through the volcano path to get there (thus probably should be part of my East Complex section)?
Well that was certainly a trip, but there's more to come... tomorrow. I see why DHR-107 had to split this up into two parts, there's a lot to take in even though there's only four islands.