Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare remakes of the fourth generation Pokemon games, announced for the series' 25th anniversary. These new remakes claim they will retell the same story while maintaining both the look and feel of the originals. This is evident in the style choice for the remakes, resembling the chibi style of old but modernized for today’s standards on the Nintendo Switch - much like theLegend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Aside from the look of the games, nothing about the features or mechanics that the originalPokemon DiamondandPearlimproved upon were showcased.
August 18 will host the next Pokemon Presentsstream, and it is confirmed to feature bothPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining PearlandPokemon Legends: Arceus. IfPokemonBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare close in design to their originals, the Pokemon Presents has to answer what incentive fans of the original games have in buying into these remakes at full price.
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Pokemon Diamond and Pearl’s Old Features Reworked
AsPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare Gen 4 remakes, it stands to reason many aspects of the original games will remain intact. The originalPokemon DiamondandPearlintroduced new concepts toPokemon, some of which are no longer with the series. TheGlobal Trade Station is one such area that has since been removed, originally allowing players to trade Pokemon across the world and view battle replays. The trading feature of the GTS is available as a feature inPokemon Homeand can be upgraded by paying money,so if ILCA and Game Freak decide to bring back the GTS it could see a rework so as to not affectPokemon Home’s revenue.
Another prominent feature inPokemon DiamondandPearlis the Pokemon Watch. The Poketch was a feature that utilized the touch screen of the DS and had many applications the player could unlock. As the remakes will be on the Nintendo Switch, this always-on feature is in-line for some change, though how ILCA and Game Freak decide to modernize it will be anyone’s guess. Hopefully, more will be learned about this feature soon,though with some applications for the Poketch being useless today it would be a welcome addition with some changes.
In the trailer forPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl,a popular hangout area known as The Underground is shown briefly. In the originals, The Underground was the first live hangout area players could run around and see their friends in. It relied on local wireless, and players could endlessly hunt for fossils using the touch screen. Another aspect of The Underground was a feature borrowed fromPokemon RubyandSapphire:Secret Bases. Players could freely visit each other’s bases, and with Switch multiplayer a big aspect of the console’s features, how these features will be reworked will be interesting to see.
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Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Requires More Than a Paint Job
If fans of the originalPokemon DiamondandPearlare expected to revisit the Sinnoh region again in these upcoming remakes, there should be something new and rewarding for old players to discover. Amity Square was an area that allowed players to bring a tiny fraction of Pokemon along for a walk in a small, enclosed area, a feature that would become a large part ofPokemon HeartGoldandSoulSilver. If the Amity Square is a feature that is brought back in its old form it will feel like a major step backward. To improve upon it,Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlcould introduce Pokemon following the playeragain, as it has continued to be a requested feature sincePokemon HGSS.
As Pokemon battling is important to many players, bringing back thehighly regarded Battle Frontier fromPokemon Platinumwould be a huge bonus for fans, though nothing notable specific toPlatinumhas been showcased.Pokemonremakes of the past often exclude additions from the original’s third version, such as the Battle Frontier introduced inPokemon Emeraldnever being brought intoPokemon Omega RubyandAlphaSapphire. As such, there is a good chance fans won’t see manyPokemon Platinumadditions. If these remakes introduce nothing else new, then at the very least improvements made inPlatinumwould be welcome.
The website for the remakes states they will include “player-friendly conveniences of the modern Pokemon series,” meaning these remakes should include some modernquality-of-life improvements sincePokemon DiamondandPearl’sdebut.These could range from improved Shiny odds and connecting with friends online quickly and easily (possibly through the Poketch), to battle elements such as Mega Evolution and Z-Moves. If the Pokemon Radar, a device similar to the Pokenav inOmega RubyandAlpha Sapphire,makes a return, it is likely to see some change as the method for hunting Shiny Pokemon has improved over the course of the series.
If these remakes expect to do well with fans of the originalPokemon DiamondandPearl,they will need to have something new to set them apart. With the promise of conveniences from modern Pokemon games being introduced, fans should expect at least something more than just a fresh coat of paint. Hopefully,Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlcan do the source material justiceand mix the old and new like remakes of the past. More will be learned in the upcoming Pokemon Presents on Wednesday, August 18.
PokemonBrilliantDiamondandShiningPearlwill release on Jul 18, 2025, for Nintendo Switch.
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