The Pokémon Company revealed the latest news on their upcoming games with its latest "Pokémon Presents" video presentation on Wednesday. The "Pokémon Diamond" and "Pearl" remakes have been a long time coming, and now fans get to see more of the exciting Nintendo Switch games before they hit the shelves later this year.
"Pokémon Brilliant Diamond" and "Shining Pearl" Nintendo Switch Games
Pokémon first announced the "Pokémon Diamond" and "Pearl" remakes last February, reported Kotaku.
Nintendo and Game Freak ensured fans that these titles are faithful to the original "Pokémon Diamond" and "Pearl" games despite havings outsourced development to a Japanese studio called ILCA. Junichi Masuda oversaw the production of the remakes to make sure it's still in line with why generations of people fall in love with Pokémon in the first place, NME said.
POKEMON BRILLIANT DIAMOND AND SHINING PEARL LOOKS SO GOOD WTF!!! #PokemonPresents pic.twitter.com/7cBprKzvZE
— JOLLY J✨ (@DynamoSuperX) August 18, 2021
Faithful to the original games, they feature the same camera angles as the original, just with a mode modernized and "chibi" art style, Kotaku mentioned.
Leaked starter evos for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Unconfirmed, might be fake. pic.twitter.com/rBP7yY7DTy
— Cam Steady (@TheCamSteady) August 17, 2021
The games will feature the same story, mechanics, and other aspects. It has upgraded to come fully equipped with the latest improvements in gameplay, higher fidelity graphics and more.
The starter Pokémon include Piplup, a Water-type penguin Pokémon; Chimchar, a Fire-type monkey Pokémon; and Turtwig, a Grass-type turtle Pokémon. Those stay true to the original games, as well as reintroducing Drifloon, Arceus, and Lucario, NME added.
In the "Pokémon Presents" teaser, fans were introduced to a new feature in the games allowing trainers to customize their outfits, like in the more recent series entries. Trainers can also tweak the effects that happen when a Pokémon pops out of its Poké Ball, Kotaku said.
Players can customize their appearance in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Skin tone/hair are selected at the start of the game, while outfits can be bought and changed at the Metronome Style Shop in Veilstone City. pic.twitter.com/ZiSuSJXK7V
— PLDH (@PLDHnet) August 18, 2021
The games will also have a new "Grand Underground" area. It is a sprawling maze where trainers can catch rare Sinnoh-specific Pokémon like Houndoom. This secret base can be used to place various Pokémon statues and the Pokémon that show up in the Grand underground will change depending on what you put.
Online battles are now supported, so trainers can battle with other trainers no matter where they are in the world, "in real-time," The Pokémon Company said. This is an incredible upgrade compared to the original game's Battle Tower.
A map of the Sinnoh region for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. pic.twitter.com/psCCykxKKg
— PLDH (@PLDHnet) August 18, 2021
"Pokémon Brilliant Diamond" and "Shining Pearl" Release Date
"Pokémon Brilliant Diamond" and "Shining Pearl" are scheduled to ne release on November 19, the company announced during its Pokémon 25th-anniversary presentation last year. This was also the same time the company had announced the more experimental and fascinating open-world Pokémon game "Pokémon Legends: Arceus."
It will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch alongside a new Nintendo Switch Lite console, featuring Diagla and Palkia, according to Polygon.
The Pokémon Company also dropped news about their other games during the "Pokémon Presents" video presentation, including "Pokémon Unite" for mobile devices next month. Moreover, the revamped touch-based puzzle game "Pokémon Mix" will be renamed to "Pokémon Café ReMix," with new elements and features.
