The Pokémon fanbase’s prayers have finally been answered—Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the first Pokémon games that released for the Nintendo DS in 2006, will be getting a remake for the Nintendo Switch. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be releasing at the end of this year.
Uniquely, this is the first Pokémon game not being fully developed by Game Freak. The game is being developed by ILCA Inc, who helped with Pokémon Home. The directors are Yuichi Ueda from ILCA and Junichi Masuda, the Pokémon series director from Game Freak. Unlike Pokémon Sword and Shield, the overworld of the game is a 3D chibi style reminiscent of the sprite style from the original games. The style of battles, however, is closer to Sword and Shield, with the full 3D models for the Pokémon and Trainers and a dynamic camera.
The game will have the multiplayer features from the original—the multiplayer battle and trade rooms in the Pokémon Centers, as well as the expansive Sinnoh Underground, where players can hunt for fossils, make secret bases, and play capture the flag with friends.
In the presentation, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were toted as ‘faithful remakes’ of the DS games, and it hasn’t yet been revealed if there will be any new features or additional Pokémon coming to the Sinnoh Region this time. One thing fans are wondering is if the new features from Pokémon Platinum, the game’s ‘rerelease’ on the Nintendo DS from 2008, will be featured in these upgraded remakes. Platinum had fan favorite features such as the Distortion World (which, in my opinion, would be simply amazing in full 3D), as well as a way to re-battle important Trainers, such as Gym Leaders.
The remakes will be releasing worldwide at the end of this year for the Nintendo Switch.
