Remakes are a tradition of the Pokemon franchise by now. Ever since FireRed and LeafGreen, Nintendo has been taking the time to revisit its previous regions and bring them up to date. At this point, fans expect remakes on the regular, and are always waiting for one to appear. For many months, it’s been rumored that Nintendo is finally ready to remake Diamond and Pearl, a pair of fan favorites in the franchise. Thankfully, it looks like these rumors are true. As a part of the company’s celebration of Pokemon‘s 25th anniversary, these games are being remade as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl for the Switch.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are certainly different remakes from what Nintendo usually does. In most cases, Nintendo likes to update old games to the franchise’s current aesthetic. Instead, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are trying to preserve the look of the original games, yet the remakes aren’t as different as they could’ve been. Leading up to this latest iteration of the franchise, it was rumored that a future Diamond and Pearl remake would use the mechanics of Pokemon GO and Pokemon Let’s GO! Eevee and Pikachu instead of the franchise’s usual combat heavy gameplay. Many fans weren’t excited about that possibility, but as of the remake’s reveal, the rumor has been thoroughly dispelled.
Gameplay footage of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl proves that the games are keeping to the traditional battle formula. Trainers will encounter Pokemon out in the wilds and leap into battle, rather than battle being an affair between Trainers alone. Catching Pokemon will also ask players to wear them down in battle like usual. Just like the game’s developers are keeping to the original look of the Sinnoh region as much as possible, the gameplay keeps to tradition. It’s a breath of relief for fans who wanted a remake of these games, as many fans want to relive Diamond and Pearl through the type of game they’re familiar with.
The Pokemon GO style of Pokemon catching certainly simplified Pokemon games and made them easier to get into. However, Nintendo has found lots of other ways to make the Pokemon franchise more approachable for newcomers, like waypoints and deeper explanations of Pokemon types. The Pokemon GO style breaks so much from the Pokemon formula that it’s hard to call it the same game, and it’s certainly not what made Pokemon famous. Between Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s preservation of tradition and Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl doing the same, it looks like the Pokemon GO formula is reserved for spinoff games, and that’s okay.
The Pokemon GO formula works in its own right. The mobile game that it’s named for remains a huge success five years later, and the spin-offs that followed it were charming in their own right. However, the way they simplify Pokemon gameplay would risk estranging diehard fans and veterans if Nintendo adopted it for every game from here on out. It’s a good thing to keep these separate and experiment with them on their own fronts. The more ways there are to enjoy Pokemon, the more fans the franchise can garner.
In fact, Pokemon Legends: Arceus shows that experimentation is a good thing for Pokemon. Fans are already getting excited for this historical open-world take on the Pokemon world that’s bound to be very different from the main games in its own way. However, since Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl come from the core series of games and are meant to recapture their original versions, it’s best that they aren’t too experimental. Fans are looking for a nostalgic experience, not a breath of fresh air. Thankfully, Nintendo is successful and resourceful enough to do both. The Pokemon franchise looks like it’ll strike a balance between trying new things in spin-offs while the core games stay true to their proud lineage.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release in late 2021 for Nintendo Switch.
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