Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Developer	ILCA
Publisher	Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
System	Nintendo Switch
Release Date	November 19, 2021
Rating	ESRB: E

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl are a pair of mainstream Pokémon games that were released for the Nintendo Switch in 2021. They are remakes of the fourth generation games Diamond and Pearl and were released during the series' eighth generation, although it does not connect directly to that generation like previous remakes. These were the first core Pokémon series to be developed by a company other than Game Freak, as development was handed off towards ILCA. The focus was on a faithful recreation of the original two versions, ones that did not add Pokémon from later generations, new story elements or even most of the elements from Platinum, although the games still featured some new or expanded features.

Information

These games act as direct remakes of Diamond/Pearl which match the DS version as closely as possible. Rather than matching the visual style of the current generation, the characters in this game are all represented in 'chibi' form, and trainers only have models with normal proportions during battles. The Pokétch is retained and can now appear in the upper corner of the screen due to the lack of the DS's dual screens. One new addition to the Pokétch was the Hidden Moves app, which removes the necessity of teaching HM moves to Pokémon, one trend that was prevalent from the seventh generation onwards. The app will summon a random wild Pokémon (often a Bidoof or Bibarel for most moves) that will perform the move when selected after the player is able to use the move in question. These games also retain some gameplay changes from later generations, such as using the Fairy type that was introduced in the sixth generation. These games also included the feature to have one Pokémon follow the player around outside of the Poké Ball.

The Underground has been expanded and is now known as the Grand Underground. While it is mostly similar to the original Underground with some modified elements, the biggest change is the presence of Pokémon Hideaways. These are caverns that are themed after different environments and contain Pokémon fitting that environment. The Pokémon in the Hideaways appear wandering around the cavern as opposed to the blind random encounters prevalent throughout the rest of the game and in most of the franchise prior to the Switch entries. Some of the Pokémon that were added to the Sinnoh Pokédex for Platinum could be found in these Pokémon Hideaways, although the game still adhered to the Diamond/Pearl Pokémon availability outside of the Hideaways. Another new feature was Ramanas Park, which replaced the Pal Park from the original games. This new park was filled with mysterious caverns where players could summon certain Legendary Pokémon from past generations (specifically the first three generations) using special Slates (modeled after the cartridges and cards of the games that the Pokémon originally hailed from) that could be bought with Mysterious Shards obtained from the Underground. In one particular cavern, players could face Giratina for the purpose of gaining the Griseous Orb needed to unlock its other forme.

Beyond that, this game mostly contained a few extra additions here and there, such as expanding the trainers who could appear as opponents at the Battle Tower to include gym leaders, Elite Four members and Team Galactic. Some elements from Platinum were also included, but in mostly minor ways. Aside from the Pokémon Hideaway example mentioned above, gym leaders and Elite Four members would use their Platinum rosters in rematches. The cavern in Ramanas Park where Giratina was fought was known as the Distortion Room, and the physics of the room were flipped around after the Slab was inserted, in reference to the Distortion World. Additionally, the Platinum outfit was available for download for early buyers of the game.

Connectivity

The games could link up to each other either locally or online for trading and battling. Along with the same differences from the original versions, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl each also had version-exclusive Legendary Pokémon in Ramanas Park. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl could also link to Pokémon Home to transfer Pokémon in or out, although some Pokémon (including any from generations past the fourth) could not be transferred in.

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl also had some connections with Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Having a profile with a save file for either of these remake games would unlock a mission in Arceus in which Darkrai could be caught. Additionally, the Canalave Library in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl now contains a new book which contains a clue needed to solve the Manaphy mission in Arceus.

Legacy

The games became unpopular among the Pokémon fanbase, as players disliked the shift in approach from past remakes and the lack of Platinum content, which many fans prefer. The game was also notorious for having many glitches, some of which were patched after release.

Just months later, Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released. The game tie into each other due to both being set in the Sinnoh region, and there were also the connections listed above.