Earlier this year, The Pokemon Company finally announced Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the long-awaited remakes of the fan-favourite Nintendo DS games that dedicated Pokemon trainers have been waiting for since the release of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire in 2014.
These games will be the first in the mainline series – remake or not – to be developed by a studio other than Pokemon creators and wardens, Game Freak. Instead, Game Freak has outsourced development to a Japanese studio called ILCA (or ‘I Love Computer Art’, actually started as an animation, film and TV studio, moving to incorporate game development later). Devout Pokemon fanatics, don’t worry too much, though: Junichi Masuda will be overseeing production of the remakes, and is charged with making sure ILCA doesn’t deviate too far from what made generations of people fall in love with Pokemon in the first place.
Though we’ve got a new studio looking after the reinvention of the highly-regarded fourth-generation games, Nintendo and Game Freak are ensuring that these titles are faithful to the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl releases. That means they will feature the same story, and have the same mechanics and features, but will come fully equipped with the latest improvements in gameplay, higher-fidelity graphics, and more. It’s everything you loved about the originals, retuned and upgraded for modern hardware.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl release date
The Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl release date is set for November 19, 2021.
This date was announced when Nintendo revealed the pair of Sinnoh remakes during its Pokemon 25th-anniversary presentation. At the same time, we heard about the more experimental and fascinating open-world Pokemon game, Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
The games will launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
What are the Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Starter Pokemon?
As in the original games, you will be able to choose from three starter Pokemon:
- Piplup – A Water-type penguin Pokémon
- Chimchar – A Fire-type monkey Pokémon
- Turtwig – A Grass-type turtle Pokémon
The game will reintroduce creatures such as Drifloon, Arceus, Lucario, and more besides. It is not yet confirmed whether gameplay mechanics introduced in later generations – Z Moves, Mega Evolutions, and so on – will appear in the games.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl trailers
The announcement video shows the game evolving from the Nintendo DS version to a fully 3D experience with a more interactive interface. Many familiar faces make a brief appearance, albeit with updated character design.
Some users have criticized the new ‘chibi’ art style, and mentioned that it is something of a deviation from what we’re used to seeing in Pokemon, whilst others have complemented the change in direction and applauded the new approach to the series.
What do you think? Check out below to see it for yourself.
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