Nintendo has been celebrating Pokémon’s 25th Anniversary this year, and have been gifting fans with loads of goodies and among them are the remakes of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be HD remakes of the original games that came out on the Nintendo DS back in 2006. From what has been shown so far it looks like the fourth generation games will undergo similar treatment as the first generation games received for their Let’s Go remakes.
We were lucky enough to be invited by Nintendo to take a look at these new games to see how they are shaping up. We got to take a deeper look into Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
From what we saw Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl looks to be a faithful remake, but with a few new features. Fans of the original version of the game will remember that the Nintendo’s DS second screen was taken up but the Pokétch.
The Pokétch returns, but as the Switch has one screen, you can press a button to open and close it. It features the original Apps in updated HD visuals.
The Pokétch’s main new feature is players will be able to select an HM attack from there rather than equipping your Pokémon with the move. This allows you to save a move slot and be able to access those harder to reach areas at the same time.
Amity Square returns, where players can relax with their Pokémon and in the original game take your companion out of their Pokéball. The same applies here, but now players are able to release multiple eligible Pokémon in the square and interact with them.
Another new feature that might have been borrowed from Let’s Go is the ability to walk with your Pokémon at any time.
I really enjoyed this feature in Let’s Go, especially being able to fly on Dragonite and Charizard, so it will be nice to see if all Pokémon will be available.
One of the biggest new features is how the Pokémon Super Contest works. Once again there will be three rounds of competition, but they will slightly differ from the previous game.
The main difference is the new dance game, where the competing Pokémon will work together to excite the crowd and generate hype. Your Pokémon will be able to link their dance moves with other Pokémon, creating a combo move to gain more points.
It may be collaborative but being accurate and looking for combo opportunities will lead to a better overall individual score. The Underground returns as the new Grand Underground, where players will once again be able to make a secret base and mine for items.
The Grand Underground will be online and local wireless. This allows players from all over the world to hang out. Pokémon statues will probably be the most sought after items in mines as placing them in your secret base will affect the Hideaway in different ways.
The Hideaway looks like the best new feature of the game, where players can catch Pokémon in the overworld. This is great because different Pokémon will be available here earlier on meaning players should be able to capture certain Pokémon a lot quicker than before.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are looking like fresh but faithful remakes that should excite old and make new fans with the enhancements made. The thing I'm most excited about so far is the Hideaway because it will allow players to hopefully build different teams a lot quicker.
