Remakes have been a part of Pokemon's identity since almost the beginning. Even if one doesn't count the Kanto region reappearing in Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, FireRed and LeafGreen officially remade the Generation 1 titles for Game Boy Advance (GBA) after just eight years. Older titles have returned in release order alongside new adventures (with a brief stop back in Kanto for Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Eevee!), thus Pokemon Black and White are next on the docket.
Though the initial Generation 5 games were somewhat controversial owing to their status as soft reboots prioritizing over 150 new monsters with parallels to classic lines like the Geodude family, today they are often seen as the pinnacle of Game Freak's 2D design. Pixel art sprites were more complex, moving consistently during battles, and the Unova region carried a strong narrative into its direct sequels Black 2 and White 2. Games this bold deserve modern reimaginings akin to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, rather than the safer approach of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Where Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Fall Flat
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, released in 2021, hold an interesting distinction as the first "mainline" titles handled by a developer other than Game Freak. ILCA, which also created Pokemon HOME, was given the reins as the franchise's primary studio worked on Pokemon Legends: Arceus as well as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (though Generation 9 had yet to be revealed).
It makes sense the dev team might have leaned in a safe direction, perhaps using Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl as testing grounds. The Switch releases include an almost 1-to-1 recreation of the original Sinnoh map using a toy-like aesthetic to capture the original DS sprites. It's a charming idea in concept, one that worked wonders for Nintendo's Link's Awakening remake in 2019, but details like a lack of facial animations left many players underwhelmed given its full $60 price tag.
That's not to say Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are unoriginal. Sinnoh's Underground is revamped to give players a shot at catching rare monsters, for example. Quality-of-life adjustments abound, like players having 360-degree movement (with Pokemon followers outside Amity Square) as battles run smoother than their infamous Gen 4 counterparts. While many of these changes are enough to make the Switch versions a definitive Sinnoh experience, one could argue Game Freak's take in Legends: Arceus was more in-line with its prior endeavor for Hoenn.
Why Pokemon Black and White Need More of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire's DNA
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire changed almost everything about their predecessors, which was arguably as controversial as remakes that change almost nothing. The 3DS games, released in 2014, were so different from the GBA that the discrepancies were written into the plot: a result of new Hoenn being in a parallel universe affected by the existence of Mega Evolution. By contrast, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl did away with Sword and Shield's Dynamax Phenomenon entirely.
Players can explore the region in a full-range of motion, and Hoenn gets a facelift befitting its transition to 3D - as do important characters like Gym Leaders. Perhaps the biggest improvements come to Team Magma and Aqua, with their leaders and admins all becoming far more than what amounted to palette swaps in the originals. New references better incorporate Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire into the wider franchise, such as a replica of Kalos' Prism Tower appearing in Mauville City.
They were missing pivotal features from Emerald like the Battle Frontier, similar to Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl ignoring elements from Platinum, but had their own ideas to reinvent older content. Latios and Latias are a part of the main plot, unlocking a more immersive fast-travel system called Soaring. After defeating the Elite Four, players also get the Delta Episode; giving Rayquaza additional narrative import that incorporates the once-exclusive Mythical Pokemon Deoxys.
One could argue Pokemon Black and White don't need such thorough remakes given how well their visuals, designs, and narrative hold up. Yet Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire stand out for how they used new systems to enhance the old. Unova could similarly benefit from fitting a contiguous open world akin to Paldea. A Mythical like Genesect could tie into Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's time-travel themes with a new narrative arc akin to Deoxys in the Delta Episode. These were the touches missing from Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which are so familiar they become rote.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are available now on Nintendo Switch.