Yesterday's "Pokemon Presents" event, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of the franchise, included the announcement of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl. These HD remakes of the original Nintendo DS titles, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, released in 2006 in Japan and 2007 in the West, will debut for the Nintendo Switch later in 2021. Set in the Sinnoh region, inspired by the real-life island of Hokkaido, they will feature updated graphics and other quality-of-life improvements introduced in later titles.
Following the announcement, Pokemon fans immediately had one question: what about Platinum? The fourth generation of Pokemon games followed in its predecessors' footsteps by releasing an updated version entitled Pokemon Platinum in 2009. It added features including the Wi-Fi Plaza, which contained mini-games, the Vs. Recorder, which let players save information about past battles, and the Battle Frontier, which offered a wide variety of new challenges. It has yet to receive an official release, although a fan did take on the challenge in 2020.
Fans were eager to learn whether Platinum content will be added to the remakes of Diamond and Pearl, as the third game in Pokemon's fourth generation was not announced to be receiving a remake at this time. Eagle-eyed fans have pored through the reveal trailer and, in addition to providing shot-by-shot comparisons between the remakes and the originals, discovered some evidence that at least a few Platinum elements may appear.
The first thing noticed was the appearance of Porygon-Z in the trailer. Like Shaymin and Giratina, Porygon-Z was a post-game exclusive Pokemon in Diamond and Pearl but appeared earlier in Platinum.
However, a Twitter user named @voltimer_ pointed out what may be even more definitive proof. In Pokemon Platinum, a female NPC was added to the outdoor area of Floaroma Town. She introduced the players to the Gracidea, a flower that could be used to transform Shaymin from Lande Forme into its new Sky Forme. If the player showed her a Shaymin, she would gift them a Gracidea flower.
@voltimer_'s tweet shows that a character believed to be that NPC appears in the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl trailer.
While this does not necessarily mean that Platinum content is officially confirmed for Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, it makes it far more likely than previously thought. Hopefully, more information will be released as the game's release date draws nearer.
One thing we do know for sure is that Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl will feature the game's standard battle-based catch style, rather than the Pokemon GO-inspired model seen in some titles such as Let's Go Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee!
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl will release for the Nintendo Switch in late 2021.