With the announcement of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, many fans of the series will be able to experience the long-awaited remakes of the fourth generation of Pokemon games. This generation is remembered fondly for its abundant number of Pokemon to catch, including numerous Mythical and Legendary Pokemon, a compelling story, and plenty of novelty features.
The fourth generation of games also includes a great deal of lore for the Pokemon universe as a whole, and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will likely include an updated version of this. The lore in Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl is realized further with the release of Pokemon Platinum and the full attention given to the Creation Trio.
Pokemon Platinum centers itself on the third of the Creation Trio, Giratina. The game brings with its new mascot some quality-of-life changes as well as new features that players enjoyed. With the release window of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl set for this fall, there are a number of features that feel likely to return but have yet to be announced. While some features were present in Diamond and Pearl, other aspects of Platinum could be worked into game and could benefit from the way the series has handled its recent content.
Pokemon Platinum's Legendary Birds
Counting all the Legendary and Mythical Pokemon that can be obtained, Pokemon Platinum has a total of 17 Mythical and Legendary Pokemon available to players. While some of these Pokemon like Darkrai, Shaymin, and Arceus are event-only Pokemon, others can be caught through explicit means. Three that seem most likely to return are the original Legendary Birds from the first generation, Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos. To catch these, Pokemon players must first speak to Professor Birch after obtaining the National Dex, at which point he will say that the birds have been spotted nearby the Sinnoh Region. This makes them randomly available to capture in the wild grass throughout Sinnoh as players roam.
This roaming mechanic has been used as recently as Gen 8’s Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield’s Frozen Tundra expansion. In this expansion, Galar forms of the Legendary Birds were discovered and become available for the player to catch. With the addition of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos' Galar forms to the series, it feels likely that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl could use either the three Kanto birds or the Galar forms.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Delta Episode
The event Pokemon, Darkrai, Shaymin, and Arceus could see themselves worked into the remakes alongside Giratina through a story mechanic that Pokemon has used in the past. The remakes of the franchise’s third generation, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, had a segment called the Delta Episode. With how Pokemon Platinum originally expanded on Giratina’s role in Gen 4, it feels fitting that the Diamond and Pearl remakes receive a similar treatment as Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire gave to Deoxys and Rayquaza from Gen 3.
Distortion World from Pokemon Platinum acts as Giratina’s home and is where it naturally appears in its Origin Forme. This location is the unstable counter to the regular time and space that Dialga and Palkia, the mascots for Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, reign over. As Giratina is part of the Creation Trio, it seems likely that the space will return with the Pokemon itself in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. With the minimal information available so far, how it returns is still a matter that is up in the air. A Delta Episode or similar style of content could be a great way to do it as lengthy post-game stories could also leave players with a sense of fulfillment.
Giratina and Distortion World’s return through Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's own Delta Episode could be expanded and allow for more time in the space as well. Players could revisit with Origin Forme Giratina as a guide and search for Darkrai and Cresselia. The Area’s odd physics and interdimensional features could play well to the Lunar Duo’s dynamics. With Arceus as a variable god to the franchise, exhuming control over Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, a secondary plot around the Lunar Pokemon could offer side quests to encounter some fan favorite Pokemon and build up in-game lore.
The WiFi Plaza and Minigames
It feels likely that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl could also have some of the Wi-Fi features of Gen 4 return. The WiFi Plaza was an area located beneath Pokemon Centers that allowed players to congregate and play games in Pokemon Platinum. With the amount of integration that online features have had in Pokemon games since Gen 4’s original release, especially with things like Pokemon Home and Pokemon Go compatibility, it feels like a great opportunity to show off how features like these have been improved. Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield did have things like the bike races in the Wild Area, but the inclusion of dedicated minigames could help promote a community driven environment.
There is a case to be made for Pokemon minigames as well when fans consider the amount of Pokemon spin-offs or games the franchise has been featured in over time. It might be a bit much to see things such as Pokemon races where players could test their fastest speedsters against another’s, but match and puzzles games could be a realistic option. With the hardware upgrade that the Nintendo Switch has compared to the Nintendo DS, more intricate puzzles and advanced touch screen features could be implemented to turn the WiFi Plaza into a fantastic piece of nostalgia realized.
In all, it would be great to see Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl return with a lot of these features if not more. The fourth generation of Pokemon games have a rich environments and experimented with a lot of early concepts thanks to the DS’s touch screen and Wi-Fi capabilities. To see story elements, interactive features, and side content advanced onto hardware that can handle greater demands hasn't been more than a dream until now.
Niche features like the Underground could shine now even though they were dropped in later installments. Something like Chatot’s Chatter move might not have as big of an impact but expanding on how Pokemon Platinum treated roaming Pokemon and the inclusion of already available Mythical and Legendary Pokemon in story elements could provide great player experiences.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are set for release in late 2021 on Nintendo Switch.