Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the next installments in the long-running Pokemon series. The games will reintroduce the Sinnoh region to veterans for the first time in over a decade, and expose the setting to newcomers in the process.
Although Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are far from being the franchise's first remakes, they have developed an identity that makes them stand out from other mainline Pokemon games and preceding remakes. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are different because of the context of their creation, as well as how they were developed. Early copies of the Sinnoh remakes have been leaked, making it easier to point out how distinct Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are.
Why Generation 4 Remakes Happened
Video games have a tendency to age more poorly than books, films, or television shows. Not only are they a younger medium, technology has evolved quickly in the past four decades, allowing gaming to progress radically. The original Pokemon Red and Blue were rendered technologically obsolete just a few years after their release when Gold and Silver came out, and the evolution of Pokemon’s mechanics and engines hasn't stopped since.
Generation 4 was a turning point in the franchise. Diamond and Pearl were the first entries to not be made for a Game Boy system. Being DS games, they were the first in the series to incorporate touch controls and rely on wireless connections for multiplayer. Additionally, the games introduced a physical-special split that changed how battling worked forever. Combined with returning features from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, such as contests - which are being revamped in the remakes, Gen 4 had plenty of potential.
Unfortunately, Diamond and Pearl had issues such as a slow engine and strange design choices, such as giving Gym Leaders and Elite Four members a typing that the games’ regional Pokedex cannot fully represent. As a result, the improvements Platinum brought in stood out compared to what Crystal and Emerald did. It is such a polished third game that requests to include Platinum’s unique features in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were inevitable.
Despite the slow engine, Pokemon’s fourth generation is not outdated compared to the franchise’s earliest years. After FireRed and LeafGreen and HeartGold and SoulSilver, Pokemon fans came to expect a remake every generation or two. Game Freak also delivered Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire when requests for Hoenn remakes were at their peak. Diamond and Pearl are now the oldest mainline games to have never been remade, though the existence of these remakes is not necessarily because the originals were outdated. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl primarily seem to be the product of fanservice in an era that panders heavily to older nostalgic fans.
Differences Between BDSP and Previous Remakes
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be part of Generation 8, following up the first Switch titles Pokemon Sword and Shield. As Pokemon has been a staple of Nintendo handhelds for 25 years, Sword and Shield mark the mainline games’ transition from portable to home consoles. Sinnoh will be the second region from the pre-Switch era brought into this console generation after Kanto was brought back for Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee!. This sets them apart from FireRed and LeafGreen, HeatGold and SoulSilver, and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which were released on handhelds like their original counterparts. That being said, these remakes aim to remind players of the originals' games characteristics while having modern sensibilities, such as more accessible HMs that are reminiscent of how they used to work while less of a burden.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are also far more straightforward remakes than any preceding them. FireRed and LeadGreen added the Sevii Islands as a major component of the main and postgame. HeartGold and SoulSilver brought back elements from Crystal and added more side content in Kanto. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire had the Delta episode that acts as a replacement for Emerald content. However, its seems like these next games are trying to emulate the original Diamond and Pearl as much as possible. Puzzles unique to Diamond and Pearl will be in the remakes, and according to leaks there are no signs of the Distortion World being in the game. Even though it only introduced in Platinum, this area is iconic enough that it became integral to the Sinnoh region. Unlike predecessors, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will take their titles much more literally.
Even with this similarity, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl seem to carry on more infamous decisions introduced later in the series, such as having the Experience Share far more accessible than it was in the original games. Overall, these games seem to be in a league of their own. They are largely insular and have elements of the older generations, while also keeping controversial Sword and Shield elements.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl release for the Nintendo Switch on November 19, 2021.