Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of Pokemon, which remains one of the biggest media franchises that has produced video games, anime series movies, and merchandise. In celebration of Pokemon's 25th anniversary, Nintendo revealed several new projects for the franchise. First is Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which is an open-world RPG set to release next year. Luckily for fans, Nintendo has something planned for 2021, remakes of Pokemon Pearl and Diamond called Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, scheduled to launch on the Switch later this year.
It is worth noting that the Pokemon franchise is no stranger to remakes, given that since the release of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen started the tradition of Nintendo reimagining some of Pokemon's back catalog. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's announcement came with a trailer that gave fans an overview of what to expect from the remakes. However, there is still much we don't know about the upcoming games, and here are five features from recent Pokemon games that should be in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
New Pokemon Battle Mechanics
Apart from discovering and collecting every single Pokemon, the battle system has always been the heart and soul of the Pokemon games. Although the battle mechanics from the first game all the way to Pokemon Sword and Shield still share a few similarities, it was until Generation 3 where most of the battle mechanics in today's games were established.
In Pokemon X and Y, Mega Evolution was introduced, which allows a Pokemon to become significantly stronger for a single battle duration. Pokemon who undergo Mega Evolution will have a different appearance, and there are instances when this could result in a Pokemon having a different typing. It is worth noting that only select Pokemon can undergo Mega Evolution, and players are required to have a Mega Stone specific to the species of Pokemon. Mega Evolution was removed in Pokemon Sword and Shield, but it would be interesting to see how Nintendo could implement Mega Evolution in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Other modern features that would be interesting to see in the upcoming Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes are Dynamax and Gigantamax, which are new mechanics introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield. To the uninitiated, Dynamaxing allows every Pokemon to turn enormous and have powerful Max Moves. Select species of Pokemon can Gigantamax, which allows them to grow huge similar to other Dynamax Pokemon, but their appearance would also change significantly. Gigantamax Pokemon can also have powerful G-Max moves, but it is worth noting that Gigantamaxing only occurs in specific locations such as gyms or during Max Raid Battles.
The Wild Area
One of the best new features added in Pokemon Sword and Shield is the Wild Area. Ever since the first few Pokemon games, fans have been waiting for a massive open area filled with all sorts of Pokemon that live in different environments. Pokemon in the Wild Area can be seen by players roaming freely, and players can approach any Pokemon they see to battle and capture. Additionally, the Wild Area also features changing weather that makes certain Pokemon likely appear, making it the perfect place for players to roam around, capture new Pokemon, and level up their existing party.
Of course, the Wild Area was not featured in the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games. Still, it would be interesting to see Nintendo add the Wild Area in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl especially since it worked so well in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Placing a new Wild Area in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl could also allow Nintendo to test new features that could end up appearing in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Pokemon Camp
Pokemon Camps are also a new feature introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Setting up camp allows trainers to bond with their party Pokemon to relax and play. Similar to the Wild Area, Pokemon Camp has been one of the more popular features in Sword and Shield, given that it allows players to interact directly with their Pokemon by using toys to play with them.
The ability to interact and bond with Pokemon is something fans have been asking for since the beginning, but the limitations of early Nintendo consoles made it tricky to implement. However, thanks to the power of the Switch, Nintendo could now easily slip this feature to Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, allowing players to have that much-needed quality time with their Pokemon.
Max Raid Battles
In previous Pokemon games, multiplayer mostly revolved around trading Pokemon and battling other trainers. However, Max Raid Battles, introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield, allowed up to four trainers to band together online and battle a wild Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokemon. Of course, Max Raid Battles can only be included in the upcoming remakes if Nintendo also includes Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokemon in the game.
However, should Nintendo opt not to include Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokemon in the upcoming remakes, it could still offer a different type of Raid Battles. It would be interesting to see Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl allow trainers to team up together to battle regular-yet-powerful Pokemon. Or the remakes could also allow players to take up a side quest together, expanding the multiplayer component of the game.
Battle Stadium
In Pokemon Sword and Shield, the Battle Stadium is where trainers could compete against other players online. Sword and Shield's multiplayer component allows players to battle in exhibition matches or compete against others in ranked battles for players who are looking for a more competitive experience. Additionally, the Battle Stadium offers online competitions with a set of rules and regulations that players must adhere to to participate.
Luckily for players, the Battle Stadium is probably the likeliest feature in this list that could appear in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Although Nintendo still hasn't directly confirmed it, the remakes' debut trailer did show what appears to be multiplayer lobbies where players could meet up with other trainers both locally and online to battle and trade Pokemon.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release in late 2021 for Nintendo Switch.