The remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are only a week away from release, with a lot of hype building around the revamp that the Sinnoh region has gone through. With the recent videos showing off Ramanas Park in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, fans are eager to get their hands on the games and begin discovering what Legendary Pokemon they’ll have access to. Like with all Pokemon games, however, the new Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes will have version-exclusive Pokemon. This has been done with every Pokemon game from Pokemon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow to the most recent Pokemon Sword and Shield.
With Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl fans will only have direct access to either Dialga or Palkia. For Shining Pearl players, they will be able to catch the Water and Dragon-type Legendary Pokemon, Palkia, who serves as the mascot for both Pokemon Pearl and Pokemon Shining Pearl. The additions of Ramanas Park will allow players to catch other Legendary Pokemon as well, featuring both version-exclusive Pokemon and others that are available in both Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Legendaries In Pokemon Shining Pearl
In Pokemon Shining Pearl, players will be able to capture classic Legendaries like Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos. While these Pokemon recently received regional variants in Pokemon Sword and Shield, it’s their original Kanto forms that will be available in Pokemon Shining Pearl. Given the novelty that the original Legendary Birds have, as well as the appreciation that their Galar forms have received, it might still be possible that players could discover all six, with both versions of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos appearing in Pokemon Shining Pearl.
Alongside the confirmed Legendary Birds, fans will also have exclusive access to Lugia. While this addition might seem odd, as some players may have thought one of the other Gen 1 Legendary Pokemon would accompany the Legendary Birds, it’s a pretty clear reference. The history behind Lugia and its lore has been tied to the Legendary Birds since Pokemon: The Movie 2000. This callback might not be the most current reference, but it’s something that older fans of the Pokemon series are likely to appreciate.
While catching the original Legendary Birds and Lugia in Pokemon Shining Pearl won’t allow players to try and control the weather like in Pokemon: The Movie 2000 it will require some effort to obtain them. Players need to explore both the reprised Sinnoh region as a whole, and its Ramanas Park location. Here, fans will need to use the different Game Boy cartridge-shaped Legendary Slates to summon the corresponding Legendary Pokemon for a chance to catch them.
How these slates will be retrieved is still shrouded in mystery, but there are some likely ways that players can expect to encounter them. They could easily be placed randomly throughout the Sinnoh region, spawning in specific cave systems or environments that could represent their corresponding Pokemon. They could be worked into Pokemon Shining Pearl's story as well, but a more direct option would be to have them appear within the expanded Grand Underground.
The map of the Grand Underground shows a much larger area than the original Gen 4 games had. While it still served a unique purpose as was one of the first instances of making the different evolutionary stones more accessible, the Underground would feel a bit empty if not updated for modern audiences. With the improvements that Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have made to the Grand Underground players should expect to encounter not only Pokemon but unique items as well.
These upgrades give the Grand Underground a bit more purpose in the Gen 4 remakes and if it's the location for Legendary Slates it'll remain relevant to the late game and end-game by providing an avenue to and catch Legendary Pokemon in each version.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl release for the Nintendo Switch on November 19, 2021.