Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl for Nintendo Switch: Everything you need to know

After much anticipation, The Pokémon Company has announced in a Pokémon Presents that the Nintendo DS titles, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, will be remade on the Nintendo Switch. Here's everything you need to know about the new remakes, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Story

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl see the player travel to the region of Sinnoh, where they are granted their very own starter Pokémon with which they are tasked with setting out to become the new Sinnoh Pokémon Champion. There are several gyms to go up against and plenty of colorful locations to explore. As you embark on your journey, you learn of a sinister group called Team Galactic, who seem to have been stealing Pokémon to create a "new world." Can you stop them before it's too late?

Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Starters

Players can choose from one of three starter Pokémon, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Legendary Pokémon

As players progress through the story, they will encounter one of two legendary Pokémon, depending on which version they are playing. Those who play Brilliant Diamond will encounter Dialga the Temporal Pokémon, while those who play Shining Pearl will encounter Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Gameplay

As with most Pokémon games, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are Japanese role-playing games, which allow the player to battle wild creatures and level up members of their own Pokémon party. Those familiar with the franchise know that typings play a large role in how successful their playthrough will be.

Every type has at least one strength and weakness, playing out in a sort of "rock-paper-scissors" manner. Fire types are effective against Grass, but weak to Water; Water types are effective against Fire, but weak to Grass, and Grass types are effective against Water, but weak to Fire. As of Pokémon Sword and Shield, there are 18 elemental types, with many Pokémon having one or two types associated with their character. Fire-type Pokémon will do more damage with Fire-based moves than any other elemental type.

As players journey throughout Sinnoh, they will face many Pokémon trainers, each with their own party of Pokémon. After players are strong enough, they can challenge eight Pokémon Gyms and face their respective Gym Leaders, who will grant the player a qualifying badge upon being defeated.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Returning features

As with all remakes, new and returning features make an appearance in the games. Here are the returning features from the original Nintendo DS games that are coming to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

One returning gameplay feature shown in the first trailer was the Underground, a hidden area beneath the region consisting of many intricate tunnels. The August 21 Pokémon Presents showcase confirmed that this feature would be returning through the Exploration Kit, which is a Key Item.

In the Grand Underground, players can excavate walls to reveal gems, fossils, and other items, create Secret Bases for their friends to visit, and play mini-games. Players can also customize their Secret Base with statues, making each game unique.

The DS multiplayer lobbies in the form of Union Rooms are making a return as well. Players can meet up with others both locally and over the internet to battle and trade Pokémon. Many past players have been nostalgic about this feature, so it's nice to see it return.

Contests are returning to Pokémon, revamped to make them even better than they appeared in the original Nintendo DS games. Moves work differently in Contests and are not used for their attack power, but for how elegantly they can be pulled off. Players can train their Pokémon to dance to the music, perform their moves in a specific order, and engage in a rhythm minigame to put on a big show.

Do you ever wish that your Pokémon could exit their Pokéballs in a more stylish way? Well, Capsule Decoration is coming back, so you're in luck! Players can collect stickers throughout their journey and decorate their Pokéballs with them. The types of stickers you affix to your Pokéballs will influence the effects they make when your friend leaves its ball. You can do fiery effects, cherry blossoms, confetti, and much more.

In the original Diamond and Pearl games, players could bring Pokémon that were "cute" enough into a park located north of Hearthome City. Only 11 Pokémon were given the label of "cute", however:

1. Pikachu
2. Clefairy
3. Jigglypuff
4. Psyduck
5. Torchic
6. Shroomish
7. Skitty
8. Pachirisu
9. Driftloon
10. Buneary
11. Happiny

Amity Square makes a return in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, this time with Turtwig, Chimchar andd Piplup being included. The park allows players to let their Pokémon roam around Amity Square, where they could pick things up and bring them back to the player. It's also possible to cook Poffins together with your Pokémon here, which can be used to increase your Pokémon's stats for contests. This takes place through a time-based minigame where you and your Pokémon can be seen working together.

The Nintendo DS made use of two screens to enhance the gameplay experience. The Pokétch could be viewed on the bottom screen, reminiscent of LCD watches of old. Players could find and download additional "apps" to their Pokétch, with different functions.

Since the Nintendo Switch only uses one screen, the Pokétch is placed in a corner of the screen. Apps are back, with the regular watch, pedometer, calculator, friendship checker, drawing pad, and a dowsing machine to find hidden items with.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Differences from the original game

Of course, one of the main draws of the game is the update to HD graphics. The games feature a chibi art style reminiscent of the original DS sprite art. While in battle, however, the player character models and those of other trainers will more resemble those featured in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Here are some more new features found in the game.

Players will be able to customize their avatars, which wasn't possible in the Nintendo DS titles. This can now be done through the Style Shop. It does seem that players can only choose whole outfits instead of individual pieces, but any option to make your playthrough personalized is welcome.

A new feature of the Grand Underground is the presence of Pokémon Hideaways, comprised of ever-changing secret rooms under the region. Various Pokémon, some exclusive to these Hideaways, can only appear there depending on what kinds of statues you place in your Secret Base.

Similarly to previous remakes like Pokémon HeartGold and Soulsilver, or Pokémon Let's Go! Pikachu and Eevee, Pokémon can follow you around in the overworld. If every Pokémon available in the Sinnoh region can follow you, that means that there may be at least 493 possibilities to travel the region with friends!

We do not yet know whether any omissions were made from the remakes, given that the Nintendo Switch does not feature dual screens and a touch screen like the Nintendo DS did. Stay tuned for any updates!

Source: The Pokémon Company

Say goodbye to HM slaves, trainers! You can now call on Pokémon with your Pokétch to perform HM moves like Cut and Surf for you. This frees up space for other Pokémon in your party, especially since Sinnoh is a region heavily reliant on HM moves to get around.

Training and leveling up Pokémon can be a chore, especially if you have a full party of six. Originally, an Experience Share item could be given to one Pokémon, so that experience points could be shared between that Pokémon and any who participated in a battle.

This time around, Experience Share is turns on by default, and grants additional experience to all your Pokémon, similarly to Sword and Shield. Unfortunately, those looking for a challenge won't be able to turn the Experience Share off, which is a dealbreaker for some fans.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Release date

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are both set to release simultaneously on November 19, 2021. The games are available for preorder now.

Return to Sinnoh again!

These games were brilliant (ha) on the Nintendo DS and were many peoples' introduction to the beloved franchise. Though it did have some growing pains, we can trust that the developers will take their time to iron out any kinks and make these classics into one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch.