Pokemon fans have been asking for them for years, and now it seems they’re getting them: The Pokemon Company has confirmed that Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are being remade for the Nintendo Switch. It seems that ever since the Switch was released, Pokemon fans have been wondering when we’re going to get remakes of Diamond and Pearl, and they were finally revealed during today’s Pokemon Presents presentation.
Dubbed Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, there isn’t a whole lot that we know about these games at the moment. Obviously, we’ll be returning to the Sinnoh region in these games, and judging from the announcement trailer you see below, the remade graphics are at least somewhat faithful to the original game. While Brilliant Sapphire and Shining Pearl are clearly full 3D games, they have their own unique art style and aren’t being remade in the style of Pokemon Sword and Shield.
On the official Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl website, Game Freak says that the remakes will “include easy-to-understand, player-friendly conveniences of the modern Pokemon series, plus up-close-and-personal Pokemon battle scenes.” Obviously, Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig will be returning as the starter Pokemon in these remakes, while Dialga and Palkia will be the version legendaries.
If games like HeartGold and SoulSilver or Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby are any indication, we can expect a pair of remakes that more or less stay faithful to the original while doing things like padding out the endgame and adding various quality-of-life improvements. Also revealed today is the fact that Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be developed by ILCA, Inc – the developer behind Pokemon Home – and not Game Freak. Game Freak will still have a hand in development, though, as Junichi Masuda will serve as one of the game directors alongside ILCA’s Yuichi Ueda.
So, we’re about to see another developer take a crack at the Pokemon series, likely because Game Freak is already working on the next Pokemon installments. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be out in late 2021 on Nintendo Switch, and we’ll let you know when we hear more about the games.
Keyword: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes announced for Nintendo Switch