It had been rumored quite a bit prior to the big reveal, but the latest Pokémon Presents broadcast finally revealed that Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are getting full remakes. The duo of games, dubbed Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, are set to launch sometime later in 2021. A betting man would likely put money on a holiday 2021 release, but in this crazy world, who can really know for sure? What we do know is the trailer is great:
It’s shocking to think that Diamond and Pearl came out 14 years ago. 14 years! Insanity. Anyway, as the trailer reveals, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will boast chibi-style visuals in an effort to both modernize the aesthetic of the originals while also maintaining their spirit. Here’s a bit more about the games from The Pokémon Company press release:
The original games have been faithfully reproduced and colorfully revitalized for Nintendo Switch. The sense of scale of the towns and routes has been carefully preserved, and fans who played the original games will recognize many familiar places. These games are updated with the easy-to-understand, player-friendly conveniences introduced in recent Pokémon core series video games, in addition to up-close-and-personal Pokémon battle scenes.
Unlike Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Eevee!, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are both being billed as true remakes, meaning battling sounds like it will remain the way it was in the original DS games. There’s still likely a lot of time between now and these remakes’ launch, so keep it tuned to Nintendojo to learn more as it’s revealed!