Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: everything that has changed

Shiny Diamond Pokémon and Shiny pearl they are “faithful remakes” of their 2006 predecessors, Nintendo says. But those games were strange. And they were Nintendo DS games, after all, with specific features of their dual-screen hardware.

All of this leaves fans wondering what about the original. Diamond Pokémon and Pearl will be coming to their Nintendo Switch remakes. From the 40 minutes of gameplay that Polygon saw at a preview event, we can say that developer ILCA has preserved the quirks of the original games, while combining quality of life updates from more recent entries like Pokémon Sword and Armor.

In general, it seems that the game will bring a lot of the originals. The preview showed Route 208, an initial area of ​​the game on the outskirts of a mountain, and when looking at the area, we saw the route redone with all its normal landmarks and characters, except with updated graphics. Even more outlandish features like Pokétch, a smartwatch with apps, have made their way into remakes. In this game, you’ll be able to use the app to do things like count your steps and leave notes using the Switch’s touch screen.

The quality of life characteristics seen in Pokémon games on Nintendo Switch make up most of the changes we saw in Bright diamond and Shiny pearl. Remakes have an autosave feature, to begin with. In Pokémon Battles, all Pokémon in your party gain experience after a battle, and you can also trade Pokémon in and out of your storage system at any time. You also won’t need any more Pokémon with specific hidden moves in your party to fly or ride in the water. Say goodbye to the need for a Bidoof that knows Surf, Cut and Rock Smash!

There is also a small, but immensely important change to the battle menu: your attack list will tell you how effective each move is. If you have a Pokémon that knows a water-type move and you’re up against a fire-type Pokémon, the menu will tell you that a water-type attack like “Water Gun” is, of course, super effective. Players no longer need to search for what is super effective against what.

Image: The Pokémon Company / ILCA Inc

Diamond and PearlThe special area, the metro, will also change quite significantly. In the originals, players could extract items and decorate a secret base there. While the remakes will preserve the mining minigame of the original, the secret base is changed to “Pokémon Hideaways”, small rooms where you can fight and catch Pokémon while exploring the tunnels.

Although the subway still has secret bases, you will no longer be able to decorate them. Instead, you’ll complete your base with Pokemon statues that you collect while dowsing. The combinations of these statues will have special effects in the rest of the subway. For example, if you place three Bug-type Pokémon statues in your secret base, you’ll see more Bug-types in rooms in other parts of the area.

Shiny Diamond Pokémon and Shiny pearl, from ILCA, Inc. and The Pokémon Company, launches November 19 on Nintendo Switch.