With both Pokemon Brilliant and Shining Pearl nearing their releases, the hype is strong yet again with the Pokemon franchise.
Here are the things we know so far about these two remakes.
Not Being Developed by Game Freak
Right off the bat, it is worth addressing that the game is not under Game Freak. It has its hands full with the ongoing development of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which is set for release early next year. Instead, the game is delegated to a company called ILCA Inc., an enterprise which started in CG animation until it ventures into game development. Unsurprisingly, the business unit’s name is an acronym, which stands for “I LOVE COMPUTER ART”.
What are the changes with the remake?
In a single word: plenty. While ILCA has promised to remain faithful to the source, the remake also comes with essential changes. Mostly, modifications that will make the game a significant improvement over the original titles. The most obvious of which would be the visuals which takes after the same style as the Pokemon Let’s Go series.
Another notable change is in how players can now bring their pocket monsters outside of their Pokeball and into the field. By this, we mean Pokemon in plural form—meaning, up to six of them at a time.
For those who like the idea of customization, players can now also change the player’s character’s clothing in-game. Another familiar alteration as part of that feature is also the Stickers, which replaces the original’s Seals.
Enhanced returning features
The mining feature from the original will be included in the remake. But there will be a new area called Pokemon Hideaways. This special location will allow players to catch exclusive Pokemon that can be influenced by the Statues the player places in their secret bases.
Poketch, too, will be returning to the remake. Originally, this feature lets players keep track of their activities in-game. Like, the over number of steps they took or for checking Pokemon in the daycare. But Poketch will have an added functionality in the remake as a place where hidden moves (HMs) can be used. Meaning, no more the hassle of forcing a Pokemon to learn an HM to overcome certain obstacles throughout the game.
When are they releasing and on which platform?
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is slated for global launch on November 19, 2021. It will be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch console.
Image used courtesy of Gamespot Trailers/YouTube Screenshot