Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl Gameplay Features Revealed

"Welcome to the world of Pokemon! Your very own tale of grand adventure is about to unfold."

Fans' prayers were answered by the reveal of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP)—official remakes of the original Sinnoh region main series titles. Now, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have revealed even more about the twin remasters coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year.

Pokemon Presents: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl Recap

Trainers will be able to travel with their first and/or favorite Pokemon while adventuring in the Sinnoh region with BDSP. During the remake trailer, fans were greeted with the sight of Dawn and Lucas—the game's canonical names for the female and male Sinnoh trainers—exploring various routes with Buizel, Staraptor, and region-starter Piplup in tow.

It looks like the artistic mesh of 2D and 3D elements goes far beyond fun textures, "chibi" overworld avatar, and additional lighting. Trainers will need to use the tall grass to find, battle, and capture wild Pokemon—rather than running up (or being run up on) in an open world route. When encountering opponents, the game features a posed image of their 3D model before launching into the battlefield animations.

What would a modern Pokemon game be without a little character customization? Trainers can select their skin tone and clothing style in BDSP.

There are a handful of holdover features from the original iterations of Diamond and Pearl. For example, trainers can place stickers all over certain Pokemon's PokeBalls for an added entrance effect. Underground secret bases are also making a return alongside the digging for treasures and fossils mechanics—with the addition of unique underground habitats for Pokemon. The Union Room is also making a comeback so players can battle and trade online.

Trainers will also be able to participate in Pokemon Contests again while securing their badges. Selected Pokemon will be set on a stage and directed by the trainer to perform in a rhythm-based minigame. The best performer wins the contest—though there's no information on what the rewards for those contests will be.

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will launch on Nov. 19, 2021. They are currently available for pre-order online and in the Nintendo eShop. All pre-orders will include a Manaphy egg.