Nintendo is clearly excited aboutPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl. The remakes just got a new trailer that showcases changes and upgrades that developer ILCA has made. For instance, the Poketch will return inBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl,bringing back many of the gadget’s original apps and new functionality. The trailer also touched on Amity Square, a Hearthome City attraction that allows players to walk around with some of their cutest Pokemon. InBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl,fans can cook Poffins with their Pokemon in Amity Square, which sounds like a delightful new activity.
The trailer also showcases characters that players will encounter, including the Eterna City Gym Leader and Grass-type Pokemon specialist Gardenia. Players got a glimpse of battling with Gardenia, but perhaps more importantlyhow her Gym looks inBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl.It seems the Eterna Gym in the remakes will use the puzzle concept from the originalDiamondandPearlrather thanPlatinum’s mechanic. That’s fairly disappointing, not just becausePlatinum’s Gym concept was more dynamic, but also because it sends a message for the remakes' design philosophy.Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlmay not borrow as many elements fromPlatinumas fans once hoped.
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Comparing Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum’s Eterna City Gym
InPokemon DiamondandPearl,Gardenia’s Gym was pretty simple. The interior gym was designed as a forest maze made from trees. Although players could easily find Gardenia once they enter, she refused to battle the player until they found and defeated all the other members of the Gym. Once players completed their scavenger hunt and defeatedevery other Pokemon trainer in the Gym, they could challenge Gardenia for the badge. While it was a thematic design, wandering around the maze could be tedious, especially since finding each trainer wasn’t difficult.
Pokemon Platinum, by contrast, opted for a more unique design. It got rid of the forest maze and replaced that puzzle with a large floral clock in the center of a room. Whenever players defeated a trainer in the Gym, the arms of the clock would rotate; players could then walk on the arms to access new parts of the Gym. Finally, the clock would point to Gardenia for the climactic final battle. In a sense,Pokemon Platinum’s approach to the Gymmade it significantly more linear, but its concept and aesthetic was more memorable.
Overall, thePlatinumGym was a significant improvement over theDiamondandPearlGym. After all, players challenging Gardenia had already gotten their fill of wandering around the woods in the maze-like Eterna Forest, meaningPlatinum’s clock mechanic was more unique and refresing. Even so,Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare sticking with tradition. Fans should expect a lot of major aspects of the game to bebased onDiamondandPearl’s ideas, rather than making use ofPlatinum’s improvements.
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Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Preserve History
If Gardenia’s Gym design does reveal ILCA’s development plan,Brilliant DiamondandShiningPearlmay lose a lot of good content.PokemonPlatinummade some significant changes to the plot by introducing new characters like Charon and Looker, the latter of which quickly became a fan favorite.Platinumalso introduced some fun alternative ways for players toget invested in the Sinnoh region. Once players visit the Resort Area, they can buy and furnish a Villa, which was a fun way to spend the player’s hard-earned cash after becoming the Champion.
It’s a little disappointing to thinkPlatinumfeatures like these probably won’t appear inBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl,especially after fans learned the remakes do use certainPlatinumfeatures. For instance, theDiamondandPearlremakes seem tomake use ofPlatinum’s extended Pokedex, adding significantly more Pokemon to the region. Additionally, fans think they’ve spotted an NPC inBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlthat gives trainers the Gracidea, a special flower associated with the Mythical Pokemon Shaymin that could only be found inPlatinum.
Comparing these inclusions and omissions fromPlatinumseems to establish something of a pattern. On the one hand,Brilliant DiamondandShiningPearlseem to be includingPlatinumupgrades that enhance the way players interact with Pokemon. For example, beyond the Pokedex and Gracidea,BDSP’s version of Amity Square seems to build onPlatinum’s Amity Square. However,the physical structure of the Sinnoh regionand the plot ofBDSPseems to focus onDiamondandPearl’s original concepts. While there’s notes ofPlatinumin these remakes, they are callbacks toDiamondandPearlat their core.
Platinum’s Backseat Status and Potential Future
There’s some good reasons for ILCA to putPlatinumin the background ofBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl.Fans are well aware that theBDSPintroduce new features to the franchise that freshen up the Sinnoh region; the developers have createda vastly expanded Sinnoh Underground, which offers fans new ways to catch Pokemon and explore the region’s underside.Platinum’s limited influence onBDSPmight stem partially from ILCA’s new ideas. It’d make sense if ILCA was worried that integrating too many ofPlatinum’s features would make fans appreciate the new ideas less.
It’s for the best thatPlatinumisn’t overwhemingly influential in these remakes. After all, ifBDSPwas mainly based onPlatinum,they’d bePlatinumremakes rather thanDiamondandPearlremakes. Fans will just have to hope that Nintendo has someother plans in store forPlatinum. Some fans already wonder ifBDSPwill getPlatinumDLC introducing the Distortion World and a postgame plotline involving Looker and Charon. Nintendo seems more comfortable with DLC for its core franchises nowadays, so maybe it has already asked ILCA to start work on that. For now, though, it seems fans should rein in their expectations when it comes toPlatinum’s influence on these Sinnoh region remakes.
Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlrelease on July 29, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
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