Pokémon Diamond and Pearl released in North America in 2007 on Nintendo’s DS handheld, and now today’s fans will get a chance to revisit these installments with a new, modern makeover. Announced during today’s Pokémon Presents festivities, this pair of games – called Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl – is coming to Switch later in 2021.
Though it may not have been the biggest reveal during the show (that honor belongs to Pokémon Legends Arceus), it’s still an exciting opportunity to jump into the classic Pokémon formula with a fresh spin.
According to The Pokémon Company’s Takato Utsunomiya, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are “faithful remakes” of the games originally released 15 years ago. The most obvious change is the distinct visual overhaul, but fans can undoubtedly expect other tweaks to the experience while retaining the core elements that made the original releases so well-received.
The games take place in the Sinnoh region, and feature the starter Pokémon Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup. Like most of the duos of Pokémon releases, the two versions offer similar experiences, with slight variations between them, like which legendary Pokémon are available in each.
These remakes are being developed by Ilca Inc (a studio that helped create Pokémon Home), though Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda is also serving as a director, which is encouraging considering Masuda was also the director of the original Diamond and Pearl releases.
Look for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl on Switch in late 2021, launching simultaneously worldwide.