How Pokemon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl Are Different From The Originals

Back in February 2021, The Pokemon Company officially announced that "Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl" were coming to the Nintendo Switch later that same year. Game Freak had been teasing remakes for the beloved 15-year-old DS games, and the announcement had a lot of people over the Lunala moon with excitement.

On August 18, The Pokemon Company shared a Pokemon Presents with fans, giving them even more information on the remakes and other games in the franchise. The video showed off just how faithful the remakes are to the original games in terms of graphics and characters, but it also shared several new features the remakes will debut. The Pokemon Presents also included clips of upgraded features, like Super Contest Shows.

"Pokemon" fans were initially worried about the "Diamond" and "Pearl" remakes, but its trailer showed off how the remakes will focus on adding to the games instead of simply changing certain elements.

The "Pokemon" franchise has always had a few mechanics that have stayed the exact same since the games were first released, including the way Pokeballs work. Pokeballs are what players use to capture and hold Pokemon in. New types of Pokeballs have been added into the game over time, but "Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl" created a whole new feature to enhance Pokeballs.

It's time for Pokeballs to meet stickers. Players can find stickers around the Sinnoh region and use them to customize how Pokemon emerge out of Pokeballs. The Pokemon Presents showed off fireworks and confetti styles, but it looks like there are a lot of different options for customization.

Stickers didn't exist in the original games. In fact, this feature hasn't been in any of the "Pokemon" games before "Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl." While it doesn't change any of the core gameplay, it's a pretty interesting detail that should make the game feel more immersive and fun.

Newer "Pokemon" games have given players the option to change their look, but sadly "Diamond" and "Pearl" were released before changeable clothing appeared in the series. However, the Pokemon Presents showed off several different styles that players can rock through the Sinnoh region, and they're pretty unique.

While it doesn't look like players will be able to change individual clothing items, such as shoes or hats, they'll be able to choose entire outfits to represent their style. The trailer makes it look like these ensembles will also alter the hairstyle of the player.

This sense of fashion is reminiscent of the "Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee" games compared to clothing and hair choices in newer games. This makes for fewer customization options, but it's a way to keep Lucas and Dawn (the playable characters) as similar to the originals as possible while still providing options.

One of the most interesting features coming to "Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl" is the Grand Underground. The area is located beneath the Sinnoh region, and it's filled to the brim with Pokemon to find and catch — or battle, if you're looking to level up your team.

The Secret Base will return from previous "Pokemon" titles with a new twist in connection to the Grand Underground. Player's bases will actually attract certain Pokemon to the Grand Underground depending on what statues they display. The Secret Base feature has been around since the original "Ruby/Sapphire" and "Diamond/Pearl" games. However, the feature was removed from the games after that, with the exception of the "Ruby/Sapphire" remakes and now "Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl." 

There's also an interesting minigame attached to the area, which the Pokemon Presents showed off briefly. It looks like players will actually dig and hammer their way through the Grand Underground to get access to a variety of areas.