Yesterday’s “Pokemon Presents” event, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of the franchise, included the announcement ofPokemon Brilliant DiamondandPokemon Shining Pearl. These HD remakes of the original Nintendo DS titles,Pokemon DiamondandPearl,released in 2006 in Japan and 2007 in the West, will debut for the Nintendo Switch later in 2021. Set in the Sinnoh region, inspired by the real-life island of Hokkaido, they will feature updated graphics and other quality-of-life improvements introduced in later titles.
Following the announcement,Pokemonfans immediately had one question: what aboutPlatinum?The fourth generation ofPokemongames followed in its predecessors' footsteps by releasing an updated version entitledPokemon Platinumin 2009. It added features including the Wi-Fi Plaza, which contained mini-games, the Vs. Recorder, which let players save information about past battles, and the Battle Frontier, which offered a wide variety of new challenges. It has yet to receive an official release, althougha fan did take on the challenge in 2020.
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Fans were eager to learn whetherPlatinumcontent will be added to the remakes ofDiamondandPearl,as the third game inPokemon’sfourth generation was not announced to be receiving a remake at this time. Eagle-eyed fans have pored through the reveal trailer and, in addition to providingshot-by-shot comparisonsbetween the remakes and the originals, discovered some evidence that at least a fewPlatinumelements may appear.
The first thing noticed was the appearance of Porygon-Z in the trailer. Like Shaymin and Giratina, Porygon-Z was a post-game exclusive Pokemon inDiamondandPearlbut appeared earlier inPlatinum.
However, a Twitter user named @voltimer_ pointed out what may be even more definitive proof. InPokemon Platinum,a female NPC was added to the outdoor area of Floaroma Town. She introduced the players to the Gracidea, a flower that could be used to transform Shaymin from Lande Forme into its new Sky Forme. If the player showed her a Shaymin, she would gift them a Gracidea flower.
@voltimer_’s tweet shows that a character believed to be that NPC appears in theBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearltrailer.
While this does not necessarily mean thatPlatinumcontent is officially confirmed forBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl,it makes it far more likely than previously thought. Hopefully, more information will be released as the game’s release date draws nearer.
One thing we do know for sure is thatPokemon Brilliant DiamondandPokemon Shining Pearlwillfeature the game’s standard battle-based catch style, rather than thePokemon GO-inspired model seen in some titles such asLet’s Go Pikachu!andLet’s Go Eevee!
Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandPokemon Shining Pearlwill release for the Nintendo Switch in late 2021.
