Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes of the fourth generation Pokemon games, announced for the series' 25th anniversary. These new remakes claim they will retell the same story while maintaining both the look and feel of the originals. This is evident in the style choice for the remakes, resembling the chibi style of old but modernized for today's standards on the Nintendo Switch - much like the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Aside from the look of the games, nothing about the features or mechanics that the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl improved upon were showcased.

August 18 will host the next Pokemon Presents stream, and it is confirmed to feature both Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokemon Legends: Arceus. If Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are close in design to their originals, the Pokemon Presents has to answer what incentive fans of the original games have in buying into these remakes at full price.

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As Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are Gen 4 remakes, it stands to reason many aspects of the original games will remain intact. The original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl introduced new concepts to Pokemon, some of which are no longer with the series. The Global Trade Station is one such area that has since been removed, originally allowing players to trade Pokemon across the world and view battle replays. The trading feature of the GTS is available as a feature in Pokemon Home and can be upgraded by paying money, so if ILCA and Game Freak decide to bring back the GTS it could see a rework so as to not affect Pokemon Home's revenue.

Another prominent feature in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is the Pokemon Watch. The Poketch was a feature that utilized the touch screen of the DS and had many applications the player could unlock. As the remakes will be on the Nintendo Switch, this always-on feature is in-line for some change, though how ILCA and Game Freak decide to modernize it will be anyone's guess. Hopefully, more will be learned about this feature soon, though with some applications for the Poketch being useless today it would be a welcome addition with some changes.

In the trailer for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, a popular hangout area known as The Underground is shown briefly. In the originals, The Underground was the first live hangout area players could run around and see their friends in. It relied on local wireless, and players could endlessly hunt for fossils using the touch screen. Another aspect of The Underground was a feature borrowed from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire: Secret Bases. Players could freely visit each other's bases, and with Switch multiplayer a big aspect of the console's features, how these features will be reworked will be interesting to see.

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If fans of the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are expected to revisit the Sinnoh region again in these upcoming remakes, there should be something new and rewarding for old players to discover. Amity Square was an area that allowed players to bring a tiny fraction of Pokemon along for a walk in a small, enclosed area, a feature that would become a large part of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver. If the Amity Square is a feature that is brought back in its old form it will feel like a major step backward. To improve upon it, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl could introduce Pokemon following the player again, as it has continued to be a requested feature since Pokemon HGSS.

As Pokemon battling is important to many players, bringing back the highly regarded Battle Frontier from Pokemon Platinum would be a huge bonus for fans, though nothing notable specific to Platinum has been showcased. Pokemon remakes of the past often exclude additions from the original's third version, such as the Battle Frontier introduced in Pokemon Emerald never being brought into Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. As such, there is a good chance fans won't see many Pokemon Platinum additions. If these remakes introduce nothing else new, then at the very least improvements made in Platinum would be welcome.

The website for the remakes states they will include "player-friendly conveniences of the modern Pokemon series," meaning these remakes should include some modern quality-of-life improvements since Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's debut. These could range from improved Shiny odds and connecting with friends online quickly and easily (possibly through the Poketch), to battle elements such as Mega Evolution and Z-Moves. If the Pokemon Radar, a device similar to the Pokenav in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, makes a return, it is likely to see some change as the method for hunting Shiny Pokemon has improved over the course of the series.

If these remakes expect to do well with fans of the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, they will need to have something new to set them apart. With the promise of conveniences from modern Pokemon games being introduced, fans should expect at least something more than just a fresh coat of paint. Hopefully, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl can do the source material justice and mix the old and new like remakes of the past. More will be learned in the upcoming Pokemon Presents on Wednesday, August 18.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release on November 19, 2021, for Nintendo Switch.

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