The new remakes ofPokemon DiamondandPokemon Pearlwere officially announced yesterday for the Nintendo Switch, but details on what will setPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlapart from their 2007 counterparts are scarce so far. A new rumor from a reliable source, however, suggests that mega evolutions could be added to the games, a game mechanic that was not introduced until 2013’sXandY.
Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlwere pitched as being “faithful” to their originals, as evidenced by the maintaining of the top-down isometric camera and chibi overworld style from the original DS games. This has caused some concern over how faithful these remakes will be, and whether or not they will implement any new features or quality of life changes that have come to the series since 2007 like mega evolutions or a mandatory EXP. Share.
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Today, however, a website known byPokemonfans for being an authority on allPokemonmerchandise, Pokeshopper.com, spotted that a figurine promotion forBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlwill feature Mega Lucario and Mega Charizard. While figurines might not seem like a confirmation of mega evolutions being in the new remakes, Pokeshopper.com creator Paul Ryan noted thatthis exact same chain of events is what revealed that mega evolutions would be inLet’s Go PikachuandLet’s Go Eeveeback in 2018.
Usually, developer Game Freak takes the opportunity to modernize the games it remakes by implementing as many features from the most recent generation ofPokemongames as possible, like when it implemented mega evolutions and Pokemon-Amie fromXandYintoOmega RubyandAlpha Sapphire.
But in a franchise first, Game Freak is actually not developing these remakes.Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare instead being outsourced to studio ILCA, which previously developed thePokemon Homestorage app on mobile and Switch. So, if the more traditional visuals are any indication it could be that this studio is keeping things closer to the original games and might not implement features introduced post-2007.
Whether or not mega evolutions will be in the newDiamondandPearlremakes has not yet been confirmed, so it is important to remember that for now, this is just a rumor. After all, the figurine line could just be capitalizing on the popularity of Lucario and Charizard, two ofPokemon’s most fan-favorite Pokemon. It will likely be some time before Game Freak or ILCA confirms mega evolutions either way.
Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandPokemon Shining Pearlwill be released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in late 2021.
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