When Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl arrive on the Nintendo Switch later next month, trainers can expect one of the quirkier features from the DS era originals to return in the upcoming remakes.
A Pokémon representative recently confirmed to Polygon that players will once again be able to polish their gym badges using the Nintendo Switch touchscreen in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The feature was introduced in the original versions of these games on the Nintendo DS handheld, which allowed trainers to use the stylus to clean their gym badges until they sparkled, with the badges' colors becoming brighter and more vivid with cleaning. Tapping on the badges would also emit a metal dinging sound.
This small feature is just one of the ways Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will remain faithful to their originals. In addition, the Underground feature has also been confirmed to return. Not only will players be able to explore and mine the tunnels beneath the Sinnoh region, but the new addition of Pokémon Hideaways will allow trainers to catch wild Pokémon -- some of which are exclusive to Hideaways. Contests and poffins are also expected to return, though it is unknown as of yet if the features will be receiving any changes in the remakes.
During the latest Pokémon Presents live stream, fans were also treated to a first look at some of the new features that will be added to the content from the original DS games. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will now let a Pokémon follow their trainer on the overworld, in addition to allowing players the ability to customize their trainer's appearance.
Originally developed by Game Freak in 2006, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl marked the beginning of the fourth generation of games in the beloved role-playing game franchise. In addition to introducing over 100 new Pokémon, 3D graphical elements and various touchscreen features, Diamond and Pearl were also the first games in the series to bring battles and trading online via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The games were generally well-received at the time and were followed up with the release of Pokémon Platinum Version, which featured many many improvements, including an expanded Pokédex of additional Pokémon to capture.
Packed with plenty of new and returning features, players who purchase Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl digitally should expect it to take up roughly 9.7 GB of storage. Meanwhile, the games' upcoming prequel, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, will clock in at 12.6GB when the open-world action-adventure RPG releases early next year.
Developed by ILCA, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl arrive will arrive on the Nintendo Switch on Nov. 19.
Source: Polygon