“Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl”, remakes of the original 2009 video game Pokémon “Diamond and Pearl”, are set to release on November 19, 2021. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Pokémon is a Nintendo game series founded in 1998 by Satoshi Tajiri, president of video game developer “Game Freak”. 

Pokémon, the main focus of the series, are powerful creatures that come in all different shapes and sizes. The game follows the player, a Pokémon trainer, capturing and bonding with Pokémon as they train to become the Champion of the region and beat the game.

Usually, Pokémon games are released in sets of two, consisting of similar games with different key features. A common example of this is “version exclusive Pokémon”, which are Pokémon that are only in one of the two games. For example, “Brilliant Diamond” has the exclusive Pokémon “Dialga”, and Shining Pearl has the Pokémon “Palkia.”

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the game “Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl” is based on, is one of Pokémon’s older games, originally premiering in 2009. Pokémon has remade multiple games in the past, such as “Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire” remaking the 2002 classics Ruby and Sapphire. These games were very well received by the fandom as being reimagined throwbacks to their childhood favorites.

People who grew up with “Diamond and Pearl” wanted a taste of this nostalgia, so Nintendo acknowledged these pleas and developers started working on the modernized version. Now the games are available individually for pre-order on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $60.

At the release of the original debut trailer in February 2021, there were very mixed reactions from fans regarding the graphics and style. The disappointing new qualities such as the addition of more chibi-style models and an overly saturated palette made fans feel as if the series was decreasing in quality in comparison to previous remakes, like “Omega Ruby” and “Alpha Sapphire”. However, plenty of long-time players enjoy the bold art style and appreciate the similarities with the original game, as it was staying truer to the original.

“I’m kind of intrigued to see how it looks,” Pokémon aficionado, Daryn Smith, said. “From what I’ve seen, it actually looks cute. I just hope it doesn’t lead to any digital glitches or issues with the game.”

Fortunately, they released a follow-up trailer in July 2021, and the graphics massively improved. While the small and cutesy art style stayed the same, the palette was changed to a warmer and washed-out tone. The graphics became well blended and more detailed, such as adding more depth to the characters’ clothing and accessories. While some fans may still be upset about the new art style, the quality of the graphics has significantly increased.

So are the games worth buying? It’s hard to say from the information there is now. Many would say the art style is enough to prevent them from buying the games. But others say the art style is irrelevant to the fact that it’s a remake of an amazing video game. Considering Pokemon’s great history of quality remakes, chances are it’ll be just as good as the original!