Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlhave finally been released. The duo of games manages to stand out compared to the previous remakes in thePokemonseries.Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare the first remakes to be made for a home console Nintendo as opposed to a strictly portable system. They are the first remakes to be released in the context of a specific milestone, which, in this case, is the 15th anniversary of the originalDiamondandPearl. Lastly, in an attempt to remain faithful to the original games’ aesthetics,Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare the first remakes to deviate from their generations’ art style, preferring to adopt a chibi look for the human characters rather than the fully developed overworld models in Sword and Shield.
Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlalso made a rather polarizing decision to stick to the original to stick with the originalDiamondandPearl’s Pokedex, level design, opponent teams, and level scaling rather than bringingthe changesPlatinumintroduced. Despite this stubborn insistence to preserve the original’s decisions, good or bad,Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlwere faced with restrictions caused byPokemonmodernity that forced the scrapping of a few things, such as the Pal Park. However, after whatSwordandShielddid to its DLC and Pokedex, Pal Park’s replacement, Ramanas Park, is a lifesaver.
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The Pal Park’s Original Purpose
After the series got rid of the ability to interact with previous generations in the transition fromGold,Silver, andCrystaltoRubyandSapphire, the originalDiamondandPearlbrought back the idea of transferring Pokemon from previous games through the Pal Park system. It was vastly different from whatPokemonfans were used to at the time and established the blueprints for future generations’ transfer systems. In Generation 2, players could use Pokemon fromRed,Blue, andYellowwith the Time Capsule, which permitted intergenerational trading as long as the Pokemon coming from the Johto games had a move set that is compatible with the Gen 1 games’ programming.
Being DS follow-ups to Game Boy Advance games,DiamondandPearlhad to do a complete overhaul of the system. Despite the DS’ backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance Games, there are no ways for DSPokemongames to their Game Boy Advance counterparts. Due to these constraints,DiamondandPearlcould fully replicate the Time Capsule’s mechanics. Instead, the games allowed players to use the DS slot for Game Boy Advance cartridges to their advantage. If there was a Gen 3Pokemongame in the appropriate slot on the DS, players could choose up to six Pokemon in their Game Boy Advance file to import to their Generation 4 game.
Once the Pokemon “migrated” to Sinnoh, or Johto in the case ofHeartGoldandSoulSilver, the player could not put them back in their game of origin. While the Time Capsule could be used in the main story, the Pal Park is only available in the Gen 4 titles’ postgame. The Pal Park was one of the easiest ways to get some particularly rare Pokemon without hacking or trading. BeforeHeartGoldandSoulSilver, it was the only way to get thebeloved starter Pokemon introduced before Gen 4, as well as a significant portion of the Legendaries.
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Sword and Shield’s Roster Issues
Some ofPokemon SwordandShield’s design choices were among the most controversial in the history of the series. The decision to ax a huge chunk of the Pokedex alienated a significant portion ofPokemonfans. It has been the norm in the series since new generations were conceptualized, and it has not been well-received.
Eventually, the developers conceded and reintroduced several neglected Pokemon through The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra DLC.The Crown Tundrawas particularly generous as far as Legendary Pokemon go.Pokemon Swordplayers that bought the DLC were able to catch Ho-Oh, Latios, Groudon, Dialga, Tornadus, Reshiram, Xerneas, and Solgaleo. TheirPokemon Shieldcounterparts had opportunities to catch Lugia, Latias, Kyogre, Palkia, Thundurus, Zekrom, Yveltal, and Lunala. While it was nice of the DLC to make so many Legendary Pokemon available, the fact that they were essentially hidden behind a paywall is problematic.
Ramanas Park’s Purpose
Because of the way the original Pal Park worked, it was impossible forBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlto bring it back. Instead, Ramanas Park took its place. Rather than allowing players to catch imported Pokemon,Ramanas Park specializes in Legendary Pokemon. To summon these Pokemon, the player will have to collect specific slates. The catchable Pokemon are level 70. Originally, only the Discovery Slate is available, but as more Pokemon are caught, more Slates become available.
The Legendary Beasts and Ho-Oh are exclusive toBrilliant Diamond. The Legendary Birds and Lugia, on the other hand, areexclusive toShining Pearl.
After forcing players to purchase rather expensive DLC just to have Pokemon that should have been available inSwordandShield’s data to begin with, Game Freak made the right call by retooling the Pal Park. Ramanas Park allowsPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlto follow in the previous remakes’ footsteps and provide special events to catch Legendary Pokemon, all without forcing players to dish out more money. Hopefully, this creative decision will guide the developers around the issues surrounding theNational Pokedex in future games.
