In 2021, Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, and developer ILCA will release Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl for the Nintendo Switch. These games seek to remake the Generation 4 Diamond and Pearl games from the DS, and appear to be doing so faithfully. While there has been some controversy over translating the original games' chibi sprite art into 3D, a lot of fans are still looking forward to experiencing their favorite Pokemon generation again on Switch. The hope is that even though Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes, there will still be some quality of life additions from the most recent Pokemon entries.
However, that's the part that has fans the most concerned. Thus far, there has been no indication that anything at all is different from the old Generation 4 versions. In the single short trailer released to the public, not one feature or Pokemon foreign to the original games was shown. This has sparked a lot of talk over what will be different, and what could stay the same. Few trainers want to go back to the days of finite Technical Machines and Helpful Machine "slaves" who are only on teams specifically to navigate the world. Still, if just one post-Gen 4 feature could be shown off to appease fans, it should be Mega Evolution.
Pokemon's History With Mega Evolution
Mega Evolution was introduced in the Generation 6 games Pokemon X and Pokemon Y. This was a fascinating twist on Pokemon mechanics, as it both broke the rule of Pokemon only having three evolutionary stages, and served as a temporary evolution instead of a permanent one. Accessible through special Mega Stone items, Mega Evolution served as a power-up for select Pokemon that lasted for the rest of a battle. Stats went up, appearances changed, and sometimes elemental typing changed too. There are even a couple Pokemon with two distinct Mega Evolutions, giving players lots of strategic choice.
This mechanic was only around for Pokemon Generations 6 and 7, with a brief re-appearance in Let's Go, but is fondly remembered for its strategic depth and the interesting appearances new forms could take. Fans were hoping that more Pokemon could be added to the pool of Mega Evolutions, but only a couple batches of Mega Evolutions were introduced before the mechanic was abandoned. The competitive community was even beginning to accept the mechanic as a regular part of hardcore Pokemon battling, but it disappeared in Generation 8 onward. Game Freak may still wants to do something like it with Gigantamax, but that's not the same.
Why The Generation 4 Remakes Should Have Mega Evolution
Without Sun and Moon's Z-Moves or Sword and Shield's Gigantamaxing, it falls back to Mega Evolution to bring some spice to Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. In much the same way it did in X and Y, Mega Evolution should be used to show how far Pokemon has come, and to avoid the feeling of stagnation. The mechanic is already well-received and several iconic Pokemon in Generation 4 games can use it, so there's no reason not to bring it to these remakes. Otherwise, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl run a serious risk of being nothing more than controversial paint jobs for 10-year old games.
It would be nice if this and other newer mechanics were introduced over the course of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's main story, but for Mega Evolutions, postgame makes more sense. This would ensure that online competitive play still feels unique, and would reward players for sticking with the remakes by giving them something new. In fact, those Mega Stones would be a great addition to the underground minigame from the original Gen 4 games. Even something as compartmentalized as Mega Evolutions would still go a long way towards making Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl feel like new games.
The Risk of Making Pokemon Stale
Mega Evolution, or some equivalent new mechanic, feels necessary for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl. Without something so flashy and different from the base versions, these remakes won't be enough to properly innovate from the original releases. Pokemon remakes rely on changing and adding things to impress newer and older fans alike.
FireRed and LeafGreen, HeartGold and SoulSilver, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and Let's Go, Eevee! and Let's Go, Pikachu! relied heavily on each's noticeably different art styles, the capabilities of its new systems, and a host of new mechanics, side activities, and Pokemon from later games to stand out from past selves. Without all of that, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl could feel like a letdown.
That's what it all comes down to: managing fan expectations and meeting them. Pokemon has long tried to stay a humble franchise, with Sword and Shield being the first entries to take tepid steps into having larger environments. Game Freak intends to experiment with that much more using Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but that leaves Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl in an awkward spot.
In the efforts to be faithful, they could come off as outdated or underwhelming compared to the massive changes brought about by prior Pokemon re-releases. Nintendo's E3 2021 Direct will probably bring some news on this front, but until then, fans are going to have to wait to see if these games will have modern quality of life changes. Hopefully, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be able to restore fan confidence, and bringing Mega Evolution back to the franchise would be a good start.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl will release on Nintendo Switch in late 2021.