Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl haven't seen much in the way of updates since they were announced. This is a big deal as all of the remakes of Pokemon games in the past would have had a lot more info by now on some of the features or new Pokemon and forms included. With such little information available right now, fans are wondering exactly what Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will bring to the table as the next Pokemon games in Generation 8. When Pokemon Diamond and Pearl originally came out in 2006, they introduced many new features thanks to the Nintendo DS's new hardware at the time, though many of these features are now obsolete.
From wireless communications to wifi trading and battling, touchscreen conveniences to playing with each other's Secret Bases in the games Underground area, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl had a lot of new features for players to enjoy their time with. Though some things such as the Union Room and the Underground area have been confirmed in the remake's trailer, there are more features that were important to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's identity that haven't been confirmed or mentioned as of yet. One of these features is the Pokemon Watch, also known as the Poketch, which was an always-on, touchscreen-accessible tool that was not only handy but important for Pokemon Trainers.
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's Poketch
The Poketch is introduced early on in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and comes with a handful of applications included. The watch is given to the player through a campaign held by the Poketch Company after the player answers 3 questions correctly, collecting 3 coupons that are required to hand over to the campaign manager. Once received, the Poketch appears perpetually on the Nintendo DS's bottom screen, allowing players to touch it at will. The Poketch initially comes with 4 apps including the Digital Watch, Calculator, Pedometer, and Pokemon List, a list that shows the status of a player's Party Pokemon live. There are 25 Poketch apps in total.
The Poketch becomes an increasingly important tool on the player's adventure, as they go around collecting more apps for it. While some are very minor such as the Analogue Clock, Link Searcher, and Coin Flipper, other apps have much more useful functionality that would be a welcome re-addition to Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Some of these include the Matchup Checker to see if a player's Pokemon are compatible to breed, a Move Tester to see the effectiveness of a move on a specific Pokemon typing, a Day Care checker, Item Finder, and a Memo Pad to name a few.
As the Nintendo Switch does not include a second screen, players are wondering just how ILCA and Game Freak are willing to implement this important feature. Much like the Pokegear in Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, or the Pokenav in Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the Poketch is a staple to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's identity. The main tool for a Pokemon trainer is important in their adventure, and so while it hasn't been revealed that it will be making a return, it is highly likely it will come back in some form as promo art for Dawn and Lucas show them wearing a watch-like device on their wrists.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's New Poketch Apps
It is very likely that the Poketch will make a return in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The question then becomes how the developer plans to implement a device that was always just a touch away as the player did other things. The Nintendo Switch doesn't have a second screen, so perhaps the Poketch will be like the Pokegear or Pokenav in past games, confined to the menu as an option. This would be tiresome for players needing to check things like if their Pokemon laid an egg, or if they are trying to keep track of their steps. One option would be a quick access button that toggles the Poketch on-screen. This would free up the player to be able to do what they need while having a mini-map-sized device open whenever they need it.
However, ILCA and Game Freak decide to implement this important feature still remains to be seen, but another important question would consider what applications for the Poketch will return and what new applications will make their debut. The Pokemon Watch is all about convenience for the player so there is a good chance many of the more useful applications like the Day Care Checker and Matchup Checker will see a return in some form. Other touch-focused apps such as the Memo Pad and the Dot Artist may not make a return due to the lack of a second screen, but if they do, it will be interesting to see just how they are implemented.
If the Global Trade Station makes a return, allowing players to deposit a Pokemon for trade, then a Poketch application to show if their Pokemon was traded or not could be useful. If the Poketch becomes togglable on-screen, then a mini-map with more functionality than just the Berry Searcher could be useful. Being able to re-battle trainers and possibly Gym Leaders would be a great addition to Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, so if ILCA and Game Freak implement this as an option, then a Poketch app to notify the player when rematches were available would be a great addition.
The original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's Poketch came with a Pokemon History app that showed players the last 12 Pokemon they caught. This could be reworked into showing the player the available Pokemon in the route they are on, similar to the Pokenav in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Much like in Pokemon ORAS, the TV function is important in Pokemon DP, so being able to quickly access a TV app for swarms and rare Pokemon would be handy. The more recent games in the series would allow players to quickly access their social menu for trades and whatnot, so perhaps a Poketch app that shows the player what friends are online and their activity would be useful.
Despite the lack of official information for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the original games introduced many unique and quirky features that would be missed if they weren't included. As Pokemon remakes of the past would implement new ideas on top of or in place of old ones, it can be expected that the same treatment will apply to these new remakes of Diamond and Pearl. Hopefully, fans won't have long to wait before more information is released giving players a good idea of what's to come.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release on November 19, 2021 for Nintendo Switch.
