Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl arrived this month, the latest titles in Nintendo's campaign to remake the early Pokemon games. Based on the original PokemonDiamond and PokemonPearl for the Nintendo DS, which launched back in 2006, the remakes remain faithful to the original gameplay while introducing some quality-of-life and modern improvements.
One of these improvements is the expansion of the multiplayer systems in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The classic Union Room, which allowed players to battle and trade while within a short distance of each other, has been split into the Local Club and the Global Club. The Local Club offers the same functionality as the old Union Room, with some improvements, while the new Global Club allows for online multiplayer functionality through the Nintendo Switch's Online Membership.
How to Enter the Union Rooms in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl
Before players can head to the Local and Global Clubs to start trading with friends in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, first they'll need to defeat the starting Gym Leader, Roark. Once this is done, any trainer can head to a Pokecenter to enter the multiplayer rooms.
Each Pokecenter in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl has a pair of escalators on either side, one leading down to the Global Club, the other leading up to the Local Club. Once players have entered either Club, they should approach the nurse in the middle of the counter. She will offer players the choice to enter a Local or Global Room alone, with a Group, or with a Link Code:
- Choosing "Yes": In a Local Room, this will allow players to interact with anyone nearby who does the same, while in a Global Room, it will place players with a random group.
- Choosing "Yes, with my group": In either Club, this will allow players to enter a private room reserved only for members of their group.
- Choosing "Yes, with a Link Code": This option will prompt players to enter a code, and the room they enter will only contain players who entered the same code.
Local and Global Rooms in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl
Once players have entered either a Local or Global Room, the method for trading and battling is the same. To challenge other Pokemon trainers, players can press Y, select Call, and then Battle. This will allow other trainers to approach and press A to accept the challenge.
The trading mechanics in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl work in the same way as battling. Press Y, select Call, and then choose Trade, or approach other players who are already requesting a trade. Once players have visited the Global Club for the first time, they'll be able to access Local and Global Rooms from almost anywhere in Pokemon's game world, except buildings and caves. Simply press Y to bring up the option of entering either a Local or a Global Room, and battle and trade at any time.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
