ThePokemonfranchise is seemingly more lucrative than ever. While the mainline series has always been successful on handheld consoles,Pokemon SwordandShieldon the Switch have had record sales. As of August,SwordandShieldare the third best-selling Pokemon games of all time, just behindPokemon RedandBlueandPokemon GoldandSilver— both about two decades old. Game Freak and The Pokemon Company are continuing to greenlight spin-off games like the Tencent MOBAPokemon Uniteand the on-rails photography shooterNew Pokemon Snap.Now seems as good a time as any to also pull the trigger on remakes ofPokemon DiamondandPearl.
Pokemon’s debut entries on the Nintendo DS (disregarding gimmicky spin-offs likePokemon Dash) are beloved by many and considerably changed the course of the series.DiamondandPearlintroduced a split between physical and special attacks that made battles more dynamic, and they set a high standard for polish and fine details. For example, select Pokemon could walk behind their trainers in Amity Square before the feature was fully realized in HeartGold and SoulSilver, and players could utilize the touch screen for everything from marking a map to making Poffins, or even shining their badges.
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While there have been numerous leaks andrumors aboutDiamondandPearlremakes in development, recent events for other Nintendo franchises suggest that 2021, the series' 25th anniversary, may be the best time to bring them out. That is especially true given the overarching pattern ofPokemonremakes up until now, as well as the fact thatDiamondandPearlare coming up on their own anniversary.
Pokemon Remakes Pattern
The first set of remakes for mainlinePokemongames was PokemonFireRed and LeafGreen, released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004. These games brought the story and region seen in the originalRed,Blue, andGreenversions into the higher-quality sprite style of Generation 3 alongside new content. Most notable were the Sevii Islands, which contained the new resting place of Fire-type Legendary bird Moltres and offered places to catch monsters primarily from the Johto Region.
Next cameHeartGoldandSoulSilverin 2009, updating the Johto Region into the semi-3D styling ofDiamondandPearl. These are arguably some of the most robust titles in the series, as they took aforementioned improvements from Generation 4 and went further beyond. Between the two regions found in the games, as well as side- or endgame content like the Pokeathlon and Battle Frontier, there’s an argument to be made that these games set a standard which has not been met since. In fact, the Internet rejoiced this week when a renewed trademark suggestedHeartGoldandSoulSilvermay come to Switch.
Pokemon Omega RubyandAlpha Sapphire, released as part of the sixth Generation alongsidePokemon XandY, did not receive quite the same level of fanfare. For every interesting idea they had, such as letting trainers soar across Hoenn while flying Mega Evolved Latios or Latias, it also guttedfan-favorite features likeEmeraldversion’s Battle Frontier. Still, the games did flesh out its characters more than the originals while introducing new series lore, so it’s hard to argue they were uninspired.
By measure of consistent timing, Game Freak is behind on putting out remakes ofDiamondandPearl. Instead, a second remake of the Kanto Region games calledPokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu!andLet’s Go, Eevee!released in 2019. However, the 15th anniversary of Sinnoh happens falls out onPokemon’s 25th anniversary next year, and Nintendo’s recent focus on Mario suggests there’s room to celebrate.
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Nintendo Anniversaries
Mario is Nintendo’s flagship franchise, and the red-capped plumber is recognizable worldwide. So much so thatMario helped announce that Tokyo, Japan would be hosting the 2020 Olympics— though that was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thus, it makes sense that Nintendo put so much into Mario’s 35th anniversary by releasing theSuper Mario 3D All-Starscollection, announcing a number of other games includingMario Kart Live: Home Circuit, and releasing merchandise likeSuper MarioLEGO sets.
The Legend of Zeldafranchise is turning 35 in 2021, and it’s likely there are plans in place for another big celebration of that. However, in 2019Pokemonwas deemed the highest-grossing media franchiseof all time, beating out Mario as well as massive names likeHello Kitty,Star Wars, andHarry Potter.Turning a quarter-century old is no small feat in the world of media, so the creature-collecting RPG series will likely be firing on all cylinders.
Games likePokemon UniteandNew Pokemon Snapmay play a part in the 25th anniversary, as will current juggernauts like Niantic’s AR mobile gamePokemon GO. In terms of new mainlinePokemongames,SwordandShieldhit shelves just last year and are still going strong thanks to theirupcoming Crown Tundra DLC. Once that DLC releases, there is a greater possibility for something new to come out. Perhaps a set of remakes that has been quietly in development throughout the less-taxing process of creating said DLC.
DiamondandPearlremakes would work perfectly thanks to the meeting of fandom hype and the marketing push for a major anniversary. Those entries in particular could also thrive thanks to the Nintendo Switch’s hardware. One oft-discussed feature fromDiamondandPearlwas The Underground, a literal network of tunnels beneath Sinnoh where players could excavate rare materials, build secret bases, and play capture the flag with friends. Recreating this idea with a much smaller, focused, and more polished version ofSwordandShield’s MMO-style Wild Areacould lead to great things.
Whether or notDiamondandPearlremakes are in development will have to be seen when the time comes. However, it’s safe to say thatPokemon’s creative team would be missing out on a great opportunity not to have something in mind for 2021.
