Aug 182021
Today was the Pokémon Presents presentation, which I had certain hopes for going into it.
To start with, no, there was no Detective Pikachu news. The additional games shown beyond the two being highlighted were Pokémon Unite’s mobile release and the relaunch of Pokémon Café Mix as Pokémon Café Remix.
But let’s get into the main features, starting with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
There’s still no sign of the Pokémon Platinum storyline returning in Pokémon BDSP; some ominous lines in the trailer could hint at that but are also part of Cyrus’s Diamond/Pearl plans. However, I was also worried that they might cut the Underground mini-games from the remakes… but the Underground content is in!
These remakes actually look great to me (and I didn’t even mind the trailer’s zoom-ins on the dialogue).
The Underground’s mining mini-game is one of my favorite Pokémon mini-games, so I’m thrilled to see it return. It looks like there’s even more to do in the new “Grand Underground” now, too. Secret Bases are also back, which is great.
They also showed off Super Contest Shows, using Stickers for special Poké Ball visual effects, character customization, and Pokémon walking behind you. Overall, this trailer made me pretty excited for Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl.
Then they moved on to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Combat is turn-based, but with some new twists. Your speed stat determines how often you can attack, so it sounds like it’s more of an ATB system. You also have two different combat styles to switch between.
As for it being open world, it looks as though you’ll unlock new regions as you progress through the game and then enter a region to explore it. I think. Some people still think it’s a full open world.
You’ll accept missions at Jubilife Village, a hub area where you work as part of the Galaxy Expedition Team. Okay, the connections to Team Galactic speculated about shortly after the announcement trailer are definitely not a coincidence. Commander Kamado is confirmed to be an ancestor of Professor Rowan, so it feels like a safe bet that Captain Cyllene is Cyrus’s ancestor (although that seems weird to me considering what we know of Cyrus’s backstory, so maybe not).
Interestingly, catching a Pokémon isn’t enough to complete its Pokédex entry. Completing the Pokédex is a major goal, and you need to study the Pokémon through additional research tasks to complete its entry. Catching Pokémon also seems to have more of a puzzle element, since you approach Pokémon on the field, and large Pokémon appear capable of attacking the player directly, too.
Legends: Arceus sounds like it could be a lot of fun, so I’m definitely interested in seeing more.
What are your thoughts on the new details shown about Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
I’m very interested in the Legends game Pokedex logic. It seems like it actually digs into the idea of truly researching each pokemon by observing and interacting with them, instead of just catching one and suddenly knowing everything about it.
Yes, that’s interesting! Although I’ve already seen a lot of jokes about what that means for the more disturbing entries… XD
[…] Last August, they covered Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, Legends: Arceus, and a couple mobile games. […]