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There’s a Pokémon Presents tomorrow – the Pokémon-flavored version of a Nintendo Direct – and I should be feeling like a kid this Christmas, as the announcement of a remake for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl seems almost certain. But I feel more like a kid on someone else’s birthday: I wish I could join in the fun, but I feel like it’s not about me .
For the record, I think a Diamond and Pearl remake makes sense, and it’s not like the Pokémon series’ first foray on DS would be without its fans. At the time, I loved it – I had Pearl, and my brother had Diamond, and I’m pretty sure we had a great time. But now, looking back on my memories with games, all the things I liked most about it were Ruby and Sapphire, or Gold and Silver. As a result, I can’t help but think that Diamond and Pearl were games that were played safely for a new console, not daring to reinvent the formula just yet.
Pokétch was new and exciting, giving players access to a ton of cool touchscreen features, like a calculator, notepad, pedometer, and the dowsing machine. It even contained some useful stuff for trainers, like the Matchup Checker, which would let you see if two of your Pokémon would spawn, a Move Tester to see which types are the most effective against the others, and a Day Care Checker, which allows players to see how their daycare Pokémon are doing without having to return to the daycare itself.
But the Pokétch was just an upgraded version of the Generation II Pokégear, which had a built-in radio and phone, and the Generation III Pokénav, which allowed you to see the conditions of each Pokémon. Likewise, the Diamond and Pearl Super Contests were a lot of fun, but they weren’t original, although they added new features to the contests, including dress up and rhythm mini-games, and changed the tactical appeal round to be more judge-oriented. These weren’t new additions – they were just old upgrades, made slightly more sophisticated for a new generation.
But one thing stood out among all the others in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: The Underground, a vast network of tunnels and caves that flowed beneath Sinnoh like an ant nest. It was like an entirely different game, hidden underground, in which players could search for treasures with a small battleship-type mining mini-game, set up their own underground base, and even try to set traps for other players. . There was a game of catching the flag that you could play – but I never managed to find anyone other than my brother to fly.
When I got tired of training animals to fight to the death, The Underground became my sanctuary. I was digging fossils and shards, rare evolution stones and valuables for sale. I decorated my secret base with Pokédolls and furniture, ready to accommodate the Pokéfriends I didn’t have. I would bury Spheres – the currency of The Underground – letting them increase in value, in order to buy even more Pokédolls.
The Underground hasn’t returned to the Pokémon series since Diamond and Pearl, and neither has Amity Square, the park where you can walk your Pokémon, and even find rare items and accessories – although HeartGold and SoulSilver and Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee allow players to walk. with their Pokémon throughout the game.
I can’t say that Diamond and Pearl particularly stands out from the much better, much more innovative Pokémon games that I still count as all-time greats. But remakes are often a means for Nintendo & co. to revitalize and polish some of the older games with new mechanics, features, and graphics, so the latest remake – if the rumors turn out to be true – will likely be treated the same. I just hope The Underground gets as much developer attention as I gave it when I was a kid.
Do you have something to say in defense of Diamond and Pearl? Give us your deepest disagreements in the comments.
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