Gen 4 Pokemon Features You May Have Forgot About Ahead of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’s Release

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl introduced plenty of great features, though some of the more significant ones may have been forgotten over time.

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Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are both coming to Nintendo Switch in the next few months, and the community is abuzz with the possibilities they represent. Fourth generation remakes have been rumored and anticipated for quite a while now, and fans are hoping that they can add a lot of modern conveniences to the old DS titles.

The reveal trailer and official statements have generated some worry regarding whether or not Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are being held to the same feature standards as other modern Pokemon games, but more will probably be revealed closer to launch.

For now, it’s better to focus on the positives. Generation 4 brought Pokemon forward quite a bit, and many don’t remember the specific features it brought to the table. Between generations 1 and 2 and the famously innovative generation 5, generation 4 runs the risk of simply feeling like a straightforward refinement of generation 3. However, it was more than just that. While the Super Contests and Battle Frontier weren’t new, there were plenty of other new features and mechanics that made Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum stand out. Even if not much changes in the remakes, fans can rest assured that these will remain.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Introduced The Underground

One of the biggest and most memorable additions to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl was The Underground, essentially a side game that focused on interacting with players outside of the (newly online and wireless) trading and combat. Early in their adventure, players were given an Explorer’s Kit, which allowed them to access The Underground from anywhere in the game. There were six separate areas the player could load into depending on location in Sinnoh, and some were incredibly remote. Players who were nearby could also show up in the underground, and their Secret Bases would appear somewhere. On top of being able to see the secret bases of friends and strangers, players could also play a game of capture-the-flag to earn more space in their own Base.

However, players without anyone else around need not fret, as this mode had a dedicated single-player component too. Sparkles and bumps in the walls can be found, and can have a wide variety of treasures excavated from them. Evolutionary Stones, elemental plates, colored shards, and even every fossil available up to that point could be found in the walls. In addition, players could find spheres, a currency unique to The Underground. They could be buried and merged to increase their value, and traded for a variety of items. The amount that could be done in The Underground was insanely impressive for the time, and no gen 4 fan worth their salt skipped out on it once they realized the benefits.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Refreshed the Series’ Look

Pokemon X and Y were the first time mainline Pokemon took the leap to full 3D visuals, and Pokemon Sword and Shield finally gave players full control of the camera in its Wild Areas. However, it was Pokemon Diamond and Pearl that first brought the main games into a 3D world. The series’ usual top-down chibi art style was fully intact, but the environments had been updated to use the DS’ hardware. Now, simple, aesthetically pleasing models were used for buildings and parts of the environment. Even battles got in on some of the action, with Pokemon Platinum bringing back the feature of battle sprites having an extra frame of animation. Portable Pokemon had never looked so good.

And that’s not all. The real-time day and night cycle, along with different days of the week, returned from generation 2. Now, there were different visuals for morning, day, twilight, and night, with building lights turning off after midnight. It brought a spark of natural beauty to the games, and helped immerse players in their world. On top of that, generation 4’s excellent soundtrack was expanded to include night versions of every route and town. Pokemon generation 4’s music was pleasant listening, and great to come home to after a long day of school or work. All of this served to make generation 4 a more pleasing experience for the ears and eyes, and fans are desperately hoping the upcoming remakes can recapture some of that magic.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Changed Up The Gameplay

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl came with plenty of new changes for its presentation, and plenty of things for players to do outside of their main quest. There were even a number of bonus areas accessible during and after the initial story. However, nothing had quite the same lasting impact as the new changes to the fighting system. Generation 4 introduced a number of changes to the Pokemon combat system that stuck around, and had massive ramifications for competitive play. One of these was that moves were designated physical or special based on the moves themselves, rather than their type. Also in play was the move category “status,” which includes moves that do not do direct damage such as Toxic, Recover, and Destiny Bond.

That wasn’t the only change, either. After a Pokemon fainted, its Trainer was no longer prompted to immediately switch in its replacement. Instead, they waited until the turn was over before being prompted to do so. This prevented a Pokemon from being knocked out on the same turn that the Pokemon it replaced was knocked out, except by entry hazards, and also made it possible for a move to miss because it has no target. That added a huge new strategic element to player-versus-player Pokemon battling, as they had to hedge their bets on turns proceeding in a certain way.

With double battles often being considered the main way to play competitive Pokemon, the ability to miss fainted targets was certainly a relevant consideration. These features originated in Pokemon generation 4, and no matter what gets added or left the same in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, players will still be able to appreciate all these cool features.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be released for Nintendo Switch on November 19.

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