Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Show That Customization and Inclusivity Are Changing

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are making a change from the originals that bodes well for the series’ customization and inclusivity.

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Category : Pokemon

Pokemon games are all about evolutions – be it the critters changing shape and becoming a stronger version of themselves, or be it how mainline titles tend to change over time. This often happens thanks to new features introduced in a specific generation, only for Pokemon games that come after to make the most out of the mechanics and gradually improve upon them. This is the case for character customization, which was first added in Generation 6 games, Pokemon X and Y. At the time, it was a primitive version of what players can experience in the most recent mainline titles, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and it’s likely that things will keep on changing in the future, starting with Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes of the Generation 4 games, meaning that the originals didn’t have any Trainer customization options at the time, but that’s something the new games will remedy. In fact, the full trailer for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl showed that players will still be able to change the way their character looks despite this not being an option in Gen 4, and it’s likely that the remakes will implement this feature in a way that’s reminiscent of Gen 8 games. It’s hard to say whether Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will improve on the model of Pokemon Sword and Shield, especially because the remakes are made outside of Game Freak, but customization being a thing means it’s safe to assume the trend will keep on escalating in future titles.

Customization and Representation in Pokemon Games

This change from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is so important because it shows that Nintendo and The Pokemon Company are willing to improve their new and past games alike with features that are more in line with modern times. Customization became a very important aspect of video games in time, and the ability to make characters that allow players to feel like they are themselves is a valuable asset that many developers have learned not to overlook. Because Pokemon games have always been made with protagonists that are either kids or teens, it only comes as a natural consequence that they never really picked up much on critical elements related to the LGBTQ+ community and its representation.

However, it should be noted that Nintendo did share an enthusiastic reply to a child’s plea to add non-binary Pokemon in future games, stating that it would only make sense for the franchise to go in that direction. The reason for it is that many times Pokemon are inspired by real-life creatures, and some of them too can display behaviors that don’t necessarily fit the binary view of gender and gender identities in general. Such critters eventually being added into mainline games would be great, and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl featuring Trainer customization could be another chance for things to change for the better.

Customization could open up a lot of possibilities for Generation 9 Pokemon games and onwards, as there could even be proper representation for non-binary Trainers, or maybe other identities and orientations, even if that doesn’t actually play a role in the games. Representation is key, and being able to customize a character on a much deeper level than just hairstyles or a few clothing options seems like the natural step forward from where Pokemon games currently stand. Still, while this is a possibility that Nintendo should be carefully taking into consideration, players shouldn’t count on it until it is official.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release on November 19 for the Nintendo Switch.

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