After The Pokémon Company gave an in-depth look at Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl during the most recent Pokémon Presents, a sharp-eyed viewer pointed out that the Gen 4 remakes do not use traditional Pokémon sprite art. Instead, both titles – along with Pokémon Legends: Arceus – use stills of 3D models and Pokémon Global Link artwork to represent Pokémon and items in menus. This is another departure in a series of many revealed for these upcoming games, a reminder that Pokémon makes plenty of large and small changes between releases despite being known for keeping its core gameplay intact over the years.

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The fourth iteration of the Pokémon franchise, Diamond and Pearl, is often cited as a fan-favorite generation of Pokémon games among long-time players. That’s a point The Pokémon Company likely kept in mind when it decided to remake them as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and set Pokémon Legends: Arceus in the Hisui region, an ancient version of Gen 4’s Sinnoh region. While these games seem to lean on nostalgia, they’re making alterations to the usual Pokémon formula on various levels.

Pokémon fan mattyoukhana_ noted on Twitter (via Dexerto) that developer ILCA is breaking tradition with past titles by doing away with sprites in the upcoming releases of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Instead of the pixel art normally used to represent items and Pokémon in the games’ menus, screenshots posted by Matt show what appear to be snapshots of 3D models and “official [Pokémon Global Link] artwork” used in their place. Screenshots of Pokemon Legends: Arceus indicate that developer Game Freak is taking the same approach with its 2022 game.

With Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Legends: Arceus removing ranked battles as another recent example, the series has continually added and cut features over its 25-year history, and the UI’s pixel sprites seem to be next on the chopping block. Some fans in the comments below mattyoukhana_’s post have expressed disappointment at the change, saying they lack the charm and tradition of the original sprites. On the other hand, some view the change as a positive move that embraces the more realistic visuals possible on the Nintendo Switch. The difference is ultimately small, but it seems like a divisive topic among those aware of the change so far.

Regardless of which side of the debate one finds themselves on, both ILCA and Game Freak appear set to move away from pixel sprites beginning with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Legends: Arceus. It’s a little sad to see a staple of the beloved Pokémon franchise potentially fade away, but hopefully the change allows for marked improvement in the visual quality of UI elements moving forward.

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Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be available for Nintendo Switch on November 19, 2021.

Source: mattyoukhana_/Twitter (via Dexerto)

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Caleb Greer
(62 Articles Published)

Caleb Greer is a freelance gaming news writer for Screen Rant and co-host of The X-Block Podcast, a weekly podcast all about Xbox. Before writing for Screen Rant, Caleb wrote gaming news for TrueAchievements.com while finishing his Bachelor’s Degree in History. More recently, Caleb completed his Master’s Degree in History while working for AmeriCorps to solve problems in his community. Caleb is a life-long achievement hunter over on Xbox, but his gaming knowledge and experience stretch far beyond Microsoft’s ecosystem. If he’s not writing news, he’s probably playing Halo or watching Dragon Ball Z. You can find him on Twitter @XBlockCaleb.

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