Last month’s highly anticipated Nintendo Direct showcased a variety of new games coming to the Nintendo Switch. Although the announcements for Splatoon 3, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword remake, and the porting of Hades, Fall Guys, and Apex Legends caught the interest of many fans, it was ultimately the new Pokémon games that stole the show.

Nine days later, Nintendo held the ‘Pokémon Presents’ livestream. Honoring the 25th anniversary of the first Pokémon game, Red and Green, came the announcement of a Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl remake: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, in addition to Pokémon Legends: Arceus and New Pokémon Snap. 

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl was originally released on September 28, 2006. The game was well received and held a nostalgic memory for many Pokémon fans, including myself.

Nintendo described these new games by saying, “Your adventure will take place in the Sinnoh region, rich in nature and with towering Mount Coronet at its heart. It is a land of many myths, passed down through the ages. The sense of scale of the original game’s town and roots has been carefully preserved and you’ll be able to travel through familiar locations once again. You’ll set out on your journey after choosing either Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup as your first partner Pokémon. In these games, you can enjoy a grand adventure together with all the Pokémon from Pokémon Diamond version and Pokémon Pearl version. Newcomers and previous visitors to the Sinnoh region alike can look forward to experiencing the original Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl stories freshly recreated for Nintendo Switch.” 

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the only non-remake on this list. Although it is set in the same Sinnoh region of Diamond and Pearl, only it takes place far before the original. Essentially, Legends: Arceus is a prequel. Nintendo announced that “the events of this game unfold in the Sinnoh of old” where “Pokémon live freely in the wild.” 

In the game, players are matched with one of three Pokémon: Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott. 

Players will “venture out to the different corners of the region…to create Sinnoh’s very first Pokédex. Even in this era wild Pokémon can be caught with pokéballs. [Players] can also engage in Pokémon battles alongside [their] Pokémon allies.”

 In regards to Arceus, “the mythical Pokémon that graces the game’s title and story,” he is said to have shaped all there is in this world. But how is this Pokémon connected to the player’s journey? 

New Pokémon Snap is set to release on April 30, 2021, while Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be released in 2022, as well as Pokémon Legends: Arceus.