Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is ditching a classic feature

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl and Legends Arceus will both lose a feature that has been included in every game since 1996. Game Freak looks to be phasing out the classic element after 25 years.

After months of silence, Studio ILCA finally revealed everything about the Sinnoh remakes during an August Presents conference. Although faithful ports, the Nintendo Switch reimaginings will also come with a flurry of new features and surprises.

Eagle-eyed fans discovered that Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl will actually drop a classic design choice included in all previous Pokemon titles. With Legends Arceus following suit, it looks like the franchise is finally losing the beloved mechanic.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl to drop classic feature

While Studio ILCA is taking the helm of Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, the Gen IV remakes seem to be giving us a look at the future of the overall franchise after one of its design choices was also discovered to be in Game Freaks’s Legends Arceus.

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Popular Pokemon researcher Matt ‘mattyoukhana_’ spotted the change and pointed out that both upcoming titles are dropping sprites for Pokemon and items. The pixel-based models have been used in games for decades, including Gen 8’s Sword & Shield which was released in 2019.

“It looks as though BDSP and Legends are doing away with sprites completely, as Pokémon display stills of their 3D models (BDSP), mugshots (Legends), and official PGL artwork for items (both games). Makes me a little sad because I love their sprite work, but I’m not surprised,” the Pokemon expert tweeted.

The researcher provided screenshots from the Sinnoh remakes and Pokemon Legends Arceus which showcases 3D models being used in the menus. While not the biggest change, longtime Pokemon fans will surely miss the retro sprites which connected even modern titles to past Gens.

Pokemon fans react to change

After the change was discovered, Pokemon fans reacted to the series dropping the old pixel-style models. Many were disappointed in ILCA and Game Freak for dropping the retro design which has been with the series since the 90s.

“noooOOOOO WHY,” a player exclaimed after reading the news. Another fan simply tweeted, “This is just sad.”

While disappointed, some fans saw a positive in the change. “I’m definitely going to miss them for stuff like menus, but honestly the other executions of them are really cool and fit super well.”

The Pokemon franchise dropping pixel sprites isn’t the most groundbreaking loss ever. But the retro models have been a staple in every game going all the way back to the franchise’s debut in 1996’s Red & Blue.

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If nothing else, the design overhaul is just another example of how much the Game Freak series is changing. Only time will tell whether fans will come around to the new UI look, but it will certainly be missed.