If the nearly countless game delays announced over the past few years have got you down, we have fantastic news for you: all three Pokemon games previously announced during this year’s Pokemon 25th anniversary celebration now have release dates, and best of all, they’re soon. According a press release published by The Pokemon Company earlier today, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl — the highly-anitipcated remakes of 2006’s Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl — are coming to Switch on Nov. 19, 2021. In addition, the open-world action-RPG Pokemon Legends: Arceus is scheduled to launch on Jan. 28, 2022.
In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, veteran Pokemon trainers will get the chance to return to the Sinnoh region and take on the area’s gym leader challenge all over again while series’ newcomers are invited to experience the adventure for the very first time. While the first trailer for the games reveals a much fresher look and feel, The Pokemon Company stated the original story has “been faithfully reproduced,” and “trainers can expect an adventure through the Sinnoh region that feels both nostalgic and fresh.”
However, if you’re not quite feeling the nostalgia, Nintendo is offering an exciting new Pokemon experience with open-world, action-RPG Pokemon Legends: Arceus. While the upcoming game also takes place in Pearl and Diamond’s Sinnoh region, it’s drastically different from the previous games in not one, but two ways. For starters, it’s set hundreds of years in the past, during what appears to be Japan’s feudal period. In addition, the Pokemon Legends largely departs from the established Pokemon formula. According to the press release, Pokemon Legends “takes a bold new direction, fusing action with RPG elements.”
Both titles will be available exclusively on Nintendo Switch.