The Pokémon games have changed a lot since the series debuted 25 years ago. Combat is one area that has especially seen a great deal of change, with perhaps the biggest one being the addition of Mega Evolutions in Pokémon X and Y. When exposed to Mega Stones, certain Pokémon could become suped-up versions of themselves boasting special attacks and attributes. The feature was absent in Pokémon Sword and Shield, but its inclusion in the Let’s Go games — remakes of the first pair of Pokémon titles — seemed to lend credence to the idea that Mega Evolutions could be making a comeback in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
There are no Mega Stones to be found inside the games, meaning that Mega Evolutions, once again, didn’t make the cut, so don’t expect to see Mega Evolutions of any of the Sinnoh Region’s starters. Combat in the remakes is nearly identical to how it was in the original titles, albeit with much prettier visuals.
While the Let’s Go games were essentially enhanced remakes of the Generation I games rife with new features, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are more akin to enhanced ports; there’s not a whole lot here that didn’t exist before, mechanically at least. While the foundation on which the remakes were built is pretty sturdy, unfortunately, it also means that many of the features that Pokémon has introduced since the original Diamond and Pearl came out are also missing.
