During the most recent Pokemon Presents event, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company dove deep into some of the features in Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. For the latter, fans finally got a glimpse of the character customization options offered by Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as the upgraded Contest feature.
One of the biggest upgrades went to the Underground, a feature from the original Diamond and Pearl. The existing labyrinth has been expanded with new features and locations that enhance the original Underground, but don't take away the nostalgia. The Grand Underground, as it has been renamed, also has the unique opportunity to solve one of the problems players encountered while playing the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.
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The Grand Underground Expands on Diamond and Pearl's Underground
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's Underground feature offered opportunities to mine for rare and useful objects, build secret bases, and play Capture the Flag with friends. It's a smaller feature in the original game, but Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are giving it a huge upgrade. Now, it's probably the most exciting upcoming feature.
Now called the Grand Underground, it is still a labyrinth to explore but is now divided by elemental pockets that will most likely contain Pokemon. It's not confirmed yet if Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will add any new Pokemon to the game that weren't present in the original, but the Grand Underground would be the place to do it.
In addition to the features it had in the original game, the Grand Underground adds more life and vibrancy to the game. There are more places to explore, including a beautiful forest, an arctic landscape, and a volcanic area. It'll be exciting even if there aren't new Pokemon- but there definitely should be.
The Fire-Type Problem in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
Fire-type Pokemon are essential and are one of the staples of the series. Because bug and grass types in particular are easy to come by early in most Pokemon games, so it's valuable to have a fire-type Pokemon on one's side early. Fire-types are also always featured as a starter option alongside grass and water, so they aren't meant to be passed over. They're one of the "main three."
However, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl had a big fire-type Pokemon problem. As always, there was a fire starter option: Chimchar. Aside from that, however, there is literally one other fire-type Pokemon that trainers can catch, which is Ponyta. That's it. Players who choose Chimchar as a starter can have a grand total of two fire-type Pokemon, but players who don't can only get Ponyta and its evolution, Rapidash. That almost makes choosing Chimchar feel like a requirement, but it shouldn't.
More fire-types become available after completing the National Pokedex, but tons of players never reach that point. There should always have been more fire-type Pokemon in Diamond and Pearl, but Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl might change that. The expanded Grand Underground might make a world of difference.
The Grand Underground Could Make Fire-Type Pokemon Accessible
With the expanded features and new places to explore- most notably, the addition of an underground volcano- Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl could finally fix the problem the originals had with fire-type Pokemon. It wouldn't make any sense to not have fire-type Pokemon populating that area in the Grand Underground, and it can't just be full of Ponytas.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl look like they're making faithfulness to the originals a priority, but features like the Underground are being made even better. With that in mind, few would care if Chimchar and Ponyta weren't the only fire-type Pokemon accessible in the game. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have done all the groundwork to fix one of the original's major flaws.
The absence of fire-type Pokemon in the original Diamond and Pearl doesn't make a lot of sense, and it would make even less sense to keep it that way. There are dozens of fire-type Pokemon that could be at home in the Sinnoh region, and the Grand Underground offers the perfect opportunity to let them shine.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be available for Nintendo Switch on November 19, 2021.
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