Mega Evolution was originally introduced in Generation VI of the mainline Pokémon games as a way to spice up combat encounters, not to mention give us a little something extra to collect. You wouldn’t believe the lengths I went to to get every Mega Stone in Pokémon Y. Since then, Mega Evolution has come and gone, appearing in the Gen VII games and spin-offs like Pokkén Tournament, then being replaced with Dynamaxing in Gen VIII. With the remakes of the Gen IV games around the corner, though, one can’t help but wonder if they’ll make the idea of Mega Evolution backwards-compatible. So, will Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have Mega Evolution?
Will Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have Mega Evolution?
Unfortunately, as of writing, we don’t have a definitive answer on that. Nintendo’s been a bit cagey about Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’s development, keeping the majority of elements besides the stuff that was directly carried over from the original Diamond and Pearl close to their chest. If they’re trying to keep these remakes particularly true to their originals, then Mega Evolution most likely would not be included, as it wasn’t added to the mainline games until two generations after Diamond and Pearl. As such, Diamond and Pearl’s original story and structure wouldn’t accommodate the inclusion of the mechanic.
That said, we shouldn’t write the idea off just yet. It pays to remember that Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu and Eevee! included the Mega Evolution mechanic in spite of being remakes of Pokémon Yellow. That game was from the very first generation of the mainline Pokémon games, before the Dex even had half of its current occupants, let alone any additional mechanics like Mega Evolution, and yet it still got it.
Also, and this is a minor point, Generation IV was the generation that introduced Garchomp. And if there’s one thing people love more than Garchomp, it’s Mega Garchomp. Just saying, it’d be a smart inclusion.
