During your adventure, you’ll receive a bike from the owner of the Cycle Shop in Eterna City—he’ll even let you choose a color! Riding your bike allows you to travel through Sinnoh even faster than with the Running Shoes. As you’ll see if you check the Pokétch’s Pedometer app while riding, “steps” traveled by bike still count toward things like hatching Pokémon Eggs. Whenever you mount your bike from your Bag or at one of Sinnoh’s many bike stands, you’ll start at third gear, which offers improved maneuverability. Fourth gear is harder to control but allows you to ride faster, ascend steep slopes, and get maximum distance when you jump off of slanted rocks like the ones found in Oreburgh Gate. Press the B Button to switch between third and fourth gear at any time.

As in the original Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, you’ll receive a Pokémon Watch—or Pokétch for short—in Jubilife City. This device, which formerly filled the lower half of the Nintendo DS, now lives in the upper-right corner of your Nintendo Switch system’s screen. Enlarge or reduce the Pokétch display with a tap of the R Button, or press and hold the R Button to clear it from your screen entirely. Tap the Pokétch’s big red button to toggle between available apps. Note that some of the Pokétch’s former features, such as the Berry Searcher, have been integrated into the Town Map. But there are still plenty of useful apps to try, like the Friendship Checker that measures your bond with your Pokémon (see Pokémon Friendship [link]) and the Dowsing Machine that lets you find hidden items. Best of all, the new Hidden Moves app makes using hidden moves like Fly and Strength a breeze!

Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl veterans may be surprised to discover that hidden moves work very differently now. As in other recent Pokémon releases, the classic Hidden Machine (HM) items have been converted to Technical Machines (TMs). In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, however, each TM can only be used once before breaking. Now when a Pokémon learns moves like Surf or Defog, those moves can be forgotten just like any other. And thanks to the Hidden Moves app, your Pokémon no longer need to learn moves like Cut or Rock Smash in order for you to remove obstacles in the field or travel across difficult terrain. That said, you’re still required to earn the appropriate Gym Badge before you’re able to access a hidden move outside of battle.

To use a hidden move, select it from the Hidden Moves app on your Pokétch. Certain hidden moves can also be accessed by pressing the A Button near the object or terrain you wish to interact with. If you don’t have a Pokémon that knows the move on hand, you’ll automatically call on a wild Pokémon to lend a helping wing or paw.

Dynamic weather isn’t merely part of Sinnoh’s charm—it’s a whole gameplay mechanic. For example, when it’s raining, Water-type moves get a significant power boost, Fire-type moves become much less effective, and the move Thunder becomes 100% accurate in battle. Snowy areas aren’t always accompanied by hailstorms in battle, but when they are, the hail deals damage to each active non-Ice type Pokémon at the end of every turn (unless they’re protected by an item or Ability). Finally, those who trudge through fog will face a major drop in the accuracy of all their moves. Luckily, by the time you have a reason to cross foggy areas, you should be able to use the hidden move Defog to clear it off the field.