Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are reimaginings of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, respectively. These games were released on the Nintendo DS over 14 years ago. Ilca redesigned them for current platforms with help from The Pokémon Company. While some may argue that the original pixel art is still excellent, we’re talking about rebuilding these games on a high-definition platform. The choice to go to 3D has its own set of problems, although it is not all negative.
A Modern Re-Imagining
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are nearly identical games to those we’ve played in the past. The gameplay, plot, and characters are all the same. This version also includes all of the classic Pokémon from Generations 1 to 4. This one captures the narrative of embarking on a trip to the Sinnoh region to complete the Pokédex and collect badges from eight Gyms as a Pokémon trainer. While the Pokémon games have begun to exhibit signs of repetition, some of the quality of life changes made in this remake have helped to lessen this aspect.
Those who have already played Pokémon Diamond or Pearl will feel right at home with this latest instalment. It incorporates everything that made the original game enjoyable while also expanding on it with certain improvements that make the entire experience smoother. While some of these modifications may be contentious for purists, such as the fact that experience share is now permanently enabled with no way to disable it, they also make these games more beginner-friendly, which is a nice perk. The game shifts to new 3D graphics that take some getting used to, but after growing beyond the chubbiness of every character in the game, it is possible to fully enjoy the design of the different Pokémon and the landscape featured in the Sinnoh region.
I also observed a few more adjustments that I believe make this game more approachable. Any HMs (Hidden Machines) that our Pokémon learn now can be utilised in any situation. All that needs to be done is to capture a Pokémon, teach it the move, and then place it in the box. They will be able to use this move even if they are not a member of our party. It is also possible to open the box at any time during the game, rather than just at the Pokémon centres. As previously stated, these improvements have increased the game’s accessibility and eliminated the need to repeat some of the objectives.
The Quest To Complete Pokédex
Our primary character in Pokémon BDSP is on a journey to finish the Pokedex, which categorises and lists all of the Pokémon in the Sinnoh area. Professor Rowan assigns us this duty at the game’s beginning and lets us choose between 3 distinct Pokémon. The starter Pokémon have a significant influence on the game’s difficulty since they define how easy your opponents will be in the first few gyms. Pokémon games rely on elemental weakness, thus if our starter Pokémon is Chimchar, a fire-type, it will be possible to breeze through the first few gyms because it has an edge over the opponents.
There are eight gyms with their leaders. Each gym’s leader is an expert in a specific sort of elemental Pokémon, so getting to know their weakness is the key to victory. Even if our Pokémon are extremely powerful, having one that is vulnerable to the opponent’s element might easily result in a KO. This keeps the game tactically hard, requiring a diversified combination of Pokémon to complete some of the more difficult encounters.
While the pacing can be a bit slow, especially if you’re the kind that challenges every single trainer, and the inclusion of random encounters doesn’t help much, this can be managed with some items or simply ignoring most fights. The main quest might take up to 30 hours to complete with our character traveling across the Sinnoh region, teaching new HMs to Pokémon, and fighting gym leaders for badges. This continues until the post-game, which features Grand Underground, the chance to capture previous generation Pokémon and expand the Pokédex, and additional regions to explore and challenges to unlock.
A Nostalgic Ride
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl feel more like games that were rooted in a dated design. The series has already made its peace with random encounters, but they are present here showing a relic of the past. While it is possible to improve the pacing of the fights, these encounters tend to drag the pacing by a lot. There are artificial hurdles with HMs that force us to go back and forth between areas. The lack of fast travel stings here since every area has a random encounter with low-level Pokémon that could already be a part of our party or Pokédex.
This game is fantastic if someone wishes to revisit the Sinnoh region, which hasn’t lost its allure. It has a varied biome that includes caverns, beaches, woods, and mountains. The option to create a shortcut for some of the key items, such as the bike, aids in navigating across the various cities more quickly. Some of the extracurricular events, such as Super contests, might consume a significant amount of our time. They’ve been improved with a new customisation option that allows us to put stickers on our Poké balls. This contest includes several categories for various Pokémon kinds such as Coolness, Toughness, and so on. Once unlocked, a large amount of time may be spent ensuring that our Pokémon win, although these have no function in the main storyline and can be disregarded entirely.
The lack of touch functionality is one of the remaster’s downsides. All of the minigames have been redesigned for use with a controller, and they no longer feel as enjoyable to play. The useful app, Pokétch suffers from a lack of a dual-screen as well. It may be accessed by pressing a button and takes up a considerable portion of the screen. It was used better on the Nintendo DS, and its implementation here feels awkward and less entertaining than it should be.
Remember when everyone had to use a link cable to exchange Pokémon? This is now a relic from the past. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl both allow online multiplayer. Anyone can join a room or host one locally or remotely. This room can be joined by those who want to compete in fights or exchange Pokémon. The Grand Underground improves the online capability by allowing us to browse a large map where Pokémon can be seen roaming around. This is far superior to random encounters because it leads to an easier time capturing Pokémon for the completion of the Pokédex. The Grand Underground has lots to offer as well, including treasures, prizes, and secret bases for you to construct. The secret base’s reach has been expanded, allowing for greater personalization and allowing us to conquer other secret bases online.
Disclaimer: This review was conducted with a review copy provided by Nintendo UK.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are fantastic ways to rediscover our childhood memories, and the games stand up well owing to quality-of-life improvements. This is an excellent recreation that captures the essence of the original while also attempting to introduce newcomers to the appeal of these games.