Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Reviews

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is ranked in the 60th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2021

Like the themes of its story, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are solid and enduring – leaning on the past, with all of its triumphs and tripwires.

Read full review

No Recommendation / Blank
Nov 19, 2021

The original Pok'mon Diamond and Pearl were strange, uneven games. The remakes file them down to something still enjoyable, but textureless.

Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Dec 24, 2021
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond - Easy Allies Review - YouTube video thumbnail
Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
6 / 10
Nov 17, 2021

A cheap-looking and unambitious remake of a generic Pokémon entry that seemed bereft of new ideas in 2006, let alone now.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Nov 17, 2021

Catching, training, and trading Pokémon remains a blast, and Sinnoh is a great region to explore

Read full review

Polygon
Top Critic
Unscored
Nov 17, 2021

I’ve spent years — the better part of a decade, since the Ruby and Sapphire remakes on 3DS — going through the motions with new Pokémon games, trying desperately to fight through superfluous features and recapture the magic of my childhood. But the Diamond and Pearl remakes’ simple, derivative, and basic formulas helped refocus my love for a franchise almost as old as I am.

Read full review

GameSpot
Top Critic
7 / 10
Nov 17, 2021

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are comfortably nostalgic, with just enough modern tweaks to smooth over the rough edges.

Read full review

7 / 10.0
Nov 29, 2021

Nintendo, Game Freak, and The Pokemon Company have made some odd decisions with pricing their products lately. Unfortunately, for many fans, these remakes were a bad omen that these trends will continue. The series has been criticized as being stagnate, and even going backward with things like Dexit. New and casual players likely won’t notice or care that the quality of the games has gone down with the last couple of releases. However, longtime fans are feeling increasingly disappointed, and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have done nothing to assuage that.

Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Nov 23, 2021

If you haven’t experienced Pokemon Diamond or Pearl yet and don’t have access to Platinum, then the Gen 4 remakes on Switch might be worth exploring. Sinnoh has its own charm to it, and completionists will likely enjoy the endgame that is Grand Underground collecting. I just hope that when the time comes to remake Black and White, whatever team handles it is a lot less conservative.

Read full review

77 / 100
Nov 19, 2021

‎Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shiny Pearl are two pretty good remakes that will especially please those who did not know the originals. On the contrary, veterans may miss more news and, in particular, the changes introduced by Pokémon Platinum.‎

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10
Nov 17, 2021

I've had an absolute blast with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and I know there's plenty more for me to see thanks to their sheer size. With changes that lean mostly toward quality of life improvements, this is a firm reminder that Pokémon games can be extraordinary and one of the most enjoyable remakes I've played in a long time.

Read full review

7 / 10
Nov 17, 2021

There are some much-needed quality of life improvements, and the games are well polished and run really smoothly on the Switch. It’s hard to see newer fans finding much to appreciate here, but those that have fond memories of the original Diamond and Pearl will have a lot to love about Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Read full review

7 / 10.0
Nov 17, 2021

A controversial remake, which does not entirely manage to shake off the engorgements of the past.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Unscored
Nov 17, 2021

No doubt these will sell well regardless of what I say, but if you're not already dying to play these, I would save the $60 for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, due out in January.

Read full review

Nov 26, 2021

Overall, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are perfectly decent Pokémon games, but feel like a significant step back when compared to newer titles and the quality of previous Pokémon remakes. It relies too heavily on the Pokémon formula always providing a decent game, but doesn't bring much else to the table.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Nov 17, 2021

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond is like a warm hug, offering nothing but smiles and enjoyment throughout. Long term fans will find the quality of life changes make it even easier, but nonetheless, it's an otherwise faithful remake and a joy from start to finish.

Read full review

VideoGamer
Top Critic
7 / 10
Nov 26, 2021

There remains about Pokémon Brilliant Diamond the glint of something far gone, and there is something warmly reassuring about the place.

Read full review

Dec 2, 2021

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes of good games, with some excellent quality of life changes. But Nintendo has applied those changes inconsistently throughout.

Read full review

80 / 100
Nov 29, 2021

Pokemon Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond, despite ignoring some of the original's issues, is a great remake that runs remarkably well and sports excellent visuals.

Read full review

Telegraph
Top Critic
Nov 19, 2021

The new remakes of Pokémon's 2007 classics are faithful to a fault, but left us wondering why the creators have seen fit to remake them

Read full review