Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Reviews
As ILCA’s first project for The Pokémon Company, this is a solid showcase of their skills! The new additions and changes to this version are definite improvements, even if it means a large amount of your journey will be an easy jaunt across the Sinnoh region. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl is a faithful remake of the original game that will surely be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for many of you! So if you’ve either never played the original version or want to relive your time with it, this is an easy recommendation. However, if you’re not a fan of the Pokémon franchise, this game won’t change your outlook, as it plays too safe and doesn’t take too many risks to the established formula.
Well-polished remakes of games from a different time in the Pokemon franchise. + Faithful recreation of the originals that draws out their best aspects + Incredibly satisfying difficulty throughout, especially for the Elite 4 - Some bizarre decisions to bring back previously removed features
Pokémon Shining Pearl may not be the perfect remake, but it does a pretty good job of bringing the Sinnoh region to a new generation. The variety of content and postgame experience go a long way in making this feel like a fully-fleshed out game, even with the missing content. Whether you’re new to Sinnoh or a returning Trainer, I’d say you shouldn’t hesitate to check out Shining Pearl.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl don’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s still an enjoyable adventure to revisit regardless of the weird quirks. Those who’ve played the classic Pokémon games will enjoy a trip down memory lane. Go out, trainer, and be the best!
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl do the bare minimum to justify their current release. No doubt they add some new features and quality of life elements missing from the originals, but some of these are poorly implemented and many of the problems in the base games remain untouched. Without a doubt it's a good game and another good adventure in this ever fascinating universe, but we expected more from the remake of one of the most popular generations of Pokémon.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It's a 'remake' of the 4th generation Pokémon games - often called the masterpiece of the series. But I think this is more of a 'remaster'. Although graphics and convenience functions were improved, many of problems from the original were intactly ported rather than fixed. Besides, it is a full-price title. I doubt that the developers really loves Pokémon. It was an important moment to build up Pokémon franchise's era to new heights again, but this work was released as a spin-off which even fans of the franchise are hard to like. It's a shame.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Really, that’s the question at the core of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’s identity. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a necessary game, as it doesn’t change things up in a meaningful way. With Legends on the horizon, it might be tempting to skip it all together. What it is is a very familiar and self contained game. With all the interconnectedness of Pokémon GO, Sword and Shield, and Pokémon Home; it’s nice to have something that feels removed and “complete” on its own. That might take a little cognitive adjustment on what “complete” means when it comes to Pokémon, but for me personally I never felt like BDSP was missing anything essential.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl brings back the simpler times of the series and reminds us of how significant this installment was. It has been executed well with minor bugs, but lacks any challenge as it adapts many choices newer installments made.
Review in Czech | Read full review
15 years later the remake of Diamond e Pearl are good entries for a new generation of players, but it lacks important features to most dedicated players of the franchise.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
With the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl releasing in Japan in 2006, the 10th anniversary of the series, the journey to the Sinnoh region is back! Well over a decade later, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have been released as remakes on the trusty Nintendo Switch. This news was much to the excitement and nostalgia of longtime fans, the Sinnoh region a fond favourite of many.
None of the balancing issues are fixed, the backtracking is still as much of a slog as ever, and the roster of Pokémon is far from impressive.
After the divisive release of Sword and Shield, it comes as a surprise to learn how Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are actually really good remasters. Sword and Shield were unapologetic in their newness, with gameplay that may have been flattering for some with a new visual style featuring more faults than boons. Even so, the games still brought something new to the stagnant franchise. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, on the other hand, embrace what made the games as good as they were for their time, which ironically also means they fall to the curse of nostalgia. While returning to the Sinnoh region is a treat, and the visual upgrades are wonderful, its familiarity ultimately begets a lack of creativity. Strangely, it appears as if these remastered titles have been made to serve an audience who have yet to experience the originals or the superior Pokemon Platinum. In this sense, the games are quite good and they do manage to wonderfully capture the delight of Pokemon games from the past; but in so doing they also introduce a longing for something ‘more’ in the games to come.
Pokémon Shining Pearl was a nice way to revisit the Sinnoh region, and would be a great introduction to anyone new to the Pokémon series. For any returning players, the lack of what could be considered a “Legacy Mode,” letting players turn off the full party XP share, can take away from the “challenge” of the game. All around it was plenty enjoyable and definitely made more for fans who want to continue their adventure post-game and hunt shiny Pokémon.
After twenty-five years, Pokémon needs to innovate a lot more, even if it is a remake.
Pokémon brilliant diamond and shining pearl presented a wonderful and beautiful improved version with a wonderful world with a three-dimensional drawing style. It was a very beautiful addition to the game. Its biggest drawback was the presence of technical problems in it, but this did not prevent me from enjoying it. It gave me a very nice experience being a fan of Pokémon games and the JRPG genre
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond works better as a reminder of how far Pokemon games have come.
If you're in the mood to pick your Starter, defeat the eight gym leaders and then win the Pokémon League, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will scratch that itch of yours. But don't expect more than that. The introduction of Hideways in grand undeground expands pokédex, but lately they're a pain in the ass to cover the fact that these remakes virtually ignore all pokémon platinum enhancements and content.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
"Better to be safe than something else."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes of inconsistent quality, excellent in graphics and game system but lacking in content. Fans particularly fond of the series or the fourth generation will still find a good title that will surely satisfy them in its fidelity to the original titles.
Review in Italian | Read full review