Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Reviews
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.
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.
Brilliant Diamond lacks ambition and will frustrate fans of Pokémon Platinum more than it pleases. Still, an extremely faithful classic Pokémon remake might be just what we need before Game Freak wildly changes up the formula with 2022’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
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
The original DS Diamond and Pearl were great back in the day, and 15 years later this new coat of paint makes them just as entertaining. The improvements may not be as drastic as some may have hoped, but what's here is a solid Pokémon adventure regardless.
There’s plenty of little life improvements but to me, and I realize this is extremely biased, is where PokéMon peaked and to remake PokéMon Diamond and Pearl this well is quite something. I think it’s hard to find complaints with Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl outside of simply not liking the formula of PokéMon. There’s so much to discover and do that it comes very close to feeling like living in the world of PokéMon and I suppose that’s all I ever wanted. Let me compete with friends on whose PokéMon is the cutest, see who is the toughest, and then let us hang out in the dingy underground digging up fancy gems together. Maybe when we’re done I’ll save the world from some evil group and catch some legendary PokéMon too. It brings me back not just to my teens, but to the feeling I had when I borrowed my friend’s copy of PokéMon Red and for a game to continue this long and still hook me after all this time is more praise than I can necessarily articulate.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl struggle on both these counts, meaning they can only really be recommended to die-hard fans of the originals. Luckily for any newer fans of the series, there are plenty of other, much better, Pokémon games to dig into.
The remake of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl gives us the perfect mix of old and new. A light-hearted story with dark tendencies spiced with all the improving elements from later games in the series. The variety is huge and at its best even addictive. However, we can't shake off that the character design itself feels a little out of place.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
With Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Pokémon Shining Pearl the fourth generation of pocket monsters received the most boring and uninspired remake in the history of Pokémon franchise. And this is a big shame given the cult status of Sinnoh region.
Review in Russian | Read full review
These titles will definitely please old fans who will adore the updated visuals, the Hideaway and tweaks to gameplay, that all make for an improved experience.
For anyone new or returning to the Pokémon series, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is a perfect starting point that bridges the gap between classic and modern Pokémon games. The quality-of-life additions make the game more accessible without making it feel bloated, the art style is simplistic and cute, and the gameplay mechanics will keep players moving through the adventure with ease. For veterans of the series, these versions are an easy recommendation and an excellent recreation of a fan favorite. With only a few exclusive Pokémon between Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, either one is an excellent choice for any player.
Brilliant Pearl feels well-crafted yet confused, like they pursued several disparate visions at once. If you can see past these strange decisions, you’ll find a set of pretty respectable Pokemon games.
From a certain point of view, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond is a remake that doesn't like to take too many risks, improving on the original experience without making any major changes. Yet this is also its greatest strength, especially for those who never played the original chapters on DS. The result is an authentic recreation of a historical title, polished and cleaned up from outdated game design elements.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remake the original Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo Switch. They're still lengthy, fun Pokemon adventures, but not much has been added, and even the remade graphics are showing their age.
In short, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are faithful remakes of one the franchise's best generations, despite some shortcomings. Your enjoyment of the game will heavily depend on your nostalgia or overall love of the franchise, so don't go in expecting a perfect remake. However, my time with these remakes was a fun one, and I'm excited to continue to explore the Grand Underground in search of a shiny Pokémon.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have their flaws and are not particularly ambitious remakes, but they’re somehow still fun. I don’t regret the 25 hours I spent with the main story of Brilliant Diamond, and there is enough post-game content to keep me interested for a while longer.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes that stick a lot to the original works, which turns out to be their worst mistake.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl are one-of-a-kind remakes, which in the morbid attachment to the past find all their strengths and weaknesses.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Loving remake of an RPG classic with a timelessly motivating gameplay, but which lacks significant innovations.
Review in German | Read full review