Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Reviews
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.
Whether you’re a Pokémon fan who fondly remembers the original or a newcomer looking for a way in to the series, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond is easy to recommend. It may seem a little bit costly for a remake that stays fairly close to the source material aside from a snazzy new look, but there’s still a lot of game here. Even better, it’s enjoyable no matter your age, gender or skill level. Once you’ve started playing Pokémon Brilliant Diamond you really will feel the urge to catch ’em all. And the improvements here mean it’s never been as easy or enjoyable.
There remains about Pokémon Brilliant Diamond the glint of something far gone, and there is something warmly reassuring about the place.
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 Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are perfect remakes in terms of fidelity. They have a good job on that respects all the original aspects and improves a few topic such as the soundtrack or the new excavation system. On the contrary, excessive fidelity can also harm, stuff in certain sections is what happens to those games
Review in Spanish | Read full review
By eschewing the increasingly controversial design sensibilities that modern Pokemon games have imbibed, and sticking close to the design and spirit of a beloved, 15 year old game, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl deliver the most fulfilling and satisfying outing this series has had in a very long time.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shiny Pearl are both great remakes of the Nintendo DS classics. With fun little additions like decorating your ball capsules with stickers given to you from just about everyone, the ability to buy new clothes so our avatar does not look the same from start to finish, and other solid cosmetic additions, this is definitely the superior version and ILCA did a fantastic job hovering over that line of respect to the originals while also giving it their own spin.
It's been a long time since players have gotten to revisit Sinnoh, and all things considered this may be the definitive way to enjoy it.
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.
Although highly requested and competently made, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl prove the franchise is in serious need of a new vision. This faithful remake fails to interest or excite for a majority of the 40-hour campaign.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are a prime example when you play it safe. You stay true to the original game and implement some innovations from previous generations. However, these are not always in favor of the gaming experience, as there is no trace of a challenge. Although the fights look good, the Chibi Art Style around it seems visually unimaginative and no longer contemporary.
Review in German | Read full review
Diamond and Pearl are among my favorite Pokémon games and I definitely recommend them to those who want to return to the Sinnoh Region, which shines once again and is without a doubt one of the best setting the series has seen.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are not the best games of the series nor the bravest, but they strongly respect the original games and the ones who played them, and they do everything they can to show that.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond works better as a reminder of how far Pokemon games have come.
Overall, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are incredibly faithful remakes of Diamond and Pearl, warts and all. There are some nice new additions that enhance the experience, and the visual style is unique and quite good-looking. It’s hard not to recommend these to any Pokémon fan or newcomer to the franchise. There might be a few negatives, but none of them take much away from the overall excellent experience.
Represents the absence of many years of meaningful evolution.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are faithful recreations of the 2008 DS title. While leaving most content untouched the Quality of Life upgrades and enhanced features make this the best way to experience Sinnoh.
It's a great alternative to relive Sinnoh. It is possible to spend hours searching for rare Pokemon in the underground sections. But even as a new Pokemon game, it seems more logical to wait for Pokemon Legends: Arceus for a more old-fashioned, more eccentric experience.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
What we have here is a very similar, yet different, version of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl in high definition on Switch, but it’s not definitively the best version to play today, as was the case with FireRed/LeafGreen, HeartGold/SoulSilver and Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby when they launched. While it’s not a stunningly brilliant or shining remake, it is a very faithful one that plays it safe and is a welcome return to Sinnoh for those with fond memories of visiting on the DS — but I’m more excited to see what’s new in the region with Pokémon Legends Arceus.