Pokémon Brilliant Diamond review: Almost too faithful of a remake

Our Verdict

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Clear Pearl are remakes of good games, with whatsoever excellent quality of life changes. But Nintendo has practical those changes inconsistently end-to-end.

For

Fantabulous nostalgia trip
Great quality of biography additions
Good amount of pull content

Against

Inconsistent quality-of-life additions
Required more creative risks
Non remakes of the definitive "Platinum" versions

Tom's Guide Verdict

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

Pros

+ Excellent nostalgia trip
+ Great choice of life additions
+ Good amount of side content

Cons

- Inconsistent quality-of-life additions
- Needed many creative risks
- Non remakes of the conclusive "Platinum" versions

Pokémon Brilliant Baseball diamond/Shining Drop: Specs

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Price: $60
Passing Date: November 19, 2021
Genre: RPG

Editor's note: For this review, we evaluated Pokémon Brilliant Ball field primarily. Pokémon Shining Drop offers a somewhat diverse collection of Pokémon to catch; otherwise, the two games are identical.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are almost matched remakes of the original Nintendo DS games that came out back in 2007. The story is rather simple. As in every different mainline Pokémon game, you're a Thomas Kid who gets his first Pokémon from the local prof. You then go along a journey to pick up all octonary badges and stop a villainous organization along the direction. Past you battle the Elite Four and the Pokémon Champion to get over the strongest trainer in the region.

The games stay on the safe side preferably than winning whatsoever large creative risks. But these were goody-goody games back then, and they're standing good ones instantly. However, in that respect are some caveats to Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that check them back. Read happening for our full Pokémon Brilliant Baseball field/Shining Bone review.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Polishing Pearl review: Gameplay

If you've ever played a Pokémon game before, the gameplay in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is pretty much the same. You get off out your Pokémon critters against your opponents', and you engage in turn-based combat until you defeat them, surgery frailty versa. Each Pokémon has an elemental type, such arsenic fire, water OR grass. Each type besides has different kinds of weaknesses. Striking an opponent's weakness is the key to winning each battle.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl screen shot — (Image credit: Nintendo)

One thing to note is that because Impressive Diamond and Shining Pearl are practically matched remakes of the originals, the games don't have any battle system gimmicks. Compare and contrast with the third genesis of games: 2003's Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Game Freak remade these in 2014 as Z Ruby and Alpha Lazuline.

Those games incorporated the fight gimmick, Mega Evolutions, from Pokémon X and Y. The developers eventide had an entire explanation about how the remakes were on a separate timeline from the original games, where Mega Evolutions never existed before.

Information technology's a tur disappointing to see Brilliant Infield/Shining Ivory developer ILCA pretermit the Dynamax system from Pokémon Sword and Shield, even if that mechanic was divisive among players. Including it would bear definitely helped Brilliant Baseball diamond and Shining Bead devise identities of its own.

As it stands, I think those who played the original games mightiness go many of a beef out of these remakes than newcomers. Those who started playing Pokémon with the more new entries may regard Smart as a whip Diamond and Shining Pearl to feel a minute stripped-down.

Pokémon Superior Diamond/Burnished Pearl review: Quality of life changes

Some of the to the highest degree significant changes in Pokémon Brilliant Adamant and Shiny Pearl are their new quality of life features. These service streamline the games well.

As an deterrent example, study the remotion of HMs, or Hidden Machines. In the past, these HMs taught Pokémon moves that were of import for navigation, such as Channel-surf to cross bodies of water, operating theater Rock Smash to smash boulders in your way. The issue is that not all of them were multipurpose in battle. In particular, Rock Dash was a weak attack, but you had to keep it just just in case you required to employ information technology outside of battle.

Pokémon Sun and Moon were the initial games to move out HMs. Instead, you could merely call a random wild Pokémon to utilise Surf or Tilt Smash for you. I'm glad that this feature carried over into Vivid Diamond and Shining Pearl, as IT allows for more flexible team building.

Another welcome increase is the ability to admittance your Personal computer to barter your Pokémon in and out at any time. Other recent Pokémon entries also offered this feature. There's atomic number 102 deman to go totally the path back to the Pokémon Marrow. The EXP Partake in feature is back, too. All of the Pokémon in your party incur EXP, whether they battled or not.

While I felt ambivalent nearly EXP Share initially, I eventually warmed adequate to it, as it helped me level up my weaker Pokémon quickly. However, it does remove some challenge from the game, and I wish in that location were at least an option to turn it off.

When you bring up your menu, there's text on the bottom that tells you what your next objective is, too as a flag on your map that pinpoints where to go. While I have fond memories of playacting the underivative Diamond and Pearl games, I definitely didn't remember everything, including where to fancy each objective. Arsenic a result, I certainly appreciated this new feature.

The autosave feature from Pokémon Steel and Harbor comes back, too, but the implementation still doesn't feel good enough. Superb Diamond/Shining Pearl autosaves whenever you accomplish objectives, such as moving to a spick-and-span area operating theatre catching a new Pokémon. The job is that the game doesn't have a separate salve file for autosaves. As such, if you do something you don't like and the brave autosaves, then you'atomic number 75 screwed. Thankfully, you can twist autosave inactive.

Now, my biggest complaint is related to TMs, or Technical Machines. Like HMs, they teach your Pokémon new moves. HMs had unlimited use while TMs were single use. But in the one-fifth generation games, TMs were changed to become limitless use.

In these remakes, withal, TMs have been reverted in reply to single habit items. This is more succeeding with the original games, but IT's surely a rearwards step. What if I wanted to teach two of my Pokémon the same Thulium move? Well, now I have to choose between them whereas in the past games I could teach both of them. Information technology's a really problematic decision to go back to this.

Pokémon Brilliant Adamant/Shining Pearl review: Subject

Aside from the main game itself, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl offers a embarrassment of incline quests and post-game self-satisfied. In the Sinnoh Grand Covert, you can create Privy Bases and decorate them with statues that move the types of Pokémon you encounter in the optional Hideaway dungeons.

Hideaways are new additions in these remakes. These caves contain Pokémon that you usually wouldn't be able to find or catch above ground. More than Pokémon are available in Hideaways A you progress through the game, and information technology's great to have more options for team building.

You can too labour up items to trade with various vendors throughout the Rarefied Underground. You can acquire things like TMs (which teach new skills) or pedestals for your statues. Multiplayer is enabled as well. You sack explore the Grand Hole-and-corner with a friend, and visit their Secret Bases, besides. The Grand Underground is an incredibly fun distraction, in case you're looking to do something other than unpeaceful.

The post-game placid is nothing to sneeze at, either. You can stop more legendary Pokémon at new locations in Sinnoh, Beaver State true catch early-generation legendaries at Ramanas Park. In addition, you tail also conduct rematches with the Elite Four, and their Pokémon bequeath become stronger each fourth dimension (equal to a certain full point), which makes for an exciting challenge.

The Battle Hul is also a great Emily Post-courageous natural action. Winning sequentially battles can earn you powerful TMs, too as held items. It has the strongest trainers in the brave, so it's majuscule for players who want to essa their skills.

However, the lack of Pokémon Platinum satisfied is disappointing, since Platinum was the conclusive translation of the fourth-gen titles. The evil organization in Platinum, Team Galactic, matte like a real threat compared to the freehanded Diamond and Pearl games, ascribable a revamped storey. Additionally, areas like the Distortion World, which debuted in Platinum, aren't in Brilliant Diamond/Polishing Pearl either.

Most notably, Platinum replaced the fresh game's Battle Tower with the expanded Struggle Frontier, oblation even more challenges and send-game content. Unfortunately, this is another instance where Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl being almost one-to-one remakes really holds them binding from being great.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl survey: Verdict

Pokémon Smart as a whip Diamond and Sunshiny Pearl are firm remakes of the originals. The germinal Diamond and Ivory were already good, simply the current quality of life features pass an even smoother feel. However, those same features feel inconsistent. The decisiveness to not use the definitive Pokémon Platinum game as the foundation is uncomprehensible, at unsurpassable. This would have obviated the need for two versions of the same game, spell too incorporating Platinum's additional content.

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are still a fun ride, especially if you've played the originals. However, more creative risks power have helped the game really stand out.