Pokemon Brilliant Diamond

 Switch
User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 917 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 322 out of 917
  2. Mixed: 214 out of 917
  3. Negative: 381 out of 917
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  1. Gamerdingo
    Nov 20, 2021
    4
    Its a really disappointing remake. When people said they wanted gen 4 remakes, we meant platinum...

    Even despite the lack of obvious improvements, its a really clunky remake. It feels BAD to play.
  2. iSimeon
    Nov 23, 2021
    4
    "...Not so Brilliant or Shiny...not even close..."

    Warning: Physical copy of game is not full game because it's on patch 1.10 and with patch 1.1.1 comes everything else that was promised and showcased but it's not on cartridge. Anyway... Game will not put you in amazing Pokemon experience ... not even close. Visuals are not bad (as some say) if you can go past the chibi style.    "...Not so Brilliant or Shiny...not even close..."

    Warning: Physical copy of game is not full game because it's on patch 1.10 and with patch 1.1.1 comes everything else that was promised and showcased but it's not on cartridge.

    Anyway...
    Game will not put you in amazing Pokemon experience ... not even close.
    Visuals are not bad (as some say) if you can go past the chibi style. That's the decision that they choose and I'm ok with it.

    But! Game is lacking to provide you enjoyable experience. In fact it gets so boring after few hours that you are put on place where you have to force yourself just to play to complete the game that you bought. Quickly you come to realisation how much you are generally overpowered despite what choice you make. Which eliminates almost every possible challenge that this game could provide.
    After a short while you will start to avoid every unnecessary encounter just to continue breezing through game and even with that being done, you are still way to powerful compared to NPC trainers.

    Even more, if you add that there are literally not fighting animations, it get's even worse. Only reason why there are positive reviews is because it's Pokemon...

    Pros:
    - it's Pokemon

    Cons:
    - gameplay
    - cash grab

    Visuals: 7/10 (if you don't mind chibi style)
    Animations: 0/10 (there is none in fighting)
    Sound: 7/10 (since 1.1.1 patch)
    Controls: 6/10 (moving through options, running, riding bike with analog sticks is pain)
    Gameplay: 3/10 (gameplay is generally boring because there is no challenge at all)
    Value: 3/10 (this is not worth 60$, it's closer to 15$)
    Replayability: 2/10 (if you decide to take Elite 4 over and over again, otherwise 0)

    Conclusion:
    It's Pokemon game and if you are fan or like the genre feel free to try it out but be sure that you buy used physical copy (there are lots of them being sold right now for 30-40$) so that you can sell it afterwards. Why? Because you sure will want to. Even with that price you will feel ripped off.
    So get used physical copy, sell it after you see yourself and save some money to buy Arceus.    … Expand
  3. MoCBallyhoo
    Oct 10, 2022
    4
    Bruh peep this one! No really, peep this one!
    Nooo more Platinum-exclusive Pokemon!
    No more reusable tms!
    No more cross-compatibility between gen 8 games!
  4. Joko_96
    Dec 11, 2021
    4
    The game is avarage at best. Controls and menuing is really klunky. The TM/HM system was changed again from the perfect ORAS system. Whhhhyyy? You just fixed it. The game missed a lot of potential with not remastering platinum inside the versions. It's just really lacking a lot of great features that have been there in the past. As of this review there is no global trading system in game.The game is avarage at best. Controls and menuing is really klunky. The TM/HM system was changed again from the perfect ORAS system. Whhhhyyy? You just fixed it. The game missed a lot of potential with not remastering platinum inside the versions. It's just really lacking a lot of great features that have been there in the past. As of this review there is no global trading system in game. Also no wonder trade. That alone had me deducted 1 point. If its not in the game on release I won't bother for the feature. Period. Seriously games need to stop to come out with major features missing.… Expand
  5. Cancery1987
    Nov 27, 2021
    4
    Bad remake with lazy Graphic.
    Gold digger with no Platinum Remake.
    Disappointed
  6. PewPewMcP
    Dec 1, 2021
    4
    Remakes are supposed to take the best gameplay elements of the old games while brushing up on gameplay mechanics that didn't age well to deliver a fulfilling, up-to-date experience. However, Gamefreak once again demonstrates their utter inability to design decent videogames by selecting the least liked mechanics from old and new Pokemon games, stitching them together in to a misshapedRemakes are supposed to take the best gameplay elements of the old games while brushing up on gameplay mechanics that didn't age well to deliver a fulfilling, up-to-date experience. However, Gamefreak once again demonstrates their utter inability to design decent videogames by selecting the least liked mechanics from old and new Pokemon games, stitching them together in to a misshaped chimeric mess and bold-facedly masquerading it as a "faithful remake". Concepts such as 8 directional run are carelessly implemented to create a glitchy, softlock prone game that really makes you feel like you're playing Gen 1 again, while the chibi style is horribly leveraged to create some of the ugliest cutscenes in the series. TMs somehow are one-use again, while the unpopular mandatory EXP share makes a comeback, illustrating Gamefreak's tone deafness and general inability to sift good mechanics from bad ones. The long-requested feature of Pokemon following you makes a return, but the Pokemon scale awkwardly, follow you clumsily (often ending up just warping to your position due to their slow follow speed) and mesh poorly with the aforementioned ugly chibi character sprites. Affection and friendliness are now collapsed into one mechanic in a classic hallmark of Gamefreak laziness, and much like the EXP share, reduce your options to control how you play the game. The Poketch has been forced in without any consideration for how well it works in docked mode. And of course, your national dex is still stuck in a reduced capacity while battle animations remain as lazy and uninspiring as ever.

    If you are a child or parent of a child, this of course doesn't matter to you, you're still playing Pokemon because it's designed for kids. But if you consider yourself someone who enjoys well-implemented game mechanics, I advise you to turn away from this title. Gamefreak demonstrates yet again it has no idea what good game mechanics are and are instead throwing everything at the wall, not even caring whether anything sticks because they are in charge of the biggest videogame franchise in the world and they know it'll sell well no matter how little effort they actually put into it. As someone who has played every generation since Gen 1, I cannot in good faith recommend this Pokemon game.    … Expand
  7. Psychie
    Dec 8, 2021
    4
    A brilliant example of Pokémon devs pulling an Illumination and going for low budget, high return. The new stuff added is few, far between and mostly negligible (super Contests, woohoo). The foundation is inherently flawed. Did you want all the stuff Platinum added? Too bad. The art design, in trying to replicate the old games, regresses in a series that wasn't too great with graphics toA brilliant example of Pokémon devs pulling an Illumination and going for low budget, high return. The new stuff added is few, far between and mostly negligible (super Contests, woohoo). The foundation is inherently flawed. Did you want all the stuff Platinum added? Too bad. The art design, in trying to replicate the old games, regresses in a series that wasn't too great with graphics to begin with, and thanks to the EXP Share, the game is astonishingly easy. I was overleveled starting from the 1st Badge and ending at the Champion. The Competitive teams that the Elite Four and Champion carry only make an impact if you're going in blind, and I say all this with a self-added permadeath rule. No one died, how surprising.

    If you want to play through Sinnoh, just get Platinum.    … Expand
  8. Dandy_
    Jun 15, 2022
    4
    TLDR: Worse than the originals. Tons of missed potential. Overall worthless. Play Platinum.

    I'm a massive gen 4 fan, and these games are worthless. Pokemon Diamond is by far the most important game of my childhood and the one I've made the most memories with. To be fair, I would've preferred something in the ORAS style (granted I still dont like those games) so it might not be fair to    TLDR: Worse than the originals. Tons of missed potential. Overall worthless. Play Platinum.

    I'm a massive gen 4 fan, and these games are worthless. Pokemon Diamond is by far the most important game of my childhood and the one I've made the most memories with. To be fair, I would've preferred something in the ORAS style (granted I still dont like those games) so it might not be fair to compare them to actual remakes, but I still want to mention how pathetic these games are. So, I'll try to judge these games as "faithful remakes"

    So in trying to stay faithful:
    -They added the awful new friendship system which trivializes battles
    -Said system also slows down battles
    -HM system still way slower than should be (still useless text for Rock Smash, Cut, etc)
    -Following Pokemon are back and still lag behind and are generally buggy
    -Following Pokemon also make it hard to interact with ground items or HM blocks
    -Actually REMOVED content from the Battle Tower (yes, from Platinum, but there was no reason to at least bring that back things that made those games objectively better)
    -Subjective, but overall uglier than the originals. The translation to 3D using the chibi style from the originals did not land at all for me.
    And of course, the use of those 3D models again for the Pokemon. Seeing new sprites back then was always a treat. Nowadays, it would be a **** blessing, but I'm going off track here.
    -General lack of polish (which also slows down the game at times)

    The biggest complain your hear about DP was the speed, and even here they couldn't get that right. The speed was the ONE thing they needed fix.

    Reminder, these games are EASILY ACCESSIBLE through emulators. There is NO reason to play this over Platinum using literally any device you like through an emulator.
    So for me, the decision to make these faithful remakes instead of something at least interesting like ORAS is crazy and yes, even with PLA coming out almost at the same time. At the very least, they could've remade Platinum and fixed the above. Just tons of missed potential over all, even as a low-effort """faithful""" remake.

    The best thing about BDSP is that they provide a base for modders to build something actually worthwhile upon.    … Expand
  9. Black_Mullet
    Dec 29, 2022
    4
    Feels like a cheap indie game, I regret getting it, worst part is that it could have been the best game of it's kind (top down rpg) but the pokemon company didn't care at all. The game is just made badly, movement is bad, chibis aren't even cute, following pokemon plainly suck. I'm very disappointed with the way they massacared that remake. Worst part is that the modding community hasFeels like a cheap indie game, I regret getting it, worst part is that it could have been the best game of it's kind (top down rpg) but the pokemon company didn't care at all. The game is just made badly, movement is bad, chibis aren't even cute, following pokemon plainly suck. I'm very disappointed with the way they massacared that remake. Worst part is that the modding community has actually made the game a 9/10 with mods. I suggest to anyone that may want to play this game, find a good pc and play it on an emulator with some mods and you aren't gonna regret it. Don't spend money on this like I did.… Expand
  10. HerrWinstein
    Nov 20, 2021
    4
    These remakes do the bare minimum and charge $60 for it. Before you buy this game, know what you're getting into:

    - Poor presentation. It has a poor chibi art style, horribly converted music, and ill-fitting font. - TMs are single-use again. The game adds in multiple QoL features, yet takes away the most QoL-friendly feature over the past decade. Some trainers give multiple TMs, but    These remakes do the bare minimum and charge $60 for it. Before you buy this game, know what you're getting into:

    - Poor presentation. It has a poor chibi art style, horribly converted music, and ill-fitting font.

    - TMs are single-use again. The game adds in multiple QoL features, yet takes away the most QoL-friendly feature over the past decade. Some trainers give multiple TMs, but prepare for a slog if you want to get more in the post-game.

    - Like Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, it omits additions from Platinum, such as the superior trainer rosters, a fleshed-out Distortion World, and Battle Frontier. It doesn't even include the back button for the Poketch.

    - No extra regions (like FireRed/LeafGreen's Sevii Islands) or new post-game story (like Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire).

    - Removes or simplifies certain features, like Super Contests or the Underground Secret Bases

    - The games have a barely functional online multiplayer system at launch and don't have the ability to transfer older Pokemon at launch.

    - Like Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, catching older legendaries in the post-game is a tedious, luck-based process involving the Grand Underground.

    - The games barely improve on the maligned Honey Tree mechanic, and the post-game grind for competitive items and TMs is still a slog.

    - Like Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee, it lacks a proper random online battling system, so be prepared to face random teams full of Dialga and Palkia.

    - Only includes the first 493 Pokemon (similar to how Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee only included 153 Pokemon).

    - Inconsistent addition of newer features; it adds in moves and consumable items from later generations, yet removes most of the recent held items (like Assault Vest).

    - First Pokemon games since Crystal (2000/2001) not to include new Pokemon species, forms, or moves.

    - The Platinum outfits are locked to early-order bonuses instead of being available normally.

    (I won't mention the mandatory Exp. Share, since all of the Pokemon games are easy. I will say that the series is long overdue for multiple difficulty levels, though.)

    if you can look past that long list of negatives, there is some fun to be had. Walking Pokemon and trainer customizations are welcome additions from other games, and the post-game rematches have well-designed teams. Being able to catch a variety of Pokemon in the Grand Underground and participate in Super Contests online are also solid additions. Finally, the base games still hold up, even with all of the questionable changes.

    Overall, there's a reason these are the lowest rated paired Pokemon games to date. Decades of laziness has finally taken its toll on the franchise.    … Expand
  11. huguiringo
    Nov 21, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. El juego no permite un dificultad para los jugadores experimentados, en el apartado gráfico hace ver al juego una casita de muñecas, el avatar al caminar es torpe y el repartir experiencia no se puede desactivar ademas reparte demasiada experiencia… Expand
  12. Uncle_Flipp
    Nov 21, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When it comes to keeping their word, Pokemon Company is top notch. both Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and very faithful remakes to the original games of Diamond and Pearl. They are so faithful that they severely harm the quality of the game.

    Diamond and Pearl were great games for their time. They had a fantastic story, great characters, and the strongest champion ever, but the games weren't without their problems. Even the Pokemon Company and Gamefreak recognized that Diamond and Pearl needed something else to truely be a well rounded game with re-playability. That is where Platinum came in. Platinum added so many amazing quality of life features, an alternate and in my opinion better story line, as well as more post game features. So why is it that BDSP does not include many of the features from Pokemon Platinum that even the Pokemon company recognized as necessary to make the game better? This decision was a huge folly and if they decide to implement an alternate story line later to make up for this mistake, it better be a free expansion and not cost money.

    Next, I would like to discuss the graphics. The graphics of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have easily been the most controversial decision that was made for these remakes. Ever since the announcement of the chibi design is has been the most argued about feature in these two games. I won’t lie; I was one of the people who were abhorrently against this decision because it felt like a choice made to be lazy during game design and also felt like the games were going backwards, instead of forwards. Even though I hated the decision at first, the chibi design actually grew on me to the point that I don't hate it, but I don't love it. It still feels like it was a choice made to save time and cut corners under the ruse of "staying faithful" to the originals. After so many hours of playing I have grown accustomed to the chibi design and think overall this was a good decision, but terribly executed. In 2021, if you are going to remake a beloved game in a chibi design even though previously released games weren't chibi, then the models must look great, you need to use angles that make the chibi models look alive, and the movements and controls of all the chibi models must be smooth. Everything I just mentioned was failed on. The chibi models were poor quality and looked lifeless. Slopily, adding bouncing movement to certain parts of the model like hair and arms doesn’t make the character look alive, it looks robotic and poorly programmed. Also, the faces have blank stares and don’t move further bringing attention to the robotic nature of the models. On top of that the game tries to use camera angles as a wow factor, but the camera angles end up zooming in on the ugly character models they developed. Not every character looked terrible but a majority of them did. Any time you aren’t zoomed in on a chibi model the chibis look fine. Then you have the slightly terrible background graphics. Why is the upper third of the screen blurry like you are playing a character that is near sighted? The blurriness of the screen actually hurts my eyes after a while. The mixture of fast camera movements with the blurriness has even given me an occasional migraine.
    Lastly, I would like to discuss the controls for the game. There are three major complaints I have with the controls. First is the terrible reaction time between controller and character. If you are already going left and try to go right, there is a 1 second delay before the character even turns around. If you needed an example of good controls for a chibi, then look at Animal Crossing New Horizons. In ACNH The chibi model has a great reaction time between chibi and controller. This delay in turning adds to my second complaint which is the ridiculous “Sticky Wall” feature as I’ve come to call it. For some reason if you accidently touch a wall when walking/running your character will slightly be stuck and there in another second delay before your character can turn away from the wall in another direction. This is extremely irritating when you consider that the running is so fast, yet the areas are so narrow with tons of obstructions.
    Overall, this game is riddled with problems. There are indie games made by a team of 6 people that have higher quality graphics and better controls than BDSP. Which is a sad statement considering that Pokemon is the single biggest game franchise in the world by a long shot. The only reason I didn’t give these games a lower rank is because of it very few redeeming factors like it’s fantastic soundtrack, the Grand Underground (which we will probably never see in a future game knowing Pokemon company), and the fact that they kept the champion Cynthia at a high difficulty level. Unfortunately, these redeeming factors aren’t enough to make this a good game.    … Expand
  13. NepTunes
    Nov 22, 2021
    4
    I’m not having fun. I’ve been playing for about 5 hours, just arrived to the third gym. I don’t know what it is, but I am genuinely not having fun with the game. It’s so bland and basic, nothing new that’s worth talking about. Pokémon Sword and Shield definitely have their problems but they introduced new mechanics and concepts to the Pokémon franchise, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond andI’m not having fun. I’ve been playing for about 5 hours, just arrived to the third gym. I don’t know what it is, but I am genuinely not having fun with the game. It’s so bland and basic, nothing new that’s worth talking about. Pokémon Sword and Shield definitely have their problems but they introduced new mechanics and concepts to the Pokémon franchise, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pear feel so out dated with just a graphical update. It doesn’t hold up to the modern Pokémon games, like a remake should.… Expand
  14. Doug22
    Nov 23, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Yeah i had to restart the game because i got auto saved in the softlock ice section which sucks, also if you look at the character models when there not up close you can see there eyes are just crusty jpegs which doesent bother me a whole lot. And well its kinda to easy, it was so easy to the point i kinda just fell asleep on my chair while playing it since all i mostly did was just press the a and dpad button and mostly did one attack through out the whole game. The music was alright not the best but not the worse, except the battle theme for all the gym battles... that was bad. And theres not alot of new stuff for a "remake", mostly just the cynthia fight being a little harder but not much of a challenge. Also the game kinda crashed twice through out my playthrough but it happens to most of my games. So to me, the game sucked hard and felt more like a 3ds game and not a switch title which is sad. And the whole "artisticstyle" to the game looked terrible with unecessary close ups on the characters and very flat textures, giving the game a very unfinished state. And you cant really say its a artistic choice since links awakening remake did it all better with the chibi look, so that doesent excuse it. So ill give the game a 4/10, dont waste your time and money like i have, just emulate the old game on your phone.… Expand
  15. Rael15
    Nov 30, 2021
    4
    Actually I think this game is neither a remake nor a remaster.
    It's just fan mode games.
    Because this game has a lot of glitches.
    And, it hasn't change much to pokemon diamond pearl.
    Even, graphic is much worse than pokemon XY.
  16. notnoxi
    Dec 1, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. tl:dr Pokemon BD failed to give you a reason to play their remake instead of going back to your Nintendo DS. Every remake achieved this, but this time they failed to validate it. You aren't missing much.

    Excited at it's first reveal, I was optimistic about the team behind it and how they were taking it. However as the months went by, reality comes knocking my door. Outside Legends of Arceus, this will be the only time you will get to explore sinnoh again for a long time. Besides the questionable gameplay changes and other issues, the remake does the acceptable job of releasing Sinnoh to the Switch. But it's underwhelming for one of the longest and anticipated remakes, in comparison to how Pokemon Company handled their previous remakes. Traditionally, a pokemon remake is done with current technology in mind of it's recreation to show how hardware progressed and what it would've looked like if it were made at that time instead. You saw this with HeartGold / SoulSilver and FireRed/LeafGreen. BDSP misses that mark by not taking advantage of it's hardware and did not add much new additions to this remake. The soundtrack wasn't done much justice, did not take full advantage of Platinum improvements, and the legendary park is cool to a degree till you realize you could already do this in many of their previous games. Platinum DLC is off the table too as you can unlock the alt form in the game, it's also hard to call this a faithful remake when there's things they've forgotten, failed to capture the same atmosphere or color palette, or just changed something for no good reason.

    BD/SP works to introduce new players to the region of Sinnoh, but to people who played it when they were younger, they will be underwhelmed. Is it a terrible pokemon game? No, but it failed to meet expectations and it's not like they didn't know as they've been aware of how much people wanted this for a long time.    … Expand
  17. VaasCritic
    Dec 9, 2021
    4
    Un Remake bastante monótono y que no añade nada además de la tienda de ropa, un gameplay un poco mas rápido que el original además de tener un apartado grafico muy decepcionante incluso para los originales que estaban así por las limitantes de la época, pero ahora es injustificable. Sin dudas un Remake que debe estar en los tops de Remakes peor hechos
  18. wati
    Dec 13, 2021
    4
    Este juego viene definido por la corriente de mediocridad que se viene confirmando por parte de The Pokemon Company en los últimos años.

    El juego en si no es malo, ya que se basa en unos juegos muy notables, pero como remake es una absoluta broma. Carece por completo de nuevo contenido y rebosa mediocridad en todos los aspectos- unos juegos hechos sin mimo ni detalle, lo cual es una    Este juego viene definido por la corriente de mediocridad que se viene confirmando por parte de The Pokemon Company en los últimos años.

    El juego en si no es malo, ya que se basa en unos juegos muy notables, pero como remake es una absoluta broma. Carece por completo de nuevo contenido y rebosa mediocridad en todos los aspectos- unos juegos hechos sin mimo ni detalle, lo cual es una falta de respeto a los fans de la cuarta generación, pues han perdido la oportunidad de disfrutar de un remake que recupere la magia de los originales como sí hicieron con RF/VH o HG/SS. No solo son un calco de las entregas originales, si no que ni siquiera han arreglado los problemas que Pokémon Platino no tenía ¿Por qué basarse en unas entregas menos completas y pulidas? Simple, saben que con el mínimo esfuerzo van a seguir lucrándose igual. Una pena que tenga una fanbase tan poco exigente.    … Expand
  19. Dudewheremyname
    Dec 21, 2021
    4
    Yet another regression for Gamefreak, nothing new to offer and features in previous games/other remakes completely missing. You’re paying for a watered down, free to play mobile game quality version of gen 4 but at a full game price. This game only caters to the youngest and most casual of Pokémon fans, anyone that has played through any previous Pokémon game before this will be disappointed.
  20. Mookie6209
    Jan 23, 2022
    4
    While the graphical update is nice, that is the only positive about this game. This is by far the weakest re-make put out and is arguably the weakest Pokémon game put out in general. Quite literally a copy and paste. If you’ve played the original diamond and pearl, there are 0 reasons to play these remakes of them. However for someone first jumping into the franchise, these games can be aWhile the graphical update is nice, that is the only positive about this game. This is by far the weakest re-make put out and is arguably the weakest Pokémon game put out in general. Quite literally a copy and paste. If you’ve played the original diamond and pearl, there are 0 reasons to play these remakes of them. However for someone first jumping into the franchise, these games can be a good time. The 60 dollar price tag in general, is stretching it. 40 dollars would have been the sweet spot. The Pokémon game franchise and been in a great decline over the past few years, and that doesn’t end here.… Expand
  21. kiru64
    Jan 31, 2022
    4
    I enjoyed my nostalgia trip when playing Brilliant Diamond. Still, I was disappointed that features added in the Platinum version did not make it into the remakes. So they ended up selling the same game with barely anything new for $60. The only main thing added was the Grand Underground and Ramanas park. That's it. And the fact they would throw off the game's balance by giving players twoI enjoyed my nostalgia trip when playing Brilliant Diamond. Still, I was disappointed that features added in the Platinum version did not make it into the remakes. So they ended up selling the same game with barely anything new for $60. The only main thing added was the Grand Underground and Ramanas park. That's it. And the fact they would throw off the game's balance by giving players two mythical pokemon at the start of the game baffles me. If there were one thing Ilca could have done better with these games, it would have been to improve and differentiate the experience from the original Diamond & Pearl.… Expand
  22. Jameswessimpson
    Feb 2, 2022
    4
    So many bugs. Weird graphics. Lack of any real improvements. Honestly not worth it.
  23. Janitorjoe22
    Feb 14, 2022
    4
    Well, it's pokemon diamond, but without the charm. I really don't like the generic chibi art style in the overworld, pokemon contest are really bad now, not that it was my favorite feature. If this game was in a hd 2d style it would have been fire. The best part of the game is the music, great sound design.
  24. AprilLondon
    Feb 28, 2022
    4
    A deadly bore, all too faithful. Events present in the game and not even announced right away like Arceus or Darkrai. Absent the prodigious exchange and compatibility with HOME after whole months. Abandoned by The Pokemon Company… Unwatchable from the visual side and technical realization. Poorly made companion pokemon, much better let's go pikachu
    Hate: Excessive zoom in chibi characters    A deadly bore, all too faithful. Events present in the game and not even announced right away like Arceus or Darkrai. Absent the prodigious exchange and compatibility with HOME after whole months. Abandoned by The Pokemon Company… Unwatchable from the visual side and technical realization. Poorly made companion pokemon, much better let's go pikachu
    Hate: Excessive zoom in chibi characters in certain dialogues. Greetings point bar that drops quickly
    I hate the blur! unwatchable effect! My vision becomes blurry!    … Expand
  25. Cinept
    Mar 7, 2022
    4
    4/10. Another Pokemon game. As a remaster it didn't take anything good away but didn't really add anything great either.
  26. Eliqx
    Apr 6, 2022
    4
    The only thing about this remake that is saved is only the graphics. No noteworthy changes from the old games except the dungeons, just a homework that you have to pay 60 euros to get it.
  27. RandomNutmeg
    Apr 19, 2022
    4
    Honestly, mediocre at best. Tons of glitches and the following pokemon are a let down (especially compared to what Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee gave us.) I think overall it was a glow up for the original games, however it's a huge let down that there will be no Platinum version, and that the remake suffers from the problems that led to the original Diamond and Pearl getting a third version.Honestly, mediocre at best. Tons of glitches and the following pokemon are a let down (especially compared to what Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee gave us.) I think overall it was a glow up for the original games, however it's a huge let down that there will be no Platinum version, and that the remake suffers from the problems that led to the original Diamond and Pearl getting a third version. Though I didn't mind the chibi style graphics, I don't want to see them become standard moving on. I would be extremely disappointed to see a Black and White version remake with these graphics, as there would be a huge loss to the more serious tone and themes of those games.
    If you're looking for a Pokemon game to play that has some of the older pokemon left out in Sword and Shield, here you go. But I would recommend playing Sword and Shield or Let's Go much more than I'd recommend Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl.    … Expand
  28. mgon
    May 17, 2022
    4
    I had so much hype for this game, but I'm so dissapointed. Nintendo actually sucks.
  29. Eyean
    Aug 5, 2023
    4
    This game barely qualifies as a remake. The new content is very hit or miss, and the omission of Platinum content makes this 2021 game feel outdated compared to its 2008 predecessor.
  30. Kejoko
    Aug 23, 2023
    4
    I loved Diamond back when it came out. I was so obsessed that I've printed the whole pokedex before I could play the game. It is still to this day my favorite pokemon game.

    Then the remakes finally got announced after waiting for so long. I saw the presentation and I was shocked. I felt like these games deserved a way better presentation and a more Sword and Shiel or Sun and Moon like    I loved Diamond back when it came out. I was so obsessed that I've printed the whole pokedex before I could play the game. It is still to this day my favorite pokemon game.

    Then the remakes finally got announced after waiting for so long. I saw the presentation and I was shocked. I felt like these games deserved a way better presentation and a more Sword and Shiel or Sun and Moon like artstyle. I get why did this, for the mechanics and HM stuff etc. But it feels like this series did not get the love it deserved. At least we got Legends Arceus to fill the Sinnoh gaps with some more adventureous stuff. But I feel like this is a big potential wasted and I pray they give Sinnoh another shot in a new generation. Don't do this with Black and White please.

    I feel like with Scarlot and Voilet, fans are getting robbed from a magical experience. Yes the games are still fun, but it feels like we miss that love of detail we got in previous games.

    I still played it, and still liked it for the nostalgic feels. But the framerate and overal artstyle made me enjoy it less than the actual original versions.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 51 out of 89
  3. Negative: 0 out of 89
  1. Nintendo Insider
    Sep 9, 2022
    70
    Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are faithful remakes of the 2006 Nintendo DS games. They probably lean too much on the safe side, not achieving an awful lot to improve on the originals other than a few quality-of-life improvements. The improved Underground sections are a welcome addition, but the missing features from Pokémon Platinum are a big let-down. All in all, though, the Sinnoh region offers just as brilliant of an adventure as it was 15 years ago and the formula that worked back then (and then some) is still as addictive to this day. If you are a fan of classic Pokémon titles, this is a no-brainer.
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  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Mar 7, 2022
    65
    I honestly think ILCA's decision to play it safe was the biggest thing that hurt Brilliant Diamond. Maybe if it had included a few more of the story beats and improvements that were introduced in Platinum, I'd be giving it a higher grade. [Issue #57 – January/February 2022, p. 66]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 18, 2022
    60
    Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is a decent remaster transferring the fourth generation from Nintendo DS to Switch. The authors handled well the absence of the second screen, but in the case of game mechanics they could go a bit further.
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