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. AldoBaran
    Jun 13, 2023
    6
    This game is a pretty good representation of its original version of 2006. When a Pokémon game is launched expectations are very high, however in this specific situation the marketing campaign did what he had to do: it represented a game that wanted to be nothing more and nothing less than the game of 2006. The graphic rendering is rewarding and clean and, in my personal opinion,This game is a pretty good representation of its original version of 2006. When a Pokémon game is launched expectations are very high, however in this specific situation the marketing campaign did what he had to do: it represented a game that wanted to be nothing more and nothing less than the game of 2006. The graphic rendering is rewarding and clean and, in my personal opinion, represents a plus that must necessarily contextualized in a chibi style of NPC. Therefore I believe that despite this chibi style is not completely elegant, I think that the overall view it is pleasant. Do I recommend to play this game? My answer is yes if you want to relive a somewhat nostalgic experience. My answer is yes if you want to see why this brand is so successful (as it contains all the strengths of Pokémon games). Grand underground: necessary but at the same time annoying. Compared to Swsh raids this part of the game becomes obsolete very quickly. For the same reason I do not recommend the game for its "online part". Overall, therefore, ILCA needed to "pull the trigger" for those elements in the post game and for those elements that needed to be modified compared to 2006 (online is the best example). On the other hand the game is satisfactory. The initial selling price does not, however, represent its true value.… Expand
  2. miguellopez99
    Jun 1, 2023
    5
    45/100 half-assed remake .
  3. Marioipod13
    May 25, 2023
    5
    It's... a very good start but it is lacking extra features that were the reasons why I liked past remakes. The graphics don't bother me whatsoever but the fact they kept the dex cut since Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, and didn't add Platinum's content to the postgame, and removed several moves that balanced the game (Pursuit, Hidden Power [except on Unown which you shouldn't use anyway],It's... a very good start but it is lacking extra features that were the reasons why I liked past remakes. The graphics don't bother me whatsoever but the fact they kept the dex cut since Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, and didn't add Platinum's content to the postgame, and removed several moves that balanced the game (Pursuit, Hidden Power [except on Unown which you shouldn't use anyway], etc).... Play Platinum instead honestly. It's less than half the price, it has better content and storyline, and isn't on an overpriced console.… Expand
  4. Napior
    May 20, 2023
    7
    There are definitely improvements on the original to keep up in this fast-paced world. Image quality is only okay.
  5. proJRgamer
    May 10, 2023
    5
    No me gusta darle esta nota, pero creo que es justo. Hay un buen trabajo por detrás, pero creo que si en vez de que hubiera sido ILCA el que lo hubiera hecho, hubiera sido 100% de GameFreak no tendremos este mismo resultado. Me lo pasé y lo abandoné. No como el original.
  6. Christian_TV
    Apr 15, 2023
    7
    For me, this is a remake done right.
    Sure, I would have liked ILCA to add more to the original game. But it's just a faithful remake that just rejuvenates the old product.
    Yes, the progression in the game is really fast. But in fact, like all pokemon games of the last 7 years.
  7. Mrpokemon
    Feb 25, 2023
    6
    This Pokémon game is not very fun my starter choice was easy chimchar is the only good one and this game is annoying and hard but there where no bugs
  8. BirdPs4
    Feb 4, 2023
    5
    This game was supposed to be amazing after we waited so many years for a remake...only to get this piece of **** that is just a money grab the devs copy pasted from the originals.
  9. Mythycal6
    Jan 31, 2023
    5
    As someone who has not played a generation 4 game before, this experience was ok. nothing about it interested me. the experience for me was just another pokemon game, and certainly not an amazing one. just "meh."
  10. Satsoku
    Jan 8, 2023
    6
    I feel like these remakes were a miss opportunity. They are faithful to the original Diamond and Pearl respectively, however, they felt soulless and forgettable compared to the originals, or Platinum even. Playable, but that's about it.
  11. Moustique
    Dec 22, 2022
    5
    Not a special remake. There are way better remakes like HGSS or ORAS. You better play Platinum than these remakes. They literally added nothing to me.
  12. ElSmasher
    Dec 17, 2022
    6
    Pokemon Brillant Diamond and Shining Pearl are just remakes to be sold. We still keep the very good luck of the fourth generation with graphics updated at the end of the day. Unfortunately it’s not enough, the game only innovates with a falcultative cave system and graphics that are in mode (chibi) without any real effort. Unlike ROSA, the game does the strict minimum and it’s a shame,Pokemon Brillant Diamond and Shining Pearl are just remakes to be sold. We still keep the very good luck of the fourth generation with graphics updated at the end of the day. Unfortunately it’s not enough, the game only innovates with a falcultative cave system and graphics that are in mode (chibi) without any real effort. Unlike ROSA, the game does the strict minimum and it’s a shame, because in itself, the basic game is excellent...… Expand
  13. dan_filthy
    Dec 16, 2022
    7
    Pokemon for quite a while has been a stagnate franchise. Refusing to make changes to a already proven formula. Obviously the nostalgia brought back by diamond is what got me to play it, and all in all it succeeds in repeating those same feelings back then when I played it as a child. If you like Pokemon, then you will probably like this game. If your hoping new ideas or even a challenge IPokemon for quite a while has been a stagnate franchise. Refusing to make changes to a already proven formula. Obviously the nostalgia brought back by diamond is what got me to play it, and all in all it succeeds in repeating those same feelings back then when I played it as a child. If you like Pokemon, then you will probably like this game. If your hoping new ideas or even a challenge I recommend giving up that notion, these games are for children.… Expand
  14. xSpOokie
    Dec 2, 2022
    7
    People giving 0 rating just because they wanted the remake of pokemon platinum , stop crying , this game is really good , was a good remake , for every pokemon fan , This game is essential for your collection , however i recommend you buying first pokemon let's go , and sword/shield!
  15. LeJanman
    Nov 29, 2022
    6
    Man hätte mehr aus den Remakes rausholen können. Es ist nicht das was ich mir erträumt habe für meine zweit Lieblings Gen.
  16. r0haan
    Nov 20, 2022
    7
    Overall - 7/10
    Difficulty - Easy
    Platform - Nintendo Switch
    Replay Value - 7/10
    Gameplay - 6/10
    Hours Played - 15 hrs

    Extra Notes: I enjoyed it, some parts were too easy and I had to consciously not over level but other than that I had a fun time playing the game.
  17. aSkorm
    Nov 2, 2022
    7
    First of all, this is my first playthrough of gen 4 so I'm not comparing this to the original game.

    So, far I'm about 8 hours in and I enjoying myself quite a bit. It has the usual charm that you'd expect from a Pokemon game. I'm glad we have some quality of life improvements that I'm pretty sure were not there before but this game is also a pretty big downgrade when compared with    First of all, this is my first playthrough of gen 4 so I'm not comparing this to the original game.

    So, far I'm about 8 hours in and I enjoying myself quite a bit.
    It has the usual charm that you'd expect from a Pokemon game.

    I'm glad we have some quality of life improvements that I'm pretty sure were not there before but this game is also a pretty big downgrade when compared with Sword and Shield.

    The graphics are not great. The chiby aesthetic is pretty ugly. It's annoying how the game constantly switches between regular, big models and chiby stuff during play.
    When gen 3 got a remake, it looked like latest gen games, not something much older.

    There are also no more pokemon roaming in the overworld, sadly. When Let's go introduced that, I was expecting it to stick for all future titles.

    Needless to say, it has all the usual issues of pokemon games. Easy, boring training battles, repetitive models, predictable story, etc.

    All in all, I'm still finding it fun but if you've played gen 4 already or if you didn't like any of the previous games, I'd stay away from it.    … Expand
  18. Skinnytub
    Oct 22, 2022
    6
    This game is exactly what it says it is, a remake of Pokemon Diamond & Pearl. However, what makes this game disappointing is that it is missing all the great features from Pokemon Platinum. While the game is a good remake of Diamond & Pearl, it felt very rushed. For example the remake only includes pokemon up to generation 4, when we are up to generation 8. Also the game has a weird artThis game is exactly what it says it is, a remake of Pokemon Diamond & Pearl. However, what makes this game disappointing is that it is missing all the great features from Pokemon Platinum. While the game is a good remake of Diamond & Pearl, it felt very rushed. For example the remake only includes pokemon up to generation 4, when we are up to generation 8. Also the game has a weird art style which kinda suits the game but also makes it feel cheap, which I was not a fan of.

    This game is not a bad game at all, but it could have been a 10/10 if it had the features from Pokemon Platinum and included new pokemon past Gen 4. While i enjoyed playing the game and have over 100 hours in it, i'm left annoyed knowing that the game didn't get the remake it deserved.    … Expand
  19. Daniel1516
    Oct 8, 2022
    5
    La verdad en cierta forma esta bien . .
  20. EasyGamerBoi
    Dec 4, 2021
    5
    These games (& Platinum) were such MASSIVE parts of my childhood that I still love Pokémon to this day, but that’s not to say they don’t try EXTREMELY hard to shake that love out of me with nearly every release this decade. These aren’t trainwrecks like Sword & Shield or LGPE, they’re quite literally the same games we played almost 20 years ago with a new coat of paint which is fine.. ButThese games (& Platinum) were such MASSIVE parts of my childhood that I still love Pokémon to this day, but that’s not to say they don’t try EXTREMELY hard to shake that love out of me with nearly every release this decade. These aren’t trainwrecks like Sword & Shield or LGPE, they’re quite literally the same games we played almost 20 years ago with a new coat of paint which is fine.. But to call these games remakes is a borderline insult, REMASTER is much more fitting but even then they really didn’t deliver in the way TPC has with the previous remakes. This is such a disappointment guys, my favorite Gen feels so.. hollow & soulless. The sad part is we all saw it coming since that abysmal reveal trailer back in February followed by a suspiciously long amount of radio silence on the game, what’s sadder is by being Gen 4 remasters they’re kinda the best Pokémon games to come out since the end of Gen 5 by default, remnants of a bygone era when TPC cared about their games. I can try to find positives.. if you liked Sinnoh then nothing changed, you’re still gonna love the region & all the Pokémon in it even though you’ll see the same ones 10 million times in the campaign. Things in Sinnoh don’t fully open up until the Post Game which is still one of the best in the series. The new OST is mostly good, a lot of hit or miss tracks thanks to a lower budget but the remixes that they got right, they KNOCKED out of the park (ex. Cynthia, Giratina, etc). Speaking of Cynthia, she’s as brutal as ever! I never had issues with her as a kid somehow (had a lot of trouble with Lucian instead) but this time she was on my NECK, I was genuinely shaking & sweating for my Pokémon’s lives. I literally can’t remember the last time I lost against an in-game trainer, it was EXHILARATING. For as heavily Pokémon uses nostalgia as a crutch for their stupid design choices, keeping everything the same here had me remembering things from playing these games in 2007 somehow! I would remember a different way to proceed through a route or a hidden item laying somewhere, all just coming to me naturally while exploring the world, I thought that was really neat. The graphics being at a smaller scale also look a lot better than they did in the sometimes hideous Sword & Shield. But for negatives we have a lot to unpack here. Firstly, this game is BUGGY as hell. It was very obviously rushed, the day 1 patch was over half the game but the level of bugginess is INEXCUSABLE from a billion dollar franchise like Pokémon. I’m talking over half the time you try to start the game from the Switch menu, you’ll get a “something went wrong” error & restart the very long wait time to get to the title screen, should I mention how many times this game has just randomly crashed in gameplay too? Despite an auto-save system, it can be wonky & not save for long stretches for some reason, leading to lost progress & anger. The chibi art style is lame too, I don’t care if that’s how it was in the original games, it was left in the past for a reason. It’s a bad sign when Cyrus is trying to destroy the universe & your immersion is shattered as it shows his tiny chibi model, expected to take any of this semi-seriously is impossible. Yes the game is still fun to play & I’d rather play it over the originals, but the general consensus around this game is that it should’ve been a PLATINUM remake, or at least have the enhancements brought by the Platinum re-release. This game is horribly unbalanced & retains so many of the asinine gameplay decisions that were weird & stupid even in 2006-7. BDSP REEKS of a lack of effort & passion, which is a blow to the gut for people like me who just watched their favorite Gen get the “who cares it’ll print money anyway” treatment that is indicative of every modern Pokémon release of the last 10 years, & I’d still defend Sun & Moon most days of the week! At this point I can’t be convinced otherwise that Pokémon is headed for a major crash, they’ll sell well regardless, but it will be tossed in with the likes of Call of Duty & other milked to the max franchises that even the developers don’t care about anymore, being crunched beyond what should be legal to deliver passionless projects year after year, & looking at Legends Arceus coming in the dump month of January… I doubt that can save it unless it completely reinvents the franchise, which we know Nintendo & TPC will probably never do until their wallets start to hurt. It’s a shame, compared to every remake we got from Pokémon before excluding LGPE, these remakes COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH MORE like ORAS was, & we shouldn’t feel bad demanding more from a franchise that is comfortable doing less than the bare minimum. This isn’t “ungrateful” behavior, these games are not gifts. They are products. We deserve better.… Expand
  21. DarthJ
    Aug 28, 2022
    6
    The game looks like a mobile grind free to play. The original game has a soul, but this ramake does not.
  22. Why_username
    Jan 23, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Its not a bad game, its just TOO much faithful… i mean: EVERYTHING on Diamond & Pearl will be on Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, even bad things like the **** trade mechanic (Union Room). Another problem is the VERY LOW FPS… seriously, why 15-30 FPS in a 2021/2022 game? Why not 60-120 FPS? I hope the game get a patch to “fix” the FPS. And another thing is the Battle Tower… it’s boring because you can’t use Mythical or Major Legendary Pokémon and its just take a Shell Smash Focus Sash Blastoise and you will win every battle.

    Edit: FINALLY BD&SP got the GTS via Pokémon Home.    … Expand
  23. MunhozMCM
    Jul 28, 2022
    5
    My Score:

    (5) - Average.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Pretty average, I personally would say it is pretty uninspired.
  24. AShinyG1ratina
    Jun 21, 2022
    6
    WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too faithful of a remake for my tastes lmao
  25. GreenMenace
    Jun 13, 2022
    6
    Pokemon BDSP shouldn’t be your first Pokemon experience—it offers a greater challenge than other games, yes, but it fails to provide the quality of life changes seen by recent Pokemon games. Pokemon BDSP is a mixed bag. On one hand, the game looks good. On the other, it reverts back to problematic, out of date issues.

    Pros Game looks good Access to Mythical Pokemon Difficulty Cons    Pokemon BDSP shouldn’t be your first Pokemon experience—it offers a greater challenge than other games, yes, but it fails to provide the quality of life changes seen by recent Pokemon games. Pokemon BDSP is a mixed bag. On one hand, the game looks good. On the other, it reverts back to problematic, out of date issues.

    Pros
    Game looks good
    Access to Mythical Pokemon
    Difficulty

    Cons
    Shiny Hunting
    Time Clock
    Based on Platinum version, but doesn’t contain all of Platinum’s features
    Nothing New

    I enjoyed BDSP. It looks bland, but it certainly looks better than many recent Pokemon games. And yes, I usually hate the chibi art style. I probably would have given Link’s Awakening a 9 and played it more than once if not for the chibi art style. It’s a little too cute for me to want to spend hours in it. But the Chibi art style doesn't bother me in this game--it doesn't feel like its crammed down my throat since the main action part of the game is in Pokemon battles.

    The battles in BDSP feature Pokemon that utilize strategies used by competitive Pokemon players, which means that this game contained the most challenging and rewarding standard Pokemon battles. Pokemon contests make a return, allowing the player to train and use their Pokemon for something other than battling. The Underground is like a wannabe Wild Area, but also offers some mini games for players to participate in. To give the game more oomph, players who own other Pokemon games can obtain a Mew and Jirachi which are not catchable. Arceus, Shaymin, and Darkrai became available for a time as well so that was another plus. But I don’t think they’re available anymore, so that probably won’t affect the person reading this review.

    The final pro of this game worth mentioning is the fact that it allows you to customize your Pokeball. You can’t change the exterior, but you can apply stickers to change the animation when your Pokemon comes out. There’s some worthwhile animations there.

    People were disappointed that the game didn’t contain everything that Platinum offered, but that isn’t what bummed me out the most. What bummed me out the most is the shiny hunting. The game’s load times are longer than Sword/Shield’s. And the odds of finding a shiny Pokemon are 1 in 4000 even with the shiny charm. Yes, you can do Pokeradar (something I haven’t bothered with since it sounds really annoying how easy it is to break a streak), and they haven’t changed the Masuda method. But shiny hunting a legendary or through straight encounters will have a person hunting a long, long time. People who like hunting with full odds aren’t forced to increase their odds with the shiny charm. People who don’t like hunting with full odds are out of luck. Even though it is compatible with home now, it took almost a year for that to happen.

    What has really irked me as of late is the Time Clock penalty. Change the time, and time related events (ones you have to do over and over again) don’t spawn for 24 hours irl. That’s what the rule says. However, I have waited for DAYS, and still there’s been no change. With some research, I’ve seen that the time penalty can take 24 IN-GAME hours to reset. That’s absurd. As far as remakes go, Skyward Sword HD gets a bad wrap, but it does a heck of a lot more to make the game more convenient (and consequently more immersive) than faithfully repeat the same mistakes and then some.

    In summary of the cons, I don’t feel like BDSP respects a player’s time. My opinion is that the greatest appeal to the game is playing through the main story as its ai presents a greater challenge than other mainline Pokemon games I’ve played on the Switch. I liked it, but I can’t recommend it.    … Expand
  26. SpeedCyber
    Apr 25, 2022
    6
    pokemon remakes have been good fire red, leaf green, heart gold, soul silver, omega ruby, alpha sapphire but this ain,t fun as the others they have the been taking stuff and it doesn't fun so it should have been less faithful and add stuff like Dynamax and give some Sinnoh and others gigantamax what they did oras they should have done here it might be because they ain't using the gen 8pokemon remakes have been good fire red, leaf green, heart gold, soul silver, omega ruby, alpha sapphire but this ain,t fun as the others they have the been taking stuff and it doesn't fun so it should have been less faithful and add stuff like Dynamax and give some Sinnoh and others gigantamax what they did oras they should have done here it might be because they ain't using the gen 8 engine but I hope the next remake doesn't make the same mistake… Expand
  27. kennydog
    Mar 22, 2022
    7
    This game is basically Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, with some improvements and features. The gameplay is essentially the same, which made my playthrough a little dull and boring. However, I do like the cutesy graphics. I also enjoyed exploring the underground, and the new music is great! Overall, it's an okay remake.
  28. MasterV777
    Mar 21, 2022
    6
    By far one of the most disappointing parts of this game was the day 1 patch. While most of the day 1 patches in games just fix some things, BDSP's day 1 patched in most of the game, including the opening cinematic, closing cinematic, post game, and soundtrack etc. Without the day 1 patch, instead of the new soundtrack, you get these placeholder sounds. This means without the day 1 patch,By far one of the most disappointing parts of this game was the day 1 patch. While most of the day 1 patches in games just fix some things, BDSP's day 1 patched in most of the game, including the opening cinematic, closing cinematic, post game, and soundtrack etc. Without the day 1 patch, instead of the new soundtrack, you get these placeholder sounds. This means without the day 1 patch, the original diamond and pearl are better than these games, which is unacceptable for a Pokémon remake. This was likely done so they can use the cartridges with less memory, so they can save money.… Expand
  29. PizzaW0lf
    Mar 19, 2022
    6
    This is a blatant cash grab that barely did anything better than the original and even got rid of some good stuff.

    Playing it safe really hurt this game. Not awful or unplayable and still has that Sinnoh experience but it's something that us fans just aren't happy with game freak.
  30. TheMegaGodz
    Mar 13, 2022
    7
    In terms of story, I think it's one of the weaker Pokemon games, but it's still classic Pokemon, so I still enjoyed it for the most part. I liked the art style, and the environments are really nice.
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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.
    Read full review
  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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