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. 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.
  2. asdfgrand
    Mar 6, 2022
    0
    The most terrible remake game project humanity ever encounter with horrible, glitch-filled launch. GameFreak should have no love on their creation anymore, so neglecting they outsourced the game development to ILCA, the horde of assistant programmers who have zero experience of development from scratch. Pokemon is dead.
  3. onepiece255174
    Mar 6, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers. Llegué con una antorcha para quemarle la casa a IlCA estudios pero no. Este juego es entretenido, viciante. Sin darte cuenta tienes 20 horas jugando. Para ser un remake me gustó mucho, lo recomiendo. Collapse
  4. sheep455246
    Mar 6, 2022
    10
    If you haven’t played ds version. This is your best choice. (Unless you particularly like the watch function)
  5. Parco8
    Mar 5, 2022
    6
    As a non 4th gen fan I can say I'm not actually nostalgia affected. This game is a mediocre remake, it shows everything the 2006 games trying to renew it with some little features. Some of these actually don't work very well, others are a great implementation. Anyway this new features can't make this game a masterpiece but they can make it a solid sufficiency.
  6. LimitedGif
    Feb 27, 2022
    7
    If you never played Diamond and Pearl on the Nintendo DS you will enjoy this Pokémon game like all the others. But for others it feels like a downgrade they didn’t add all the content from the old games.
  7. FlexosuarousRex
    Feb 20, 2022
    7
    My background as a pokemon player: I have been breeding and competitively battling since gen 5, crystal version, was my first ever pokemon experience, and gen 4 is my favorite era of pokemon bar none.

    Pros: excellent music, fires on all nostalgic cylinders, HM fixes, legendary pokemon availability, first 4 gens of pokemon available, the underground improvements, faithful remake (may be    My background as a pokemon player: I have been breeding and competitively battling since gen 5, crystal version, was my first ever pokemon experience, and gen 4 is my favorite era of pokemon bar none.

    Pros: excellent music, fires on all nostalgic cylinders, HM fixes, legendary pokemon availability, first 4 gens of pokemon available, the underground improvements, faithful remake (may be a con depending on who you ask), mons follow you, excellent music, new clothing choices for protagonist, access to certain mythical pokemon, and this game actually retains a bit of the difficulty from the original titles which is something that I really appreciate.

    Cons: The graphics aren't great, especially in docked mode, (currently) no connectivity to SS, no platinum content, no ranked competitive, no connection with SS (currently) means no using mons in any ranked format period, battle tower instead of battle frontier, the underground "bases" are literally just a messy set of statues and pedestals, and competitive teambuilding isn't necessary at all due to a lack of ranked gameplay.

    Ultimately, the games aren't terrible. I genuinely had a good time going through the story and revisitng old routes and mons alike. If you have never experienced gen 4, this is a great way to check the games out. However, I really can only recommend this game to players who have not experienced gen 4 yet. For those of us that played through gen four multiple times on the DS and experienced platinum version, I would say your are better off revisiting the original titles. This game will offer connectivity with the other switch pokemon titles in the future and that in and of itself may be all the reason some players need in order to jump in, but honestly I would suggest sword and shield for those of us that don't care about completing the pokemon home pokedex, there is simply more to do in Sword and Shield and the game will certainly have a longer lifespan due its superior multiplayer options. If ranked gameplay is added to BDSP OR if all BDSP pokemon become available to use in competitive gameplay in sword and shield I will bump my score up a point and a half, but currently I feel that the game does deserve a 7, not lower and not higher.

    I'm not trying to take away anyone's enjoyment of these titles because, like I said in the beginning, I did enjoy going through the story again and there is certainly fun to be had with diamond and pearl. However, after all of the dust settles, the fact of the matter is that these games have less content than a DS game did when it launched back in 2008.    … Expand
  8. ezo2002
    Feb 19, 2022
    5
    Everything is slow, they excluded tons of platinum pokemon to make the game "feel like diamond and pearl you love" yet quality of life stuff, fairy types and how they let you access absol, houndoom and rhydon fairly early as if it were a modern gen 8 game. It can't decide whether it's excruciatingly faithful to the originals, as they retain the slowness and limited dex of those games, orEverything is slow, they excluded tons of platinum pokemon to make the game "feel like diamond and pearl you love" yet quality of life stuff, fairy types and how they let you access absol, houndoom and rhydon fairly early as if it were a modern gen 8 game. It can't decide whether it's excruciatingly faithful to the originals, as they retain the slowness and limited dex of those games, or an adaptation into the gen 8 style, one already prone to serious flaws in its standard game design, what with glitches, broken leveling system (that you cannot deactivate), and bumps in the road through its graphics all as a backdrop to a roster that is limited yet offer some evolved and wickedly high-leveled pokemon early on, after maybe an HOUR in the underground. I didn't know a gen 8 game would have to choose between frustrating and easy, yet I suppose it is on-brand for it to fumble the bag hard and devolve into a mindless, structure-less husk. After I beat the game I somehow managed to feel contempt for the original Sinnoh games, sadly, because despite their slowness, their I always came back to the story, the gyms and the pokemon whenever I reflected on their positives, which were pretty damn strong positives at that. The details of each gym leader's team, the sight of pokemon like gliscor and mamoswine, empoleon, carnivine, croagunk, bronzong and many others for the first time all for the first time, both were unforgettable and brought a genuine smile to my face. Evolutions were fun to complete, the pokedex was reasonably long, Cyrus gave the villain motivation with only maybe just an ounce of more grit and realism, but it was just fun to read his dialogue, the villain team too. This game took all of that, took the charm, took the fun and melted it into a thin laminate then stretched it to the point where it would just about give out over a white, soulless, dense and brittle brick of cement labeled formula then cut it down, stuck some wires into it and marketed it as a remake. I recently revisited pokemon platinum on my DS during a playthrough of White 2 and looked up palmer's fight and found myself floored. It was exciting, it looked fun, the music was catchy and upbeat and Palmer's animation, even if it was a couple of frames, it was emotive and pumped me up as it moved with the music. There was so much character in it too, I felt like Palmer was this extreme, energetic guy that also happened to father Barry. It was entertaining to watch and when I would go through it and the battle factory myself, I had the exact same experience, but a whole lot more excited since I was actually the one playing the battle this time. Yet BDSP reduces that experience to a mere single strand of 21 slow trainer battles and a looped close-up of a chibi animation that would transition to a stagnant frame of palmer standing there, his team feeling basically lifeless. I just don't get it. I understand the limitations of a COVID-era-production process, but it is easy to look at how well Fire Red and Leaf Green and Heart Gold and Soul Silver fared. Both were faithful to their games, sure, but you look to Fire Red and Leaf Green, more pokemon are available, biking is easier, Charmander had metal claw for the first gym, all starters received larger move pools, event pokemon and Sevii islands were easy to note from the start of the game and provided just a touch more incentive to complete the game and play out the post-game, link trading required fewer cables, TMs changed, trainer pokemon updated to gen 3 standards and the rematch with Gary included Tyranitar and Heracross on the team. Later on, came Heart Gold and Soul Silver, which kept Swinub and Tangela and Yanma for Sinnoh evolutions, remixed every single theme in the game, made several Hoenn and Sinnoh pokemon available, albeit through access to evolution items or late-game areas, to keep johto pokemon at the core of its gen 4 stylings. They implemented gen 4's physical-special split and updated practically every single johto pokemon's move set and learn set to encourage variety and allowed you to teach gen 4 tms like shadow claw and steel wing to your teammates that could learn it. Pokemon sprites were better looking and ALSO had the same animation as gym leaders, league champions and important trainers. Suicune had more of a story, as did the Kanto section. Both saw developers takes on the task of modernizing and re-energizing their games for a new gen and more powerful console, yet kept the pokemon, gameplay, and plot progression the same, if not more interesting. Even ORAS got that part right, Gen 6's emphasis on ease dried up the gameplay on occasion. Gen 8 meanwhile kept this ease and quality-of-life changes, Pokedex should still be bigger, the graphics better, and low difficulty was hit or miss. Yet saves, exp, and the menu was ultimately all that came of it. Like its secret base system, this game still feels empty for what it adds and should remain deep underground.… Expand
  9. metababe
    Feb 17, 2022
    10
    It’s just a really good Pokémon game.. don’t listen to all the nitpickers and naysayers ;)!

    I especially like the Pokémon and trainer model shading which is closer to Pokémon go, no outlines - almost painterly. Also.. the more dense layout plays and feels better than Sword & Shield. And the bike just needs skill and purpose; yes you need to practice and yes you need to get off the bike    It’s just a really good Pokémon game.. don’t listen to all the nitpickers and naysayers ;)!

    I especially like the Pokémon and trainer model shading which is closer to Pokémon go, no outlines - almost painterly.

    Also.. the more dense layout plays and feels better than Sword & Shield.

    And the bike just needs skill and purpose; yes you need to practice and yes you need to get off the bike from time to time - which is more realistic than the older games where you sit on the bike everywhere outside. In this game walking still has a purpose :).

    Next and last, everybody and their dog: “Platinum is so much better - Poketch has 2 buttons!”
    Well who would have thought.. Brilliant Diamond has the better solution!
    -> Tap the one button fast and you can skip to the correct page in an instant; objectively faster than going back and forth one page like in Platinum.

    Need more pro tips? PM me :*.    … Expand
  10. Maor_NYC
    Feb 16, 2022
    1
    Actually **** this game.
    You already know why.
    I'm just happy we got Legends Arceus in the state we did, most likely cause gamefreak didn't need to split they're dev team to make both games.
    As long as gen 9 follows in legends footsteps were in a good place, otherwise it's back to soulless **** :(
  11. ZeoN
    Feb 15, 2022
    7
    Nos encontramos ante un remake muy fiel al original y aunque es precioso y tiene un agradable diseño artístico unido a una buena banda sonora al igual que su entrega original se siente algo vago y sin aspiraciones. Es muy divertido y recomendable tanto para los fans clásicos como los nuevos jugadores, sin embargo su falta de ambición no lo puede llevar a cotas más altas
  12. fanmadeendings
    Feb 15, 2022
    6
    Diamond and pearl aren't bad games, so this isn't bad - It's just not much better than the games it is based on, and that's a shame, as HeartGold and SoulSilver were essentially remaking the definitive Crystal version, but this is just a remake of the base games instead of Platinum. It's also visually inconsistent and buggy - For better and for worse. All in all, minus the glitches, it'sDiamond and pearl aren't bad games, so this isn't bad - It's just not much better than the games it is based on, and that's a shame, as HeartGold and SoulSilver were essentially remaking the definitive Crystal version, but this is just a remake of the base games instead of Platinum. It's also visually inconsistent and buggy - For better and for worse. All in all, minus the glitches, it's probably the most uninteresting pokemon experience so far.… Expand
  13. 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.
  14. Hazzahawk
    Feb 11, 2022
    3
    Most boring games I've played in a long time and I played a lot of bad games before none of which I've ever described as boring.
    Avoid this game.
  15. StrickenLoki92
    Feb 8, 2022
    6
    The most important aspect to know before acquiring (or playing it) this game is that this is NOT a remake it's a REMASTER and worst of all is a diamond and pearl remaster almost all of platinum's extra content is absent apart from that since this is a remaster BDSP lacks the following: GTS (Now GWS that at the moment of review is still not active), competitive play (Not a big deal for meThe most important aspect to know before acquiring (or playing it) this game is that this is NOT a remake it's a REMASTER and worst of all is a diamond and pearl remaster almost all of platinum's extra content is absent apart from that since this is a remaster BDSP lacks the following: GTS (Now GWS that at the moment of review is still not active), competitive play (Not a big deal for me personally), Platinum dex, battle frontier, dynamax among other things. Even though I had no bugs and did not took advantage of any exploit I do know that those were or are still present.
    The game looks pretty at a certain extent, there's character customization (not much but it's there) and the grand underground is very fun (even when they removed the secret bases feature); If you already played pokemon platinum in the past you are going to get bored really quick (Personally I only played 100 ish hours), you already know the story, characters, pokemons, locations, etc.. This game is not even developed by gamefreak they were very busy working on legends arceus AKA the better game (and it shows) In conclusion a very unnecessary remaster I would've preferred a platinum port for 20dlls to be honest than a diamond and pearl remaster, if you already played platinum and you are expecting a remake I would advise to not get this game or get it just for the nostalgia of it.    … Expand
  16. LSWSjr
    Feb 8, 2022
    1
    From the makers of Pokémon Ransomware… sorry, I mean Pokémon Home… comes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, 2021 Switch remakes of 2006 DS games that they’re ultimately inferior to.

    Let’s start with the fact that these remakes require a Day One Patch almost as big as the game itself, which bodes well for future retro gamers who jump in after Nintendo finally shuts down the    From the makers of Pokémon Ransomware… sorry, I mean Pokémon Home… comes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, 2021 Switch remakes of 2006 DS games that they’re ultimately inferior to.

    Let’s start with the fact that these remakes require a Day One Patch almost as big as the game itself, which bodes well for future retro gamers who jump in after Nintendo finally shuts down the Switch store. A problem all three original releases lacked.

    Even with the patch or let’s be honest, the other half of the game’s data which even combined is only 2/3 that of Sword and Shield’s upon release, these remakes are filled with numerous bugs, incomplete animations and brand new ways to both hard and soft lock your progress.

    There are also a number of issues related to the change to a 3D perspective, with some content unintentionally obscured by buildings and other terrain, pathing being restricted/exploitable and awkward looking NPC movement, just to name a few.

    Then we have the numerous features that have been changed for the worst. With Pokémon contests being stripped down to a single button rhythm game instead of a full side activity; the Grand Underground losing both its Hidden Base customisation, which has been replaced with a room of capture rate increasing statues, and its Capture the Flag mode; and finally, the rest of its online functionality is well… still unfinished as of the time of this review, three months after release… and like all mainline Switch Pokémon titles, most of the interactions are restricted to the version duo alone.

    Beyond that is the strange mix of old and new mechanics, most notably the now standard party wide Auto-EXP Share feature, which removes a lot of the grinding but then sees your team over levelled for the majority of the game’s runtime provided you battle all the NPC trainers along the way… until we get to the Elite Four and Champion, who’ve been bolstered by perfect stats, along with competitive level tactics and move/item uses. It’s actually quite jarring of a difficulty spike and many have commented on it being too much for children and adults alike to handle.

    As for the good additions, there’s the modern updates and rebalancing to the Pokémon and their move pools, as standard; the unwieldy 8 HMs of the originals have been replaced with interactions tied to gym badges; and most all of the trainer battle animations are very lively and unique.

    Ultimately however, these remakes just pale in comparison, not only to the originals, but to previous remakes like Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Heart Gold and Soul Silver and yes, even Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee in several respects. All of these previous remakes felt like they’d improved, innovated and updated enough over the originals to justify their existences, in my opinion.

    Pokémon Diamond and Pearl had already received a definite rerelease in Pokémon Platinum some two years following, whilst the only serious innovation from these remakes is being able to play it on the TV, with a mix of new and reused 3D graphics and animations.

    Short of a significant overhaul and/or DLC, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will remain the inferior versions out of the five.    … Expand
  17. Q-BEE-DEE
    Feb 7, 2022
    0
    Literally pointless. This remake offers absolutely nothing in terms of substance or value. It's the same game released 15 years ago except with a significantly worse art style and some incredibly minor tweaks, some of which actively worsen the experience of playing the game. The 60 $ price tag is absurd, especially given that it offers less content and quality than the updated version theyLiterally pointless. This remake offers absolutely nothing in terms of substance or value. It's the same game released 15 years ago except with a significantly worse art style and some incredibly minor tweaks, some of which actively worsen the experience of playing the game. The 60 $ price tag is absurd, especially given that it offers less content and quality than the updated version they released for 40 $ 13 years ago.… Expand
  18. Takumi0971
    Feb 6, 2022
    0
    worst pokemon game i've ever played: no new features (or pokemon) no mega evolution and the npc opponents were up to cynthia too easy she was in contrast to all the others too strong
  19. sunny_rip
    Feb 5, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a decent game in the series, it's not stunning and jaw dropping, but it's a fun time that many Pokemon Fans will enjoy

    Pros:
    -Really charming art style and pretty nice graphics, with some really nice looking battle backgrounds and great looking environments.
    -Uses the expanded Pokémon Platinum Dex, which has much more Pokémon for the player to use.
    -The Underground was upgraded very well with the Grand Underground, and Pokémon Hideaways are super fun to explore.
    -You don't need to use HMs on your team members, instead Wild Pokémon will use them for you when you need to by being selected on the Poketch.

    Cons:
    -TMs are breakable
    -Post Game content can be a bit underwhelming, and the lack of a Battle Frontier is pretty sad.
    -It's a bit easier for my liking, but you can make it more difficult by using set battle style, no healing items, etc.
    -Exp. Share is mandatory
    -No Battle Frontier
    -Minimal Post Game Content
    -Wonky Following Pokemon

    Overall, a solid 7/10. Good job ILCA.    … Expand
  20. Motoritz
    Feb 5, 2022
    7
    The gameplay was a lot of fun as always and I loved the chibi artstyle. They just remade a game without changing anything about it except for the graphics tho...
  21. albegres
    Feb 5, 2022
    6
    64/100
    Cute artstyle, but the developers needed to rethink the whole game to make it work properly. They added so many things to make easier to play the remake that they lost the soul of the original. Story and region are the same, so this is why this game is not completely mediocre
  22. GiantOtter100
    Feb 4, 2022
    0
    This is definitely the WORST Pokemon game i have ever played in my life. the chibi textures are HORRENDOUS and the gameplay feels incredibly CHEAP.
    This trash is not worth 60$ at all, please, save your money.
  23. Jd467
    Feb 3, 2022
    7
    This game felt like the game was ported to the switch with not enough new. I mean there is the grand underground but that was it. I get that people just want to play the game normally, but to returning fans there was nothing and to make it worse there was limited Pokémon to use with two fully evolved fire types. Must play if you played before
  24. Canela4ever
    Feb 3, 2022
    0
    Just awful compared to others remakes.
    Doesn't use the same style as sword and shield, the devs should have adapted the old games to the new world structure instead of just polish the ds version.
  25. CrisSonic_Drago
    Feb 2, 2022
    5
    Me ha encantado revivir mí infancia con este juego. Es un calco total o casi a lo que juegue hace 15 años casi con mí hermano. Le doy un 5 raspado por el esfuerzo de ILKA, pero es un juego que no ha inovando nada y como he dicho es un copia y pega del juego original, además de fallos que tiene.

    Lo único que destaco es que va aumentando la dificultad con el pago de las batallas y lo bien    Me ha encantado revivir mí infancia con este juego. Es un calco total o casi a lo que juegue hace 15 años casi con mí hermano. Le doy un 5 raspado por el esfuerzo de ILKA, pero es un juego que no ha inovando nada y como he dicho es un copia y pega del juego original, además de fallos que tiene.

    Lo único que destaco es que va aumentando la dificultad con el pago de las batallas y lo bien echo que esta gráficamente.    … Expand
  26. Jameswessimpson
    Feb 2, 2022
    4
    So many bugs. Weird graphics. Lack of any real improvements. Honestly not worth it.
  27. TheOneDarkling
    Feb 2, 2022
    3
    It hurts me to give such a bad grade to my favorite generation. But the overleveling and the happiness system that makes the Pokémon invincible, it's just annoying...
  28. Lassr
    Feb 2, 2022
    6
    Just another Pokemon game with better graphic. There are no big different to the originals.
  29. DeltaZ
    Feb 1, 2022
    5
    Story: Unverändert, keine Neuerungen.
    Grafik: Gut, oftmals zu unscharf und schlechter Auflösung, Artstyle ist in Ordnung.
    Soundtrack: Sehr gut. Gameplay: Naja, viel zu Einfach durch den OP Teiler. Features: Gut. besonders der Untergrund, leider keine Geheimbasen mehr. Following Pokemon hat schlechte Proportionen und technische/animierte fehler. Postgame: Sehr gut. Wieso haben die    Story: Unverändert, keine Neuerungen.
    Grafik: Gut, oftmals zu unscharf und schlechter Auflösung, Artstyle ist in Ordnung.
    Soundtrack: Sehr gut.
    Gameplay: Naja, viel zu Einfach durch den OP Teiler.
    Features: Gut. besonders der Untergrund, leider keine Geheimbasen mehr. Following Pokemon hat
    schlechte Proportionen und technische/animierte fehler.
    Postgame: Sehr gut. Wieso haben die alten Legis nicht ihr Battle theme?
    Sonstiges: 0% Platin Content, wieso nicht die Regi kammern übernommen? Ab der Mitte wird es
    langweilig, weil man Overlevelt ist. Steuerung ist sehr schwammig und ungenau. Viele
    Bugs. keine Langzeitmotivation.

    Story: Unchanged, no innovations.
    Graphics: Good, often too fuzzy and poor resolution, art style is okay.
    Soundtrack: Very good.
    Gameplay: Well, way too easy by the OP divider.
    Features: Good. especially the underground, unfortunately no more secret bases. Following
    Pokemon has bad proportions and technical/animated errors.
    Postgame: Very good. Why don't the old Legis have their Battle theme?
    Miscellaneous: 0% platinum content, why not take over the regis chambers? From the middle it will
    boring because you're overleveled. Control is very spongy and imprecise. Lots bugs
    no long-term motivation.    … Expand
  30. Quilly89
    Feb 1, 2022
    6
    It’s a copy paste of the originals. Which isn’t horrible I guess but it’s not great. They could’ve done a lot more with it but for whatever reason didn’t. Kindof disappointing. Still the best way to experience ‘diamond and Pearl’ though.
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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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