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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Gouken128
    Dec 6, 2021
    0
    This is a very bad game, and disrespectful to the fans. Completely lack of work behind this. Cash maker.
    Full of bugs and broken. ZERO difficulty level. I could easily say that this is the WORST pokémon game ever. Don't buy this..
  2. JCgamer18
    Dec 5, 2021
    8
    This is a very faithful remake. honestly a little too faithful. a lot of its shortcomings are removed in exp share being always on to the underground. Its still a great game and honestly its not changed that much from the og DP. The underground where non dex pokemon hide and no more hms make this game so much more enjoyable this time around and the improved exp restructure removes a ton ofThis is a very faithful remake. honestly a little too faithful. a lot of its shortcomings are removed in exp share being always on to the underground. Its still a great game and honestly its not changed that much from the og DP. The underground where non dex pokemon hide and no more hms make this game so much more enjoyable this time around and the improved exp restructure removes a ton of the grind. The music is top notch as always.

    That being said my biggest problem is that its too faithful in a bad way. instead of using platinums fixed routing and readjustments it sticks to DPs version. a good instance of this is when you get your starter. in platinum they give it to you very fast rather than going through a custcene. the other big problem i had was single use TMs which they give you TMs so easy that it makes removing this feature pointless.

    Overall this game was fun and its faster pace made it more enjoyable than the original game. If you liked diamond and pearl its worth getting these games.    … Expand
  3. classytagz
    Dec 5, 2021
    8
    Absolutely beautiful game, and great remake. The only issue I have with it is the friendship system, which can be very overpowered at times, and annoying because it add MORE text boxes in battle.
    Other than that, incredibly nostalgic to revisit Sinnoh, and with it looking prettier than ever, I am very happy with these games.
    Solid 8.5-9 out of 10.
  4. spice9
    Dec 4, 2021
    0
    This is, at best, a $30 iOS/Android game. I don't blame Game Freak or ILCA - not at all. In fact, they've made an incredibly smart business move here. They knew that the fans were begging for a Gen 4 remake for years. Demand was through the roof. They knew that this would sell no matter how little effort they put into it. And so that's exactly what they did. They pawned it off to a literalThis is, at best, a $30 iOS/Android game. I don't blame Game Freak or ILCA - not at all. In fact, they've made an incredibly smart business move here. They knew that the fans were begging for a Gen 4 remake for years. Demand was through the roof. They knew that this would sell no matter how little effort they put into it. And so that's exactly what they did. They pawned it off to a literal mobile game dev team and made a mobile game - and it's selling like hotcakes. They took a massive dump on the desire and hype for these remakes.
    There's nothing I can say in this review that hasn't already been said. Anyone can look at the gameplay and see for themselves. If you compare the amount of new content in ANY of the other Pokemon remakes such as HGSS or ORAS, you can see a stark contrast with BDSP. You can even simply compare it with the other Pokemon games that have been released on the switch. This does NOT look or feel like a Gen 8 game. It is a direct downgrade. These games are lazy, unrefined, and a shallow insulting depiction of the original DP. I've completed the game in the roughly 72 hours I've had my copy and will be returning it for a refund. All around just incredibly disappointing.    … Expand
  5. CDizzness
    Nov 22, 2021
    8
    Awesome remaster, awesome graphics, I'm glued. Not a perfect game, but not a 0 either. This is leaps and bounds better than Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee, some elements in regards to Sword/Shield have been taken away. All in all nothing I miss. I also love experience share. It makes it easier to hop online; making Pokemon feel more "Call Of Duty-ish" in that respect. Which for me is fine. TheAwesome remaster, awesome graphics, I'm glued. Not a perfect game, but not a 0 either. This is leaps and bounds better than Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee, some elements in regards to Sword/Shield have been taken away. All in all nothing I miss. I also love experience share. It makes it easier to hop online; making Pokemon feel more "Call Of Duty-ish" in that respect. Which for me is fine. The controls on the d-pad I'll admit are not great, but it's clear this was made for the analogue stick this time around. If you haven't played Diamond or Pearl I 100% recommend this. If you are a veteran and legacy player, you may or may not like this.… Expand
  6. themangoose
    Dec 4, 2021
    3
    Awful dry gameplay with the save Pokemon over and over again in the overworld. Like the same ten Pokemon unless you go underground. The mechanics are slow, clumsy, and off-putting. They make your following Pokemon get in the way so much I put him back into the ball. Mons are ridiculously hard to catch. Trash game.
  7. rodrigobarg
    Dec 3, 2021
    1
    This is such a faithful remake but unfortunately, they also remade all the flaws of the originals. In 2006, it was acceptable because of the jump to the DS and all the other upgrades, but now after Sword and Shield, playing it feels like a chore.
  8. iMustang
    Dec 3, 2021
    7
    Pokemon Brilliant Diamond is not a bad game by any means, but the sad truth is that it's also not a great game. Gamefreak contracted a separate company for this remake, and advertised it as a faithful top-down style remake. Another sad truth is, it's not faithful, leaving it in an odd middle ground that makes you ask "Then what sort of remake is it?" or "Who was this made for?"

    A vast    Pokemon Brilliant Diamond is not a bad game by any means, but the sad truth is that it's also not a great game. Gamefreak contracted a separate company for this remake, and advertised it as a faithful top-down style remake. Another sad truth is, it's not faithful, leaving it in an odd middle ground that makes you ask "Then what sort of remake is it?" or "Who was this made for?"

    A vast majority of this game is identical to it's original counterpart with the sprites being replaced with chibi character models who, while looking jarring at times, do offer a unique approach. The choice to zoom in on character faces in this style is odd when they lack expression, though even odder is when they immediately zoom back out without a transition. In spite of this, the world itself does often look very good, and when character models are shown (like Gym Leader battles), it can look good sometimes. The game quickly separates itself from the original with some quality of life improvements (boxes anywhere, exp share, etc), but some that are just rather odd. HMs were removed, in favor of stacks of TMs. You can also use the HM moves without teaching them, but then the original obstructions of the game are little more than minor inconveniences as you explore. It was like they improved what you could do, without balancing what you can't do, so the entire game is more or less a straight path forward.

    The two major changes found in the main story at the making or breaking point for many - Contests and The Underground. The contest system in generally considered ruined by most people who enjoyed the original, gutting the battle system with unique factors in favor of a mini game instead. Yes you still make poffins and teach moves for the contest, but it's nothing like original fans will remember. On the flip side, The Underground has been overhauled to be more of a Wild Area with easier (and sometimes earlier) access to Pokemon and endless hours you can explore. This element is a wonderful break from the linear story and is perfect if you like hunting certain Pokemon (including shiny ones).

    Overall I did end up finishing this game with a good amount of fun being had, which I do take as a personal victory since I did not start off with much joy to be found. This game doesn't feel like an innovative remake with new ideas, nor does it feel like a faithful rendition of a classic, but I do feel like some effort was made by the developers. You can tell some thought and love was put into this game, which almost makes it even sadder when you stop to wonder how great it could have been if they could have been bolder, or if Gamefreak would have just made it themselves. This generation could have had a much better remake, but for what we got I'll say it one last time - It's not bad at all, but it's just not great either.    … Expand
  9. DSBM
    Dec 3, 2021
    5
    This game has huge issues.
    1. Content: The game locks content present in the original game behind a paywall in form of the GWS that you have to use GameFreak's subscription service Pokémon Home for(+Nintendo Switch Online for a total of $40/year).
    2. Far too slow: A Trainer's or wild Pokémon's introduction before battle takes about ten seconds. Every textbox in battle stops you for a    This game has huge issues.
    1. Content: The game locks content present in the original game behind a paywall in form of the GWS that you have to use GameFreak's subscription service Pokémon Home for(+Nintendo Switch Online for a total of $40/year).

    2. Far too slow: A Trainer's or wild Pokémon's introduction before battle takes about ten seconds. Every textbox in battle stops you for a whole second before you can proceed and literally every little change gets a textbox, some even get repeated (like when you use rain dance, or confuse an opponent).
    This, coupled with a way too low difficulty curve made me dread running into opponents.

    3. Difficulty: The game is so easy that I was always two levels ahead of trainers I used to be two levels under in the original, because you can't turn off the EXP-Share. I often started mashing A and looking on my phone, also because the game's so slow.
    But worst of all, it is so easy that you stop giving a sh*t about your own Pokémon and their attacks because the only thing that matters is the A-button.    … Expand
  10. Mestear
    Dec 3, 2021
    1
    I want to say that first of all I do not blame ILCA, they have absolutely to no experience with game development. Probably they done what Nintendo wanted them to do, the bare minium. To milk money from all the nostalgic players. But this is not okay in year 2021. To take the same game with no new mechanics, and simply reskin it. In this case faithfull remake means lazy one. So what do youI want to say that first of all I do not blame ILCA, they have absolutely to no experience with game development. Probably they done what Nintendo wanted them to do, the bare minium. To milk money from all the nostalgic players. But this is not okay in year 2021. To take the same game with no new mechanics, and simply reskin it. In this case faithfull remake means lazy one. So what do you get for 60$? Questionable graphics and the same old game from year 2006. That's all, really. I would rather play platinum version, or diamond pearl. Those games are from the era when Nintendo/Gamefreak actually cared about the quality of games. I suggest that with the death of Satoru Iwata, we lost passion in pokemon games. But I refuse to enjoy this cashgrabs, even though gen 4 is one of my favourite.… Expand
  11. Kenmei
    Dec 2, 2021
    6
    For anyone hoping to see a major upgrade for the 4th generation, you're going to be majorly disappointed with the results here. It feels like this was built entirely on the nostalgia from the people who once played it on the DS. There's very little changed here, and even some quality of life changes from later games arent here, like putting the store and poke center together in oneFor anyone hoping to see a major upgrade for the 4th generation, you're going to be majorly disappointed with the results here. It feels like this was built entirely on the nostalgia from the people who once played it on the DS. There's very little changed here, and even some quality of life changes from later games arent here, like putting the store and poke center together in one building and making the move tutor free and in the same building. There's really only 3 major changes that people will recognize. The first is the graphics style, which you'll either love or hate and I really hated it. Mostly because all character models are rendered in full 3D during battle so not having them in 3D in the over world seems like a waste since the work was already done. Next is the HM being basically automated by "wild" pokemon in the area, even if the same 3 pokemon who use the HM's arent in the area you're using them. However the biggest change is the Grand Underground, where you'll be spending the majority of your time, especially during the end game. Frankly it doesnt hold a candle to alot of the options that Sword and Shield offered players. It becomes extremely repetitive and very boring after awhile but you have to grind out the mining system if you want to have a chance of getting the previous games legendaries. Which will already be out of date once the game gets access to Pokemon Home next month. Its fairly hard for me to recommend this game to anyone who may never have played the 4th generation. Especially since its not a remake of Platinum, one of the biggest and best "3rd" games of the generation in all of Pokemon. It just feels like not a ton of work went into trying to update this to modern day standards. And I can't figure if that was done on purpose, so that the game doesnt over shadow the Legends Arceus game next month, or if there was another reason involved. At this point I'd really only recommend it to those who grew up with this generation, like I did, and want to replay it on Switch. Outside of that, I'd say to just wait till next month when the main game comes out from Game Freak themselves.… Expand
  12. Kenkaara
    Dec 2, 2021
    1
    Isso não se deve ser chamado de Remake e sim de Remaste, pelo simples fato de que é exatamente igual os primeiros jogos, como assim? Não tem funções novas como Megas ou até mesmo Z-Move.
    Mecânica dos TM não sumirem da sua BAG agora não existe mais, eles somem igual aos jogos antigos, Pokémon agora não aprender outros golpes das outras gerações, exemplo disso é Zaptos que desde os jogos de    Isso não se deve ser chamado de Remake e sim de Remaste, pelo simples fato de que é exatamente igual os primeiros jogos, como assim? Não tem funções novas como Megas ou até mesmo Z-Move.
    Mecânica dos TM não sumirem da sua BAG agora não existe mais, eles somem igual aos jogos antigos, Pokémon agora não aprender outros golpes das outras gerações, exemplo disso é Zaptos que desde os jogos de Black/White aprende o movimento "Hurricane" e nesse REMASTE não e isso se aplica aos itens também por exemplo EVIOLITE todo mundo conhece esse item chatão, pois é ele nao faz parte desse jogo porque esse item só foi implementado na Quinta Geração.

    Reclamaram tanto da Pokedex de SW/SH que nao tinha todos os pokemon, essa aq nem se fala porque a nacional só chega ate os pokemon da Quarta Geração.

    Se é para pagar 300,00 reais na midia digital ou 480,00 reais na midia fisica ( EM UM JOGO DE SMARTPHONE) é melhor comprar o SW/SH ja que tem as mecânicas novas e sem tirar o fato de ter as batalhas ranqueadas que nesses jogos ele removerão.

    Questão de graficos eu nao me importo se é chibi ou cartoonizado ( poderias ser igual de LETS' GO), porem o jogo é sem polimento, quando começa as batalhas simplesmente o campo some e fica um local todo branco, não é vivo igual do X/Y ou de SW/SH, Pokemon te seguindo fora da PokeBola ridiculo até HG/SS consegue fazer umas dimensões de tamanhos melhor que esse REMASTE.

    Eu aconselho esperar o ARCEUS ( nao que seja bom, grafico pior q SW/SH), já que vai ser um jogo de pokemon com mundo semi aberto.

    Se fosse para da uma nota 0 a 10 para esse REMASTE eu daria sem duvida um 4 só pela nostalgia e por cauda do UNDERGROUD.    … Expand
  13. dotaxlevel
    Dec 2, 2021
    0
    Игра пытается высосать все свободное время игрока. Тупо и ужасно
  14. ND-Bringer
    Dec 2, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My greatest fears have come true, the remake of my very first Pokemon game has not only let me down, but it's made me furious. This play through has been one of the most miserable experiences of my life. This remake fails hard to capture the premium experience in Sinnoh. I know that updates are being made to correct most of the game's problems...but trust me, it won't be enough. The game starts with...NOTHING. Just a black screen that says press A with the game's title hovering in the empty void. Seriously? I heard the newest update gives the game an opening cutscene that looks fine enough, but players have to wait about a week just to see it? The game begins with the standard tutorials that completely mirror the beginning of Diamond and Pearl. Now, for a remake trying to capture the feelings of the original is a daring feat, especially since this time Gamefreak has left the development of this game into ILCA's care this time. But their's a little TOO MUCH mirroring. This game is reflection of almost everything the originals had, including all the problems. Ponyta is now once again, the only obtainable fire type Pokemon to be found in the wild. Almost all of Sinnoh Ultimate Evolutions like Probopass, are now somewhat impossible to obtain. And the majority of trainers use the exact same Pokemon, hope you have fun fighting hundreds of Geodude with their Focus Sash style Study ability! This is horrible! Pokemon Platinum is often praised for enhancing the Sinnoh experience and fixing all the problems the originals had...but this game brought them all back! Because of this, the game feels like limbo. I'm fighting trainers that use Pokemon with no attack moves! Team Galactic are using high leveled Wumple and cocoon Pokemon, thinking its good idea! It's a real shame because the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four are actually formidable this time. Their teams have high EV stats, held items, and good move sets. I wish I could give them a fair fight, but that's impossible because my Pokemon team has become somewhat invincible thanks to the power of friendship. Ever since Pokemon X and Y, by playing activities in Pokemon Amie your Pokemon will become close to you and gain extra power during battle. They can dodge most attacks, shake off poison, and land powerful attacks with ease. It takes away the challenge from battle...but thankfully, these abilities only activate if you play the mini games, keeping the difficulty in tact. BUT IN THIS GAME, it activates no matter what. Now I to read this annoying, "I knew you could do it!" message every time I knockout a Pokemon during battle. It was repetitive enough that these trainers use the same god-damn monsters. I got to PRAISE my Pokemon every time it defeats a wimpy Magikarp! After reaching Eterna City and re-exploring the exterior of Eterna Forest because my game crashed for some reason, I gained the ability to explore the "Grand Underground". In the past the underground area was big part of the originals. You can mine for treasure, build your own secret base, and prank your friends with traps. But now, the Grand Underground acts as an extra dungeon to explore. While I'm disappointed that can only decorate my secret base with statues now, I don't mind this new addition. You can still mine for rare treasure and with a little luck, you can find a rare Pokemon to add to your team. It's not a ground breaking new mechanic, but it doesn't annoy me. I think the fact that some Pokemon are only obtainable as rare spawns is tedious, but I've seen worse spawning mechanics in Sword and Shield. Other updated features include the Pokemon Super Contests. But now all you do is the dancing mini game. Come on guys! I loved dressing up and performing with my Pokemon back in the day! I would prepare treats to upgrade my Pokemon's contest abilities, but I don't want to break my controller. You know, the original Diamond and Pearl games weren't master pieces by any means, but they inspired people. They inspired Spike Chunsoft to create the awesome lore of Mystery Dungeon Explorers. There's a ton of Pokemon fan fiction about how Dialga manipulates time. Generation 4 was the generation of inspiration. All sorts of great spin-off games were being made, the anime was improving by leaps and bounds, the Pokemon gods were born as well as the creator of the gods, and generation 2 was getting stellar new remakes. Oh HeartGold and SoulSilver...I haven't seen an incredible remake in years. Omega, Alpha, Let's Go, and DX were fine Remakes they just weren't fireworks. But these remakes set a new low for Pokemon. They barely offer anything new to the table and bring back problems that were already fixed in Platinum. Pokemon X and Y was generic and easy, but at least it was trying some new ideas. This is the most tedious Pokemon gaming experience of my life. Even if some updates fix the glitches, the design of the game itself is riddled with holes that should've been easy to fill. What a shame.… Expand
  15. OjGamer90s
    Dec 2, 2021
    7
    Amazing reimagining of the classic diamond and pearl that orginally released on Nintendo DS
    Shot for Shot remakes are ok but that not what I was expecting for this remake I was hoping for an ORAS type game where certain things were changed and added and made it feel new and fresh and not the same exact thing for example primal version of legendaries or the added mega evolution to    Amazing reimagining of the classic diamond and pearl that orginally released on Nintendo DS
    Shot for Shot remakes are ok but that not what I was expecting for this remake I was hoping for an ORAS type game where certain things were changed and added and made it feel new and fresh and not the same exact thing for example primal version of legendaries or the added mega evolution to some pokemon including all the gen 3 starters The Delta episode took an amazing story from emerald and managed to add to it platinum story is not here and it sad because that was the best part of the gen 4
    Overall though BD/SP it a good game if you haven't played the original before definitely give it a try it a fun experience for everyone but if you were hoping for something new and not exactly the same game but upscale wait for legends Arceus What I was expecting was a Sword and shield Style remake for Diamond and pearl but that definitely wasn't what we got    … Expand
  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. 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
  18. MasdeuVL
    Dec 1, 2021
    2
    I had been waiting for over 10 years for a 4th gen remake. I always told to myself ''when 4th gen remakes release, i will buy them, no doubt.''. You can't imagine the disappointment i felt when i first saw the trailer of these 2 new games, it was like wanting something so badly and getting it taken out from you when you could almost touch it. I obviously got the games, but that only madeI had been waiting for over 10 years for a 4th gen remake. I always told to myself ''when 4th gen remakes release, i will buy them, no doubt.''. You can't imagine the disappointment i felt when i first saw the trailer of these 2 new games, it was like wanting something so badly and getting it taken out from you when you could almost touch it. I obviously got the games, but that only made my disappointment even worse. I honestly expected a true remake, one in which they use all the new technology used on the most recent pokemon games (in this case Let's go P/E or Sw/Sh) to make an ''old'' game feel like a new ''actual'' experience and a true ''revisit'' of the region the games are settled in, like taking a new and modern perspective of those games.
    Sadly that didn't happen this time around, i just wanted to point out the lack of innovation in this games. It is sad that at this point I think that it is better to play platinum than this games, because it has way more content (we are talking about a 10+ year old game) since there is literally more diferences between platinum and the original diamond and pearl than BD/SP and the original diamond and pearl.

    Hope Arceus doesn't disappoint..    … Expand
  19. Hakutaru
    Dec 1, 2021
    0
    The only Pokémon game in 20 years that I had to return. Lazy in every way.
  20. Valaquenta
    Dec 1, 2021
    0
    a very boring game with much less content than what I expected. not worth of a $60 game, save your money for legends Arceus instead.
  21. Judewjb
    Nov 30, 2021
    9
    I have never played gen 4 up until this point. And I was pleasantly surprised. The main story is decent for the most part. The gameplay is surprisingly engaging considering how old the core gameplay is. At first the art-style was not great for me; however it is more unique than sword and shield so slight bonus for something a little mor unique. The new stuff they added like the grandI have never played gen 4 up until this point. And I was pleasantly surprised. The main story is decent for the most part. The gameplay is surprisingly engaging considering how old the core gameplay is. At first the art-style was not great for me; however it is more unique than sword and shield so slight bonus for something a little mor unique. The new stuff they added like the grand underground and the new Pokémon you can catch because of it is very engaging. The mining mini game is shallow but still fun to collect the different statues and new items. The original diamond and pearl was already solid. ILCA made a already great game into a better one. $60 might be a little much for those who just see it as a Ds game that got a “face lift”. But many Pokémon fans; especially those who have not played gen 4 will make this game a fine addition to their collection. Also, WAY better than the dumpster fire disguised as Pokémon: Sword and Shield.… Expand
  22. Tabh88
    Nov 30, 2021
    6
    Graphics are mediocre. Not a fan of the chibi style. No major updates to the game, layout, style, mechanics. Feels a bit lacklustre. Literally hate the exp share being permanently on - cannot fathom why they didn’t make this optional, a simple on / off function would have saved this game for me. Now it feels like a drag to play as I am constantly trying keep my team under levelled to getGraphics are mediocre. Not a fan of the chibi style. No major updates to the game, layout, style, mechanics. Feels a bit lacklustre. Literally hate the exp share being permanently on - cannot fathom why they didn’t make this optional, a simple on / off function would have saved this game for me. Now it feels like a drag to play as I am constantly trying keep my team under levelled to get some challenge out of this. Pros are music is great, some gyms are still challenging and quite like the underground (however all the Pokemon are overlevelled and catch rate is really high depending on number of gym badges so can’t even get a lot of the good ones at present).

    Overall would not rush out to buy this feels like a bit of a con.    … Expand
  23. Manaki
    Nov 30, 2021
    1
    Nintendo still sits on their success and the knowledge that everyone will buy the new title, no matter how bad it is. You can again see how they didn't listen to the community nor to pro players.
  24. 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.
  25. Syhlcam
    Nov 29, 2021
    8
    Pokémon Diamant Étincelant et Perle Scintillante sont tout deux d’excellent jeux. L’aventure qu’il propose reste excellente, même si elle est des plus classique. On reste sur des expériences de combats très bonne ainsi que des défis face aux arènes agréable, bien que le jeu soit assez simple. Heureusement que la Ligue Pokémon et son accès relève le niveau de difficulté.
    Bien qu’il y ait    Pokémon Diamant Étincelant et Perle Scintillante sont tout deux d’excellent jeux. L’aventure qu’il propose reste excellente, même si elle est des plus classique. On reste sur des expériences de combats très bonne ainsi que des défis face aux arènes agréable, bien que le jeu soit assez simple. Heureusement que la Ligue Pokémon et son accès relève le niveau de difficulté.
    Bien qu’il y ait peu de nouveauté, les jeux possèdent toujours un contenu énorme et qui c’est encore agrandi. Néanmoins le jeu souffre sur le plan technique avec peu d’ambitions et un jeu très flou, joué en portable c’est un peu mieux. Mais dans l’ensemble les jeux sont bons et offre à chacun une grande aventure.

    Full test >> https://bit.ly/3lfE04E    … Expand
  26. minatore_albino
    Nov 29, 2021
    3
    Not a Remake, just a soulless, lazy, copy and paste of games from 2006 with even less content. Not even redesigned to fit the newer Experience share system, actually not redisigned to fit anything new at all. It's sold to you for 60€ as a remake but you can't find anything re-made. There Is no Pokemon from old distributions like Darkrai or Shaymin, they didn't even bother to add them, theNot a Remake, just a soulless, lazy, copy and paste of games from 2006 with even less content. Not even redesigned to fit the newer Experience share system, actually not redisigned to fit anything new at all. It's sold to you for 60€ as a remake but you can't find anything re-made. There Is no Pokemon from old distributions like Darkrai or Shaymin, they didn't even bother to add them, the online is a mess, a lot of features are absent like taking pokemon from your old games, and the list goes on. Honestly what bothers me the most Is the overall lack of effort and quality, it'just a copy paste sold to you as a remake for 60€.… Expand
  27. ChrisBlack
    Nov 28, 2021
    0
    This is literally a disaster. I cannot believe they have done this low-quality remaster witch is not comparable with other remake series. I admit that they have done a certain level of work, witch may satisfy some of people. However, it still can't be qualified for official remake series with such an expensive full-price. The level of satisfaction of this game is very similar to originalThis is literally a disaster. I cannot believe they have done this low-quality remaster witch is not comparable with other remake series. I admit that they have done a certain level of work, witch may satisfy some of people. However, it still can't be qualified for official remake series with such an expensive full-price. The level of satisfaction of this game is very similar to original diamond and pearl so that this is not valuable as a remake.… Expand
  28. sheep255174
    Nov 28, 2021
    10
    They could have done more and done it in a more refined art style but the music is just perfect and overall a nice remaster although not a real remake.
  29. Arturos
    Nov 28, 2021
    9
    Pure nostalgia, the game is a faithful remake with small features, but with great elegance in its gameplay The game is still really fun!
  30. uhohreviewalert
    Nov 28, 2021
    5
    i love the fourth generation of pokemon. since i started with sapphire, diamond and pearl were the first new generation i was able to experience. despite the negativity within the community regarding brilliant diamond and shining pearl, i was still excited. i generally don’t care about graphics, but i thought it looked okay enough, and i would pay $100 dollars for diamond and pearl to bei love the fourth generation of pokemon. since i started with sapphire, diamond and pearl were the first new generation i was able to experience. despite the negativity within the community regarding brilliant diamond and shining pearl, i was still excited. i generally don’t care about graphics, but i thought it looked okay enough, and i would pay $100 dollars for diamond and pearl to be relevant again..

    ..but not like this.

    on some level (a really high one because always on exp share is back), i appreciate that ILCA changed basically nothing about the games. i can’t stand the terrible pokemon story and dialogue game freak always wants to shoehorn into the games, and the only thing that really bugs me about the originals (besides wasting a move slot on defog) is the slow performance, and they certainly are more optimized on switch. i’m not really sure if that’s a compliment or more like “well duh,” but beyond that not much is different. maybe even too much.

    for starters, the poketch is back and, while a little clunky to use, works well for the most part. however, it’s back down to one button for switching through apps. platinum added a back button so you didn’t have to flip through, like, thirty freaking apps just to get back to the one you accidentally skipped over. how could those drooling mobile developers nobody’s ever heard of not include such a simple and useful feature?

    the games struggle to decide between a grid based and full 360* control scheme, and they suffer a little for it. never before have i described a mainline pokemon game with the phrase “this controls bad,” but here we are. it really isn’t a big problem, but it may irk you from time to time, especially when using the bicycle.

    a few more quick positives! the updated soundtrack sounds quite nice. nothing is really re-imagined akin to what heartgold and soulsilver did for their base games, but diamond and pearl had great music to begin with and they’re done justice here. with Masuda in charge of the score, though, that isn’t really a surprise. the only track that’s seemingly missing is the wifi connection theme which, to me, is just tragic. also, the underground is pretty okay. it gets kinda old kinda fast, but it does allow you to capture pokemon outside of the sinnoh dex before you finish the game. now you can actually choose between more than, like, three fire types.

    a few quality of life improvements really help mitigate some old annoyances. HMs are, in modern pokemon fashion, no longer a problem. you can open the map and choose where to fly, talk to rocks and trees to remove them from your reality, and even defog need only be selected in the poketch. you can access your PC box from the menu, ball capsules and mystery gift are also both in the start menu, and battle screens display type effectiveness to assist new players. i realize these improvements are subjective, but they do help the games feel a bit more modern, i suppose.

    now for the big one. i can deal with all the other minor gripes, but the difficulty has been absolutely tanked. it’s that god. damn. exp share.

    game freak, and now ILCA, are hellbent on making you play the game the way they think is right. you can never disable it, so every pokemon in your party gains exp from every battle (unless they’re fainted). while this does mean you can switch up your party frequently without worrying about wasting too much exp, once you have your final team they will be overleveled so quickly you just press A to win for the rest of the game. and that’s the biggest shame, because the originals could be one of the tougher games in the series, even if you used strong pokemon.

    ultimately, the difficulty is where this game fails. this isn’t diamond and pearl anymore simply because you **** Cynthia without even looking at the screen. play platinum instead.    … Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
See all critic reviews »