Pokemon Shining Pearl

 Switch
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 430 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 177 out of 430
  2. Mixed: 88 out of 430
  3. Negative: 165 out of 430
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  1. MrBardTimes
    Nov 26, 2021
    9
    This is a very well made remake, the aesthetics are on point, the gameplay is what you would expect from a pokemon game. ILCA did a great job with it.
    The only negative point is that for some reason someone thought it was a good idea to make TMs single use again... why? :'(
    I'm not a fan of how the pokech was implemented, as it is a bit annoying to use, but that's because it needed the    This is a very well made remake, the aesthetics are on point, the gameplay is what you would expect from a pokemon game. ILCA did a great job with it.
    The only negative point is that for some reason someone thought it was a good idea to make TMs single use again... why? :'(
    I'm not a fan of how the pokech was implemented, as it is a bit annoying to use, but that's because it needed the second screen the DS had to be use easily, and the switch doesn't have that. This isn't really ILCA's fault, but it would have been interesting if they managed to use the online phone app as the second screen.    … Expand
  2. Ishrod24
    Nov 29, 2021
    10
    What an amazing remake! Beautiful art style. Please remake Gen 1-3 in the same art style ILCA!
  3. Daitya
    Nov 28, 2021
    10
    Un buen y pulido apartado gráfico, banda sonora mejorada, un remake fiel con mejoras, escenarios preciosos en las batallas, un aspecto visual en los combates mejorado(mejor que Espada/Escudo), más postgame que el original... No sé que más decir.

    Polished graphics, upgrade soundtrack, a faithful remake with improvements, beautiful backgrounds in battles, an improved visual aspect in    Un buen y pulido apartado gráfico, banda sonora mejorada, un remake fiel con mejoras, escenarios preciosos en las batallas, un aspecto visual en los combates mejorado(mejor que Espada/Escudo), más postgame que el original... No sé que más decir.

    Polished graphics, upgrade soundtrack, a faithful remake with improvements, beautiful backgrounds in battles, an improved visual aspect in battles (better than Sword / Shield), more postgame than the original...    … Expand
  4. sheep255174
    Dec 5, 2021
    10
    Good game, I generally love all the animations and remade models, and I think it lives up to the original game in every aspect.
  5. LiirThropp
    Nov 30, 2021
    9
    Even when it's obvious they were heavily limited by Game Freak, ILCA handled these remakes very well. Let's not forget that the instruction was a 1:1 remake from the originals, so they didn't have a lot of space to innovate, but graphically it is WAY better than Sword and Shield.
    It also puts the level of complexity and exploration that we had 10+ years ago side to side with the barren    Even when it's obvious they were heavily limited by Game Freak, ILCA handled these remakes very well. Let's not forget that the instruction was a 1:1 remake from the originals, so they didn't have a lot of space to innovate, but graphically it is WAY better than Sword and Shield.
    It also puts the level of complexity and exploration that we had 10+ years ago side to side with the barren and boring gameplay of Sword and Shield.
    That said, it is a buggy mess. I happen to find this very entertaining, but it certainly won't sit well with a lot of people, especially since more than a week has gone by and no patch for the most game-breaking glitches is in sight.
    The only thing I have an issue with is the price. It is definitely not worth $60, if it was $40, it'd be perfect.
    Fire Game Freak already!    … Expand
  6. Flamo91
    Jan 13, 2022
    0
    ilca proves not to live up to the title. ending game done very badly.
    scripted tower fight impossible to complete except by luck.
    bad.
    ILCA retired
  7. ShadowRose
    Jan 12, 2022
    8
    This is a really good remake as it stays true to the original game the only thing is that there is not much new added content for people who have played the old version.
  8. MGamer490
    Nov 29, 2021
    8
    I still remember close to 15 years ago when I got my hands on a copy of Pearl, was only a teenager at the time and didn't have a DS so I borrowed my Cousin's DS to play it. On the first night I was up until 5-6am playing it in bed rather than going to sleep, I had an absolute blast. When I heard of the remakes, I was excited to return to Gen 4, but as with any Pokemon game that releases, II still remember close to 15 years ago when I got my hands on a copy of Pearl, was only a teenager at the time and didn't have a DS so I borrowed my Cousin's DS to play it. On the first night I was up until 5-6am playing it in bed rather than going to sleep, I had an absolute blast. When I heard of the remakes, I was excited to return to Gen 4, but as with any Pokemon game that releases, I will definitely play it, because even the rough ones, they are still great games.

    Graphics - Well they have definitely been changed up a bit! At first I was against the new design, but over time it grew on me and I found it to be very cute, as did my partner who was playing Brilliant Diamond alongside me. It felt very much like the original, no major changes in terms of the layout of the game, but the graphical improvements made it feel somewhat new and refreshing which I enjoyed. The Pokemon battles themselves reflected the newer games being in a 3D environment which is what I would have expected, I will always cherish the sprite based battles but these 3D battles is the way it should be and remain from now on.

    Changes - There isn't a whole lot of changes besides a few things such as an exp share that cannot be turned off so your Pokemon will level up despite not being in battle and this can make the game pretty easy, early on I was training up to 25 different Pokemon (no lie) to keep their levels lower and have a bit more of a challenge, you can also access your PC box from anywhere after a certain point in the early game much like the newer games, so that will feel similar to the younger crowd or newcomers who are familiar with these recent Pokemon games, it doesn't bother me necessarily, it is more convenient, I just wonder if its better to have an option to turn EXP share off. You have the Poketch app as well, playing docked makes the app a little difficult to manage as it was used a 3DS tool with the touch screen in the original, so that can be a bit annoying but if you are playing handheld, no major issues besides having to load it up on screen to use it. Not many other changes really come to mind, it feels very much like the originals for the most part.

    Bugs and glitches - There were some minor issues, occasions where the screen would take a while to load, and even a situation where my partner was in a battle and she clicked on a move to use but the screen just stayed still and she could not doing anything other than close the game and re-open, having to start where she last saved, I didn't experience this issue myself but it did feel like the quality we'd expect from this series was lacking just a tad but not enough to ruin the experience.

    Common complaints - Lets just put this on the table because I am seeing negative scores purely based on these reasons - There are no major changes in this remake, there is no national desk, they didn't base it on the Platinum version etc etc. This seems to be a review bomb of negativity that will forever plague the Pokemon series because people are unhappy they are not being given exactly what they want despite clear signs of what the game is from trailers and such. I personally am most fond of my time with Pearl, but also Pearl was made with the new pokemon in mind, and the Platinum version expanded on the pokemon a bit more including ones from previous games, but I don't need them to include the whole pokedex, Pearl and Diamond was there as an introduction to a new world, a new generation of pokemon and this is the first experience people had with generation 4 so giving that experience to newcomers of Pokemon is not a bad thing. There is also the complaint that there is no major changes in the remake but I can guarantee if there were major changes, then people would complain about them changing too much. Its my personal belief that people are expecting way too much from these games at times when this is nothing more than a remake of a classic, just because it isn't based on your favourite one (Platinum) then I don't think its fair to give it a 0, you knew what to expect when you saw the names of the games advertised. So if you are like me and just want to return to Pearl and Diamond, or you are new to the series, then definitely pick this up, you will have a great time, and I never really have a bad time playing Pokemon, its always good fun.

    Final Rating - For Pokemon fans like myself who wanted to go back and play the original with updated graphics and some minor changes, this is great and I finished the game in less than 10 days just because it is so easy to play and have a good time. If you are wanting more from the remake then I would suggest maybe skipping this one as it doesn't do anything overly different to the original.    … Expand
  9. Brunosky99
    Nov 24, 2021
    8
    Gráficamente es hermoso, pero hecho de menos las mejoras implementadas en el Pokemon platino, como los cambios en los gimnasios y el evento del mundo distorsión. Sin embargo es un muy entretenido viaje con sabor a nostalgia.
  10. monarch250
    Nov 24, 2021
    9
    Nostalgia done right!

    This game is made to be very faithful to the original releases and ILCA does a wonderful job of that. Obviously many Pokémon fans would want all the original's wrinkles to be ironed out, but I don't think that was the goal here. The Art Style gets a lot of hate, but this game is gorgeous, the battle animations are great, the character models have ... well....    Nostalgia done right!

    This game is made to be very faithful to the original releases and ILCA does a wonderful job of that. Obviously many Pokémon fans would want all the original's wrinkles to be ironed out, but I don't think that was the goal here.

    The Art Style gets a lot of hate, but this game is gorgeous, the battle animations are great, the character models have ... well.... character and the shadow, reflection and water effects are the best in the series. BONUS: It also runs flawlessly on the switch!

    Long story short... this is a great game and you should buy it. Give ILCA a chance to do more, for their first kick at the Pokémon can, they did amazing.    … Expand
  11. rolegervari
    Nov 26, 2021
    10
    I haven't played Pokémon in 20 years and I'm having a blast. It feels like a classic and that's what I want from Pokémon, isometric cute chibby characters and fun music so I can play in front of my toddler.
  12. Duckfan2037
    Nov 27, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If you like Pokemon remakes this one is a great game, if a bit too easy and some difficulty scaling problems at times, for example the third gym leaders Lucario will kick your ass if you at level. I cant imagine a child being able to beat her without help. Other than that the lack of features at launch is abhorrent. Even as far as remakes go. I pre orderded the double pack on the eShop and was immediately disappointed to find out link trade isn't available at launch and will be patched in later. Besides that you will need a Nintendo online account to use it! My score would be higher of this was fixed. I don't and have never supported looking previously free content behind a paywall. Starlink did this and I stoped playing it out of spite for Ubisoft.

    In conclusion, it's a good remake with stripped down features and neat exclusives if you are willing to look beyond the 20.00 a year paywall to play online.    … Expand
  13. Fishcake1o
    Nov 29, 2021
    10
    Great game loads of fun def an improvement on the originals based on the speed alone Great fun definitely recommend
  14. Kreepycake
    Dec 1, 2021
    8
    I haven't played the original diamond and pearl or even platinum but after completing shining pearl I can say I enjoyed the experience, the main problem that I have is exp share as it makes the game far too easy but other than that it was a ton of fun.
  15. HenGamer
    Dec 19, 2021
    0
    most disappointing remake
    no megas dexs sucks lazy remake gamefreak no care about series anymore
  16. blisslovesotome
    Jan 4, 2022
    9
    I honestly didn't expect to like it so much! Too bad for the dubious graphical choices.
  17. I_Trust_In_GF
    Jan 29, 2022
    10
    Remake of the highest quality, it evokes nostalgia for a game that was part of my childhood on the NDS.
  18. hkatbamna1
    Feb 20, 2023
    7
    Visually, its an excellent remake of my favorite pokemon generation. Them keeping the chibi artstyle definitely helped nail the nostalgia of it. Sadly, taking points away for how absurdly easy they made this game. The forced experience share with no option to turn it off made it so my pokemon were perpetually at least 10-15 levels above the opponent. Really would have appreciated SOME challenge
  19. Fra-k
    May 15, 2022
    6
    a sufficient game, that unlike the titles, don't shine at all.
    a timid remake, with not enough new stuff for both old and new players.
    a failed occasion
  20. Schueli
    Aug 10, 2022
    7
    Ja, gibt nicht viel zu sagen. Typisches Pokémon halt. Nur mit hässlichen Figuren in der Oberwelt. Im Kampf passt dann alles.

    Bin durchgerusht und hab nicht viel gesammelt. Macht das, was Pokémon macht und war soweit gut.
  21. SuperkenGaming
    Dec 8, 2021
    8
    Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
    my first pokemon game in a long time
    I havnt played a base line pokemon game since silver way back in the day, so I was excited to hop back into the remake of the 4th gen.. and while this game is great, its just not as magic as I remember pokemon games being.. The 4th en of pokemon introduces 107 new pokemon and none of them are really any    Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
    my first pokemon game in a long time
    I havnt played a base line pokemon game since silver way back in the day, so I was excited to hop back into the remake of the 4th gen.. and while this game is great, its just not as magic as I remember pokemon games being.. The 4th en of pokemon introduces 107 new pokemon and none of them are really any exciting, as usual you start by choosing your favorite starter, and this time youre on a journey to stop team galactic whos going to these lakes and snatching up the regions legendary pokemon… and the story is pretty straightforward and therefor not really all that interesting..
    Diamond and Pearl are very straightforward games in general, go through the routes, building up your team of pokemon which btw share exp from the start, so I had to do absolutely 0 grinding to beat this game… go to the gyms, take town the leader, get a badge, get an ability to progress through the world, an ability that you don’t have to attach to a pokemon to use, another change I love vs back in the day.. so no longer are you forced to have a party of pokemon for certain moves to progress the game, you no longer have to save spots in their move sets for a move you don’t really care about all that much..
    But that’s it, that’s the game.. 30 hours of go from this town to this town… It was enjoyable but it was also a bit of a disappointment.. this wasn’t a world or story ill remember, there are no cool mysteries to solve in each town, they all kind of blend together.. This is probably one of the most forgettable monster collecting games ive every played..
    That being said its still pokemon, its still addicting to build the best team possible trying to catch them all if you care to…
    While this isn’t a journey ill remember, its still one im glad I took
    I give Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
    an 8/10    … Expand
  22. Dragonfire14
    Dec 2, 2021
    7
    It's a shame that these remakes are better than the actual next entries in the series (Sword and Shield). Even though BD&SP (Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl) are better, they are still flawed and no where near what a modern AAA release should be. Missing content, removed content, weird art style, missing options, and bugs are all taking away from making these remakes great. Are theyIt's a shame that these remakes are better than the actual next entries in the series (Sword and Shield). Even though BD&SP (Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl) are better, they are still flawed and no where near what a modern AAA release should be. Missing content, removed content, weird art style, missing options, and bugs are all taking away from making these remakes great. Are they terrible must avoid games, no.

    Graphics:

    The art style in these games is a bit strange. They basically took the original DS games and upscaled/polished them. It is strange to look at, but could be overlooked if the animations and in battle models were fantastic, but they are not. Animations are again lacking and and basic. Pokemon developers refuse to fully utilize the hardware and add animations in that amount to more that using the transition and rotation buttons. This is just a nit pick of mine, but I wish shinies were actually hand made and not a simple hue shift.

    Content:

    These games are remakes, so expecting something completely different is out of the question, but expecting a better experience than the originals is what I went into them with. These games are missing a ton of platinum content, all event content, nerfed contests, and removed game corner. The contest change was the biggest hit to me. They completely threw them out in the remakes changing them into a shell of their former self. Instead of a multi staged mini game it is simply a rhythm game without the rhythm. The removed Arceus, Darkrai and Shaymin events are currently not in the game, but Shaymin has been proven to be in the game through glitching out of the map. I know that in the past these were events later in the game's life, but these remakes should of included them in the base version. Then there is the glitches, there are many. I won't go super into detail here, but a quick google can outline them for you.

    That being said these remakes do make one awesome change to content, the underground. The Grand Underground is amazing, and let's you catch a ton of Pokemon not in the game. Secret bases are a bit simplistic and boring now, but the rest of the Underground is so fun.

    Options:

    The biggest issue with missing options is that exp share is stuck to be on. While I don't mind it since it just eliminates grind time for me, a bunch of players are upset with the lack of difficulty this creates. I hope this option gets added to the game.

    Conclusion:

    While I'm happy Pokemon is back on track to be an actually good game after the mess that was SW&SH, I think these games could of been so much better. I don't know if it is Gamefreak or The Pokemon Company that is holding the series back, but something needs to give. The Pokemon series itself needs an evolution, it needs to finally enter the modern gaming levels, and use modern technology.    … Expand
  23. Federx
    Jan 30, 2022
    2
    avoid like the plague. they somehow managed to make sinnoh even worse, which is quite the achievement
  24. Magmagan
    Dec 17, 2021
    6
    I put in 13 hours into this game. And I don't think there was a single hour that I didn't think "huh, I'd rather be playing Platinum on my 3DS right now".

    Unlike Sword and Shield, that pulls off a global XP share by having the trainer and wild encounters keep up with your levels, BDSP has the same old wild Pokémon and trainer levels with an XP gain that doesn't fit with the original    I put in 13 hours into this game. And I don't think there was a single hour that I didn't think "huh, I'd rather be playing Platinum on my 3DS right now".

    Unlike Sword and Shield, that pulls off a global XP share by having the trainer and wild encounters keep up with your levels, BDSP has the same old wild Pokémon and trainer levels with an XP gain that doesn't fit with the original levels. Even trying to Nuzlocke felt like child's play

    The only redeeming factor is that your Pokémon can run around with you. But that comes in a little too late for that wow factor to carry through the rest of the game.

    If you can, just play the original.    … Expand
  25. PlanetDeadwing
    Dec 19, 2021
    7
    Pokémon Shining Pearl (or Brilliant Diamond) is a game that is constantly at war with itself. It's a game that completely succeeds at emulating the classic experience of arguably Pokémon's finest generation - the mighty Generation IV - and the unforgettable spirit of the duo of games that largely represented it. But in both attempting to be as faithful as possible to the original gamesPokémon Shining Pearl (or Brilliant Diamond) is a game that is constantly at war with itself. It's a game that completely succeeds at emulating the classic experience of arguably Pokémon's finest generation - the mighty Generation IV - and the unforgettable spirit of the duo of games that largely represented it. But in both attempting to be as faithful as possible to the original games while also being modernised and in refined for the Switch, it results in perhaps the strangest gameplay experience out of all the Pokémon games. For me, this game constantly alternated between being a happy trip back in time to the blissful golden years of the late 2000s (back when life was simple, everyone got along, the world made sense, and everything felt right) and a somewhat awkward retread that doesn't entirely justify its existence. This game is so unnecessarily faithful to the original that at times it feels like playing a really shiny port rather than a true remake, and at times it's surreal seeing things about Diamond/Pearl that now feel somewhat dated being celebrated by the game. From the designs of gyms and towns to the chibi art style and even having the exact same Pokémon on every route, this game will repeatedly give you deja vu if you've played the Sinnoh trio multiple times (which I have). But despite these issues, I'm enjoying this game so far, simply because, let's face it - Sinnoh is, and always will be, a realm of absolute magic, and it's impossible not to get sucked into it for hours. It's a shame that there wasn't more done to it though. It needed more stuff from Platinum, more new things and more improvements to old things. But if you can look past its lack of ambition and a few awkwardly dated aspects that didn't translate well to the Switch, Shining Pearl (and Brilliant Diamond) once again prove that there's no end to Pokémon. There is no escape...… Expand
  26. FluffySpartan
    Apr 5, 2023
    8
    It's okay, it's at least better as the main games of the last year's.... The pkmn attack animations are good compared to the game freak games.
    Give another team a good budget and the license for pkmn and the games would be awesome again. Look at new pkmn snap, very good quality because it's not from game freak.
  27. DeadSmack
    May 17, 2023
    2
    So, if you have played the originals, this is the same. It's not a remake, it's just a visual update. And to my taste, the chibi style is horrible. I wonder if 5-10 yrs old Pokemon fans are really the main audience for the franchise. Can't recommend it, you better get the originals and play them.
  28. asdfgrand
    Nov 26, 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.
  29. elolugo
    Jun 27, 2022
    6
    Good pokemon game. Not perfect, but fun nevertheless. Play it only if you haven't played it on the DS
  30. Poochingus
    Jan 3, 2022
    2
    This was so much of a let down. This is the first time a pokemon main series remake has removed content and features instead of adding them. I don't know why they made this game if they were going to somehow make it worse. What was the point of this game? Multiplayer in this game is about on par with the technology from the gameboy days. Yes, it hasn't been this stripped down since goldThis was so much of a let down. This is the first time a pokemon main series remake has removed content and features instead of adding them. I don't know why they made this game if they were going to somehow make it worse. What was the point of this game? Multiplayer in this game is about on par with the technology from the gameboy days. Yes, it hasn't been this stripped down since gold and silver version. No more global trade. No more multiplayer union rooms either. Underground multiplayer was also gelded. A sad sad sad game. Everyone bashes the art direction, but to be honest, that is the least of my concerns. It is terrible gameplay that really ruins it. There are tons of bugs and glitches. Exp share has no toggle anymore either, which was the worst change added in the previous games and completely ruins the balance of this old game. They included no post game content, where omega ruby/alpha sapphire added amazing post game story and it was fun! These games added nothing, and removed more too. Platinum content simply consisted of just letting you catch giratina and get his origin form. Also they did not include the more fleshed out story for team galactic. Controls are also pretty weak. The originals had great menu layouts and touch controls, they removed the ability to touch menu items for some reason and the menu in combat is pretty weak too. In good form they did not have a fun or engaging post game challenge area. I'm really sick of the battle tower for the 5th or 6th game in a row now, its just the same old thing and it is more luck based than about trying to fight skillfully this time around more than ever. Gameplay is sluggish, despite speeding up movement and hp bars, it doesn't matter when you can't do what every good rpg has been doing for a decade now by having the ability to speed up the combat encounters, and I wish I could turn off the "friendship" emotes, just more wasted time. The little things add up to just annoy you to death and mash the A-button. Loading is also so slow that I thought I bricked the console when I first opened the game. Its amazing how these ugly looking very simple looking games make the console struggle this much.

    I have had more fun with indie games for less than half the price of these cheap imitations of the DS games.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 88 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 88
  2. Mixed: 51 out of 88
  3. Negative: 0 out of 88
  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
    60
    If you're a Switch owner looking to play a Pokémon game, this pair should be your third choice after the Let's Go games and Sword & Shield. [Issue #57 – January/February 2022, p. 67]
  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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