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. Alvalos
    Nov 21, 2021
    8
    Are they perfect? No
    Are they fun? Yes
    Does it include platinum content? No Are the graphics bad? No Would you replay them again? In a heartbeat BDSP is, without a shadow of a doubt, a trip down nostalgia lane, a re-imagining of the original journeys throughout the Sinnoh Region from their initial outings in Diamond & Pearl. Story If the goal was to achieve faithful remakes of those    Are they perfect? No
    Are they fun? Yes
    Does it include platinum content? No
    Are the graphics bad? No
    Would you replay them again? In a heartbeat

    BDSP is, without a shadow of a doubt, a trip down nostalgia lane, a re-imagining of the original journeys throughout the Sinnoh Region from their initial outings in Diamond & Pearl. Story If the goal was to achieve faithful remakes of those games, then ILCA have fully succeeded in their mission. It’s just as leisurely paced as the original Diamond & Pearl, encouraging the player to take their time and take in their surroundings. The story of DP is quite grand but it wasn’t fully realised and developed until Platinum. Lots to do & explore whilst not feeling too linear with a maze-like map. In this instance however, after playing through the game, I personally feel as though the fleshed out story beats from Platinum are missing here.

    Graphics
    They’re clean, charming & capture the essence of what classic top-down Pokémon used to be. Cutesy & child-like. Sword & Shiled in comparison can look a little muddy around the edges. There were a few janky animations from time-to-time but nothing that didn’t just make me smile and giggle. They clearly take inspiration from the Links Awakening remake, and on reflection, it was probably the better route to go down than trying to re-create these games in Sw/Sh graphics. Don’t be fooled by the initial reveal trailer, the improvements in lighting, shading & character models has come on leaps & bounds since we first saw it at the beginning of the year. Everything Else
    -The roster of Pokémon is as it was in Gen 4, it actually makes for a decent challenge trying to shape a team with the Pokémon you have at your disposal. We won’t get all the Pokémon in Legebds Arceus, we didn’t get them all in Sw/Sh, why should this be any different?
    -The grand underground is a place where you could spend hours hunting through the walls or capturing Pokémon, otherwise unobtainable in the overworld for your adventure. ILCA, you did a cracking job of the underground and making it useful & accessible for everyone. -Contests have been re-defined & streamlined but IMO I would say this was for the worst. Contests in the original had substance & felt like a journey in of themselves. The new version of contests are a rhythm game - great if you’re short of time, but I didn’t feel as though I had something to work towards. Poffin making can be tedious at times! - The EXP share was a necessary edition although it should have been a toggleable option. I had it on for my whole journey and blacked out a couple of times! It negates the grind, but ideally should’ve been optional. I very much enjoyed my time with BDSP, ILCA have managed to rekindle that inner child and bring back memories of playing my original copy of Diamond back in 2007. Newcomers of the series will have a shock as BDSP is the genuine article when it comes to what Classic Pokémon is all about. A little bit tough, a grand adventure & a lot of fun. Highly recommend first time Pokémon players pick up this one rather than any of the more recent entries. ILCA catered this game to the fans of Diamond & Pearl, a love letter to what Pokémon used to be, trying not to get hung up on the more recent additions & changes in the newer games. I hope TPC continue to outsource some of their projects.    … Expand
  2. Donkristo
    Nov 21, 2021
    9
    Отличная игра. Графика, бои, анимация все радует глаз. Всё те же покемоны, что и раньше. Найти в продаже 4 поколение для DS практически невозможно, так что это единственная возможность ознакомиться с данным поколением.
  3. CasualG1
    Nov 21, 2021
    9
    A nostalgic journey from start to finish, a game recommended only for those who have not played the 4th generation on DS, or want to remember them with adorable graphics
  4. DramaticBox
    Nov 21, 2021
    10
    Same thing I had to say about BD: Sword and Shield just can't compare to the amount of genuine passion put into this set. If you want a Pokemon game that feels like the people making it actually wanted to make a good video game, I highly recommend the DP remakes.
  5. PrincessSaf
    Nov 21, 2021
    8
    While I would have preferred a remake in the style of Sword and Shield, I am not entirely against the style they chose to be closer to the originals as they were on DS. However it just feel like they did the minimum to remake the originals and to me it does not compare with the third gen remakes.

    In a way I don't think they are best for those who did not play the originals because those    While I would have preferred a remake in the style of Sword and Shield, I am not entirely against the style they chose to be closer to the originals as they were on DS. However it just feel like they did the minimum to remake the originals and to me it does not compare with the third gen remakes.

    In a way I don't think they are best for those who did not play the originals because those remakes feel worse than Sword and Shield and I don't think they are much better than playing the originals either, so I am mixed for the recommendation overall. Maybe if they were a third less expensive than main releases it would have been better.

    I still can't give it a bad score, I can't 100% recommend it, but I like it, it looks good enough, and it's based on good games, so I would recommend people to look a little into it before buying but it should be fine.    … Expand
  6. DistantKingDumb
    Nov 21, 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.
  7. KarimTheTraitor
    Nov 21, 2021
    10
    The triumphant return of my favorite generation, with changes consistent with current generations and new mechanics that make the game more relaxing or enjoyable.
  8. Minato-Arisato
    Nov 22, 2021
    10
    El estado actual de Pokémon es mas que envidiable y estas entregas, tanto Diamond y Pearl, son un demostración mas, junto a anteriores juegos que también me encantaron como Sol y Luna, Espada y Escudo y ORAZ.
    Al principio el apartado técnico puede desagradar, pero cuando uno se acostumbra, interiorizas el aspecto chibi al instante y comprendes que es para dar la mayor sensación de    El estado actual de Pokémon es mas que envidiable y estas entregas, tanto Diamond y Pearl, son un demostración mas, junto a anteriores juegos que también me encantaron como Sol y Luna, Espada y Escudo y ORAZ.
    Al principio el apartado técnico puede desagradar, pero cuando uno se acostumbra, interiorizas el aspecto chibi al instante y comprendes que es para dar la mayor sensación de nostalgia posible.
    Los combates pokémon siempre son un deleite, y la historia de Sinnoh es de las mejores que haya creado el buen estudio que es Game Freak.
    ILCA ha sabido tomar la batuta mientras el nuevo titulo Leyendas Arceus esta por venir.
    Por el momento, casi todos los Pokémon de Switch me han sorprendido gratamente.    … Expand
  9. Swampert_Tube
    Nov 21, 2021
    10
    Great game, and such a faithful remake too. They kept the original tweaking glitches, which is awesome too. Really enjoyed it! On my 2nd playthrough right now too! Cynthia is still hard as well. Would play it again honestly.
  10. Buurto
    Nov 21, 2021
    10
    Game is a perfect review. Music is great. Graphics are perfect. It's a faithful remake to pearl with a few extras. Pearl remake is the best pokemon game we got after ruby remake.. the animation the weather the lightning its all great. It's a nostalgic remake without any **** mechanics Form gen 5-8 im so glad it's just gen 1-4 Pokemon.
  11. B3jn
    Nov 21, 2021
    10
    Best Pokemon game in years, a true return to form. Don't listen to other reviews, Pokemon fans always cry and are never satisfied with anything. This is a great game and well worth $60.
  12. Kratosine
    Nov 21, 2021
    10
    Un par de remakes mucho mejores que lo que fueron en su dia Let's Go Pikachu y Eevee.
    Aunque hubiera preferido mil veces un Sinnoh recreado bajo el estilo de Galar, este estilo chibi adorable y muy pequeño, en remembranza de los sprites originales, sinceramente no me molesta.
    Si bien el juego es mas fácil, no es restrictivo ni te obliga a pasar por el aro, puedes jugarlo de múltiples    Un par de remakes mucho mejores que lo que fueron en su dia Let's Go Pikachu y Eevee.
    Aunque hubiera preferido mil veces un Sinnoh recreado bajo el estilo de Galar, este estilo chibi adorable y muy pequeño, en remembranza de los sprites originales, sinceramente no me molesta.
    Si bien el juego es mas fácil, no es restrictivo ni te obliga a pasar por el aro, puedes jugarlo de múltiples maneras en busca de mayor dificultad.
    La música, los modelos y el enviroment esta muy bien rediseñado, y al jugarlo y al ser tan fiel en todo lo que se propone, produce una gran sensación de nostalgia.    … Expand
  13. Chopyhop
    Nov 20, 2021
    10
    Just glad they managed to find an art style that finally suits the pokemon series.
  14. DistantKingdom
    Nov 22, 2021
    10
    I misjudged this cute title, at first I was reluctant to the idea that the characters were so chibi and poorly defined, but it's something that you learn to tolerate and love.
    The fighting is surprisingly fun and even difficult at some points, it's faster than its original games, and artistically, the reorchestrated music and NPC's models have been revamped in an excellent way.
    I must    I misjudged this cute title, at first I was reluctant to the idea that the characters were so chibi and poorly defined, but it's something that you learn to tolerate and love.
    The fighting is surprisingly fun and even difficult at some points, it's faster than its original games, and artistically, the reorchestrated music and NPC's models have been revamped in an excellent way.
    I must thank and congratulate ILCA and Game Freak for doing such a good job.    … Expand
  15. Mando44646
    Nov 22, 2021
    9
    Best Pokémon RPG on the console. Let's Go was a terrible gimmick-fest and Sword/Shield were....just okay.

    Good:
    Visuals
    Ganeplay
    Map
    Underground

    Bad:
    Nothing new and lacks Platinum content
    3D models can be a bit odd
  16. Omega-xis97
    Nov 21, 2021
    10
    this game could have been much more if they had included platinum, i really miss distortion world in the history, but is ok
  17. shoutouttoVP
    Nov 20, 2021
    0
    A cheap and rushed "remake" that is inferior to Platinum, a game from 12 years ago. Bravo ILCA, you managed to outdo GF and lower the bar right down to the ground. Where is the national dex? it's been 2 years and we're still limited, despite the other remakes including it. Why does the day one patch have to add the Battle Tower? Where is the Battle Frontier?

    How can they charge full    A cheap and rushed "remake" that is inferior to Platinum, a game from 12 years ago. Bravo ILCA, you managed to outdo GF and lower the bar right down to the ground. Where is the national dex? it's been 2 years and we're still limited, despite the other remakes including it. Why does the day one patch have to add the Battle Tower? Where is the Battle Frontier?

    How can they charge full price for this? The only good thing they added is the new Underground, which lets you catch Pokemon not in the regional dex. That's nice, but it does not make the game worth playing. Just play the originals on your phone and save your money!    … Expand
  18. anhiyprjqqjedvj
    Nov 20, 2021
    0
    A terrible looking, mediocre "remake" of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl. There is no national dex or any major new features to put it above the originals, and there is little to no content from Platinum.

    Why does this game even exist? To make money and to fulfill the obligation of remaking each gen. It's too bad because the first three remakes were actually good and had effort put into them,    A terrible looking, mediocre "remake" of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl. There is no national dex or any major new features to put it above the originals, and there is little to no content from Platinum.

    Why does this game even exist? To make money and to fulfill the obligation of remaking each gen. It's too bad because the first three remakes were actually good and had effort put into them, unlike this one.    … Expand
  19. greninjaX
    Nov 20, 2021
    0
    easily the worst of the pokemon remakes (aside from let's go). they won't even use the platinum dex. the purposely keep problems from the original in order to be "faithful remakes". pokemon remakes shouldn't be faithful. they should try to improve and make it feel fresh. BDSP refuses to do that. it continues the pokemon companies trend of making all the switch pokemon games awful.
  20. katieelizabeth
    Nov 20, 2021
    5
    Pokemon BDSP are not bad games, but overall I'd say this is a pretty unambitious and mediocre remake of an average game for its time that is frankly too faithful for its own good.

    In terms of graphics, the game looks completely outdated. The chibi art style is not endearing, nor does it look very good. Fortunately, the character models and pokemon look much better in battle, but all    Pokemon BDSP are not bad games, but overall I'd say this is a pretty unambitious and mediocre remake of an average game for its time that is frankly too faithful for its own good.

    In terms of graphics, the game looks completely outdated. The chibi art style is not endearing, nor does it look very good. Fortunately, the character models and pokemon look much better in battle, but all this does is make me wish they were used throughout the entire game. The in-battle models frankly look so much better than the chibi stuff.

    The environments look bland and look worse than the original pixel graphics from 2006. I wish they didn't maintain the 2D tile aesthetic - it just looks fake/outdated to me. How do several indie games manage to look better than a game produced by a 105 billion dollar company?

    While the soundtrack is an improvement over the original version on the DS, it still falls way short of the live orchestrated soundtrack from Sword and Shield. Unfortunately, it sounds like this soundtrack is entirely midi-based, lacking any real recorded instruments of any kind.

    The story isn't all that interesting either. The original script came out around the same time as Mass Effect. The script wasn't good for its time, let alone holding up in 2021. It is a missed opportunity that the developers didn't modernize/reimagine the script to become more engaging and in line with modern RPGs or the very best of its anime. I wish the gym leaders were more fleshed out and part of the story. I wish team Galactic was given a lot more depth.

    The pacing of BDSP is incredibly slow, and the game finds ways to waste your time repeatedly. Random battles are extremely outdated and are annoying, especially in caves. I am so disappointed the game did not choose to have pokemon in the overworld like the modern games.

    Eggs take forever to hatch in BDSP and do not benefit from the increased hatching time found in Sword and Shield. I spent over 9000 steps to hatch the egg given to me in Hearthome City and it just wouldn't hatch for me. I got better things to do than rotate my L-stick riding a bike until it hatches. This is such an outdated game mechanic that did not need to be implemented "faithfully" in BDSP.

    Battles are also super slow to the point of them becoming grating. Essentially, Pokemon battles aren't "show don't tell" - BDSP verbosely tells yous everything in nauseating detail. When I faint a pokemon, it should fall immediately when I hit it - it should be obvious to anyone what has happened to that Pokemon by just looking at the animation and the health bar going to 0. Instead, the game's faint animation happens many seconds after the hit, and BDSP still insists on telling you the pokemon fainted with an additional textbox too. Even FF7 did this properly on the Playstation 1! Why is everything so verbose with text dialog boxes for?

    Before each combat round, BDSP also shows a textbox saying, "Your pokemon is awaiting directions." No kidding! Does anyone seriously need this textbox??? Stuff like "It's Raining" is also equally redundant - we can see it raining on the screen! And when using a move, there's no reason its name can't be displayed at the same time as the animation too. The amount of verbose and completely unnecessary text in this game is beyond ridiculous.

    And when a battle starts, can we finally have an option to remove the Pokeball fanfare and just have all pokemon come out immediately to save time? Why does starting every random battle have to be padded with 10 seconds of animations? Can the Switch not load these battles faster?

    Then there are weird control issues in BDSP, such as the L and R buttons not working in the menus like every other modern game, which tripped me up quite a bit. The d-pad is also unfortunately assigned to walking when it should have been assigned to your 4 registered items. Why did none of the QA staff say anything?

    Ultimately, BDSP needed to completely reimagine modern Sinnoh in full 3D (similar to Sword and Shield), modernize and polish the script, and increase the quality of life and production values across the board to justify its AAA price tag. Barring that, BDSP needed to be sold for $29.99 given what we got. Essentially, BDSP is a low-budget cash grab and it should not be praised or endorsed in any way. Pokemon fans need to be vocal and reject these cash grabs. Pokemon fans need to demand better for their hard-earned money because BDSP is an embarrassment for a full AAA-priced game, and is simply not competitive with other AAA games on the market.

    If you want to go back to the past - for all its problems - then you might enjoy BDSP. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this game. BDSP's archaic and overly-verbose design just doesn't interest me anymore. I would have much rather had a modern reimagining of modern Sinnoh with immersive 3D environments, a modern engaging story, and high production values. Modern Sinnoh deserved better.    … Expand
  21. PokeFanXD
    Nov 20, 2021
    0
    This is a joke compared to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. How is this acceptable in 2021?!? And these pokemon youtubers are sucking off these incomplete pair of games. Pokemon should have never went 3D!!
  22. Zaregoto
    Nov 20, 2021
    0
    I loved the original games when they first came out on the DS, and this doesn't do them justice at all.
    Pitiful overworld art style, screwed up balance because of gen7 movesets and forced exp share, while at the same time providing almost no new content or any platinum content for that matter. They consciously decided against it too. Not just that, Gamefreak looked at gen 4 and was like    I loved the original games when they first came out on the DS, and this doesn't do them justice at all.
    Pitiful overworld art style, screwed up balance because of gen7 movesets and forced exp share, while at the same time providing almost no new content or any platinum content for that matter. They consciously decided against it too. Not just that, Gamefreak looked at gen 4 and was like "this isn't worth our time" and made some random mobile game company create the game for them. It looks like a joke in comparison to Alpha Saphire which released 7 years ago. Please do not support this. Show Gamefreak that you don't just gobble up anything they shove down your throat. Collapse    … Expand
  23. TheHonestMan
    Nov 24, 2021
    5
    Mediocre experience. Retains the originals flaws and has an ugly art style for the sake of "faithfulness". Sinnoh itself is still well designed and the improved pacing is welcome but there's just nothing compelling about it for those looking for a better or fresh take on the originals. Forced exp share and affection bonuses also tamper with the experience as most of the game it notMediocre experience. Retains the originals flaws and has an ugly art style for the sake of "faithfulness". Sinnoh itself is still well designed and the improved pacing is welcome but there's just nothing compelling about it for those looking for a better or fresh take on the originals. Forced exp share and affection bonuses also tamper with the experience as most of the game it not rebalanced to accomodate them. You'll get some causal nostalgic fun going through the story but the buyer's remorse will kick in at the postgame where there is little to do except the same old low-effort legend fetch quest we've had since ORAS. Save your money for Legends… Expand
  24. 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
  25. Exocation
    Dec 1, 2021
    2
    The new style looks very ugly, but everyone can decide that for himself. The optics on the other hand are just bad, plain bad, just go to YouTube and look at a comparison between this game an Pokemon let's go, which was released 3 years ago! The are worlds between, this game just looks ugly. Plus, why on earth would you not include all the improvements the Platin edition already did?? PLUSThe new style looks very ugly, but everyone can decide that for himself. The optics on the other hand are just bad, plain bad, just go to YouTube and look at a comparison between this game an Pokemon let's go, which was released 3 years ago! The are worlds between, this game just looks ugly. Plus, why on earth would you not include all the improvements the Platin edition already did?? PLUS they actively made the game worse, for example by adding a global exp share that you CANT disable. All in all, the game is very ugly and you can feel how lazy the devs/Nintendo was to release this poorly made cash grab. This game and the Pokemon series deserve so much better.… Expand
  26. SavageReviews1
    Nov 25, 2021
    5
    My biggest gripe with this game and this series in general is I basically one shot ever trainer/ Gym Leader with my starter Pokémon. It makes battles boring which makes up a majority of the gameplay. I wish they would add some difficulty options. How about making it so you can only use certain types of Pokémon in a gym battle or make it so you can only carry three Pokémon at a time. Or howMy biggest gripe with this game and this series in general is I basically one shot ever trainer/ Gym Leader with my starter Pokémon. It makes battles boring which makes up a majority of the gameplay. I wish they would add some difficulty options. How about making it so you can only use certain types of Pokémon in a gym battle or make it so you can only carry three Pokémon at a time. Or how about have the trainers and gym battles match whatever level you are like the grand underground does? It shouldn’t be on the player to have to create artificial limits to make the game more challenging. My wife is even bored with the game after the third gym battle because she has all these Pokémon but she never has a reason to use them because her starter handles everything.… Expand
  27. ZoroGust
    Dec 7, 2021
    1
    It's so lazy it looks like a remaster! Justified the dexit to enhance the "graphics improvement", but tell me what this remake has graphically to bring only the pokemon of the original game?
  28. ND-Bringer
    Dec 2, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Fans have been pleading for Diamond and Pearl remakes ever since generation 7. But what we got was something quite abysmal. Calling this the definitive way to experience the Sinnoh region is like giving a kid too much sugar before bed. I wasn't expecting this game to be ground breaking like Heart Gold and Soul Silver, but this game just made my nightmares come true. I have been a die-hard fan of Pokemon for as long as I can remember. I understand that Pokemon games may not be as amazing as the used to be, but at least there was some form of effort made to inspire the next generation of players. But this game has let me down HARD. This game has unbalanced difficulty spikes, brings back old problems, creates new problems, and has a handful of glitches. The main game had left me so mentally exhausted that I felt broken after the credits rolled. Many people praise how great the new challenges are, but they're all pointless if you ask me. For one thing, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar are unavailable to obtain. It's nice that you to stick to a classic Pokemon selection theme, but you're not taking full advantage of it since only Pokemon from the original Sinnoh Pokedex are available. And the only way to obtain Pokemon from regions is by getting lucky with rare spawns or getting the National Dex in the post game allowing more Pokemon to appear in the Grand Underground. It feels unfair that I have build a team with these limited options. It's like how the monster Houndour is only available in the Kanto post game in the Johto region titles despite being a Johto Pokemon. One detail that makes Pokemon Platinum so great is that it's the first title to have Houndour available in the main game. Not only did the developers fixed the lack of fire type Pokemon in Sinnoh, but it made a lot of players smile. But nope! Someone thought it was a good idea to leave all the good stuff from Platinum out. So I can't build a decent team to fight the super version of Sinnoh's Elite Four. While they're a lot stronger thanks to their boosted EV stats, this is the only real challenge in the main game. Since everyone was a pushover I've been dead bored throughout most of the game. My rival somehow used a level 26 Starly, to win 4 gym badges!? I don't get it. I didn't have one drop of joy while facing the Pokemon League. I like a good challenge but this is a really high difficulty spike compared to the rest of the trainers I've fought. Their final teams in the post game are level 85, are equipped with good items, and have crazy high stats. Challenges like these are what Pokemon fans have been waiting for! But then why do they feel so empty? Look, we've fought Cynthia before in Sun and Moon. The difference there is that she uses Mega Evolution a new mechanic introduced in X and Y. X and Y was a generic game but the Mega Evolution mechanic it introduced has been fleshed over the years. Cynthia's final team is powerful, but since none of the new battle mechanics are available in this game, it has locked potential. The teams in this game are powerful, but it's nothing I haven't seen before. This whole game feels like a Pokemon mod, meaning anyone could have designed this game. Only tweaked mini games are introduced everything else just feels unoriginal. You have to go through hours of training, planning, and patience to be able to stand a chance against the difficulty spikes. And because the main game is so long and tedious your Pokemon skills will get worse before they get better. Even the main story feels lackluster, hell the original games did it better! The originals designs don't show the over world characters mouths, so you can imagine how they feel with the given dialogue and theme of the area. It's like how people us more imagination while reading. But thanks to the modern art style Pokemon characters can be more expressive. But even if I don't mind the Chibi art style it just looks wrong. Characters will rarely mouth animations making emotional scenes feel empty. And what's this? Ever since I got my coin toss app, my game will start to glitch out every time I turn on my Poketch! That's just PEACHY! There's not much enjoyment to be found because you have to wait to find it. Even the little things bother me immensely. The colors are slightly washed out, making the game even look unappealing. This game is a filthy reflection of the originals. Even if new content is added in to make the game better, the damage has been done. At least Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire introduced new abilities. At least Let's Go recreated the Kanto experience with elements of freedom. Hell, Pokemon X and Y at least didn't screw my progress with glitches and errors. If you want to experience the beauty of Sinnoh go play Pokemon Platinum. Generic Pokemon games usually just make my eyes roll, but I just hate this game. Now I know how Cyrus feels. This game was a waste of my time. I hope that Legends Arceus can save this franchise. All I feel now is rage.… Expand
  29. Frank1992
    Dec 7, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the rubbish game. I won’t spend any to buy this game. GF only want to make money and no heart to remake the game. If you compare heart gold/omega these remake game. This one is really disappointed.… Expand
  30. Rikoyasha
    Jan 4, 2022
    4
    Long story short just play Platinum

    a "faithful" remake no one asked for Pros - Underground rooms - updated moves Cons - removed quality of life Platinum changes(consist of too many things to list) - no online multi battle - killed underground base decoration and traps for player interaction - bland team galactic - less emersion like less detailed and bland places fixed in    Long story short just play Platinum

    a "faithful" remake no one asked for
    Pros
    - Underground rooms
    - updated moves
    Cons
    - removed quality of life Platinum changes(consist of too many things to list)
    - no online multi battle
    - killed underground base decoration and traps for player interaction
    - bland team galactic
    - less emersion like less detailed and bland places fixed in platinum
    and many more problems    … 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.
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  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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