I played the remakes of 'Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl' and I must admit that the first thing I thought was about the path that the franchise has already traveled through Nintendo consoles and I realized how much it evolved.
These games are part of the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Pokémon and bring back those titles that we knew for the Nintendo DS about 15 years ago.
Both 'Pokémon Brilliant Diamond' and 'Shining Pearl' were well received as they took advantage of the double screen of the Nintendo DS to exploit game mechanics by connecting players and the use of a touch screen.
Now these games are coming to Nintendo Switch and they had to be adapted.
Here I will tell you if they really managed to endure the passage of time.
A good comeback?
We are used to playing Pokémon RPGs where we go through an entire region in search of creatures, accompanied by a friend and with the aim of becoming trainers while we do dozens of battles until we compete in the Pokémon League.
The last title I played from the franchise was 'Pokémon Sword' (
MX $ 1,683 /
USD $ 57.06;
on Amazon), so going back to two games that were made more than a decade ago had its charm, but it also brought a lot of comparisons.
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The game is a bit simpler than the original.
Now, all our Pokémon, whether they participate in combat or not, gain experience and thus level up faster.
This takes away a bit the difficulty of the original or at least in constant battles to increase their levels.
However, the confrontations against gym leaders and the Elite Four are a great challenge that will put you to create strategies to take advantage of your Pokémon.
Something that those who played this title on Nintendo DS will also notice is the improvement in the speed with which your character can move around the maps almost all the time, so the exploration of the territory is better, more modern and does not feel slow. There is also no doubt that the developers did a good job in renewing the visual aspect, which is more noticeable in the animations of the trainers and during battles, the problem is that if you come (like me) to play 'Pokémon Sword' you will notice that the game falls short in the visuals and textures during the battles, something that I did not feel in the remake of 'The legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword'.
Of course, the path to becoming a great Pokémon trainer will not be easy, as you will meet a large number of wild creatures, trainers who will challenge you to duels and a mysterious organization.
All of that while you're trying to fill the pokedex, so the game might feel a bit long.
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The connection with other players is an important element in these remakes.
In each Pokémon Center you can connect with players both locally and remotely.
While the local connection is available from the moment you arrive at the first Pokémon Center, the remote one takes even longer, until you complete your first gym, so exchanging or receiving any special Pokémon will take time.
However, 'Pokémon Shining Pearl' borrows from Sword and Shield a new section called Grand Underground.
You will have access to it once you advance a bit in the game since here you will be able to see the creatures in freedom and you will be able to fight with the ones you want to capture, but you must bear in mind that they are stronger than those found on the surface.
Despite these changes, it is important to mention that in terms of gameplay and even by the end of the game, these remakes do not have many more changes or extra content.
It's worth it?
In the end, 'Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl' are good remakes for those who are approaching the franchise for the first time, because for someone who has been in it for a while, it might feel that it lacked improvements.
I like that it's a faithful recreation of the original, but it doesn't feel like a game for Nintendo's next-gen console.
It was a nice moment to have to choose between Turtwig, Chimchar or Piplup as the starter Pokémon to start the journey.
So I recommend this game both for fans of the franchise who want to give a review of these 2009 games, and new and small fans who want to delve deeper into the franchise.
Buy 'Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl'
You can buy these Pokémon remakes for your Nintendo Switch on Amazon:
Buy the bundle with the two sets for
MX $ 3,999 /
USD $ 149
'Pokémon Brilliant Diamond' by
MX $ 1,299 /
USD $ 64.90
'Pokémon Shining Pearl' by
MX $ 1,287 /
USD $ 59.75
Although the game is the same, it is important to emphasize that between the two games there are exclusives.
For example, in 'Brilliant Diamond' they have the legendary dogs of the Johto region, while 'Shining Pearl' has the birds of the Kanto region.
The differences between the two games will definitely make choosing one or the other a much more difficult decision.
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