As a boy playing games in the early 2000s, it goes without saying that Pokémon was a huge part of my childhood. Where I grew up, you weren’t ‘hot stuff’ unless you could snag the rarest ‘mons or take down the elite four with ease. Whether it was the trading cards, the anime, or the games themselves, there was no escaping the shadow of gaming’s most popular franchise. When Pokémon Diamond and Pearl first launched back in 2006, I may not have been old enough to understand the strategic gameplay or build the best teams, but that didn’t matter. The charming graphics, the catchy music, and the lovable little creatures were more than enough to spark my imagination, and I was completely hooked.
To this very day, I can’t bring myself to fully skip a new release, no matter how old the core formula becomes. The concept of Pokémon and the gameplay they create are just that powerful. But with the release of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, long-awaited remakes of the games that started my monster collecting journey, I fear that my fondness for the series may be coming to an end.
At their most basic, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are no different from Game Freak’s other remakes. Much like 2014’s Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and 2018’s Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, they seek to invoke the same magic that their predecessors did when they released, making changes to enhance the experience for a new generation of fans. However, the way in which Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl go about achieving that goal is completely different from those before it.
Instead of modernizing their source material for the latest technology, these have been advertised as “faithful remakes” that recreate the originals with as few changes as possible. The story, catching, and battling are exactly as you remember them, keeping the longer, winding routes and ‘historic’ tone and atmosphere that set Diamond and Pearl apart. As a result, the journey to become the best and defeat the champion is equally as satisfying as it was 15 years ago, no more and no less. Aside from the new HD visuals and 3D art style, there is very little that separates these new versions from the 2006 originals, and to be frank, that is easily their biggest mistake. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl aim to be a love letter that enhances the original’s appeal, but instead only weakens it in every way they can.
First, there is the obvious: the new visuals. In their efforts to remain faithful, the developers have recreated each asset from the original games in a softer, toy-like aesthetic while keeping the grid-based movement and sound effects exactly as they were. New weather and lighting details have been added to each area, but their layouts remain the same. However, when combined with the new character models and scenery, those elements appear stiff and cheap, especially when they are zoomed in on during story interactions. The character’s faces remain static no matter the situation, without any sort of emotion or animation to speak of, and the chibi style used for their designs makes even imposing figures like Cynthia appear small and unassuming.
Certain animations, such as menus and gym leader intros, look almost amateurish, with choppy transitions and art that looks as if it were made for a completely different game. The visuals used for Pokémon and battle elements may be more in line with expectations, but considering that they have been transferred directly from Pokémon Sword and Shield, I don’t believe that’s especially worthy of praise.
Beyond the visuals, the newly arranged soundtrack is mostly forgettable, and smaller new editions (such as Pokémon following behind you in the overworld and special ball effects) are mostly short-lived novelties, which is a shame given how much could have been changed. As great as the original Diamond and Pearl were, those games were rife with small, annoying problems that lessened the overall experience. Traversing the overworld took too long, random battles were too plentiful, gym puzzles were too simple (such as the infamous ‘basic math questions’ gym), the regional Pokédex had uneven type balancing, and a drastic difficulty spike was present at the very end of the adventure.
Despite its aim to be the ‘definitive’ experience, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have fixed not one of these issues. What makes matters worse is that a version of the game does exist with fixes for these problems (while adding in a host of new features and content), and it was even made my Game Freak themselves: Pokémon Platinum. So why couldn’t the developers of this remake integrate these fixes and improvements that already existed and were officially endorsed by the original game’s creators? I honestly don’t know.
Verdict
Considering everything that has been changed, tweaked, or “enhanced” by these games, there isn’t much reason to revisit them while Pokémon Platinum remains an option. Back when the remakes were only a rumor, I was beyond excited to relive one of my developmental gaming experiences, but now that I finally have it, I cannot bring myself to recommend it. To someone who has never played a Pokémon game before, any of the other options on the console provide a much better experience, and to fans of the original, what has been done here isn’t an improvement over what came before it. They may still be my childhood favorites at their core, but as a new release from the highest grossing media franchise in history, the level of quality on display isn’t enough to justify the purchase. Even as a longtime fan of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, these games just aren’t what I was looking for.
