Game8 Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Review - Is It Worth It?

This is Game8's game review for the long-awaited remakes of the 4th Generation Pokemon games, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. We have compiled our thoughts after playing through the story, finishing the post-game, and experiencing everything the game has to offer. So is it worth it? Read on to learn more!

Pokemon BDSP Review Score

Overall Score
26/40
Mechanics	Art & Graphics	Game Length	Fun
7/10	6/10	7/10	6/10

Who Should Play Pokemon BDSP?

• Young fans who are looking for more Pokemon games on the Nintendo Switch and have not played the originals.
• Players who want to revisit Sinnoh on the Nintendo Switch with updated, modern gameplay mechanics.
• Long-time fans who don't have access to the original Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum on the Nintendo DS.

What Did You Think of Pokemon BDSP?

Tell us more in detail about how you feel and what you thought of the game down below!

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Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Review Details

Pros	Cons
Modernized gameplay mechanics Better difficulty curve offers a better challenge You can actually catch all Pokemon in the National Dex	Compromises due to transition from the DS Stripped down side content and uninspired side quests Inconsistent and incomplete QOL upgrades

This review was written as of ver 1.1.2 with over 200 hours of gameplay and achieving a 5-Star Trainer Card.

Pro: Modernized Gameplay Mechanics

The power of friendship proves clutch!

The story of BDSP is largely unchanged from the original Diamond and Pearl on the Nintendo DS. However, it brings forth most weclome advancements that the franchise developed since then.

These include the inclusion of Fairy-types, updated movesets, PC Box access from anywhere on the map, Pokemon Affection, and an always-on Exp. Share to name a few.

Pro: Better Difficulty Curve

You're telling me, Cynthia. Why do you have a high IV team with competitive EVs?!

All the features mentioned above, and more helped streamline the experience a good bit, but not at the expense of making the game easier. In fact, notable battles such as against Gym Leaders and the Elite Four are noticeably more difficult which can be a treat for long-time players looking for more of a challenge!

Pro: You Can Actually Catch Them All*

You'll get a Certificate, a Shiny Charm, and a Star on your Trainer Card to prove it!

Although BDSP are the first of the remakes where you cannot capture all Pokemon of the National Dex of the generation of its remake, it's still impressive that you can catch up to 488 of the 493 Pokemon that were originally available as part of Gen 4 between the two games.

In addition, the Mythical Pokemon Celebi and Deoxys is only available through Pokemon HOME, and Shaymin, Darkrai, and Arceus are obtainable via Events. This proves that BDSP does not prevent trainers from receiving the satisfaction of catching them all. This satisfying achievement is a worthy challenge for completionists willing to put in the time and effort!

Con: Compromises Due to Transition from the DS

Troublesome overworld navigation

This maneuver is going to cost us a waste of time... Don't even get me started on how bad the Bike controls.

BDSP is probably the most unwieldy of Pokemon games when it comes to controlling the main character. The disparity between the rigid movement caused by the grid of the map, and the instantly fast strides the player takes with free-movement, causes a lot of unnecessary trouble.

By choosing to neither commit to the grid system, nor the free-directional movement of the game, some parts of the map become unnecessarily awkward to navigate. As a remake of a DS game with a tile-based map, it is completely understandable that the game had to be developed on the same grid.

However, in contrast to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the remakes before it, they had some merit to allowing players free-directional movement. ORAS took this opportunity to implement a sneak mechanic that became useful for hunting Pokemon in shaking grass. Unfortunately, free-directional movement in BDSP only gives the illusion of more fluid controls, but did not build a world that is ready for it.

Poketch usability is iffy at best

Don't you love it when you just want to find the HM App to use Defog but you miss then have to cycle through all the apps again?

The Poketch was a fun novelty for the original games as a way to offer the players something else to look at as they traversed the overworld of the game. Back in the age where smartphones were not readily accessible, the idea of apps in a game felt like a peek into the future.

But now the future is here, and the shoddy implementation just reenforces how outdated the Poketch is. Outside a few niche cases, its apps are utterly redundant and the UI is needlessly cumbersome to navigate.

On the bright side, a long press of the R button should let you hide it away. Otherwise, we'd all be stuck with 1/8th of our screen being covered up by this abomination.

Ramanas Park while cool, is uninspired

Don't have enough shards for Rayquaza... Back to the mines, I guess...

The original games also had the clever implementation of Pal Park. By having both your GBA and DS carts on your system at the same time, you could transfer Pokemon between games.

This was a pleasant implementation that made sure the Pokemon you had with you in another game can be brought forward to newer games. While the upcoming compatibility with Pokemon Home solves this issue, the replacement Ramanas Park pales in creativity in comparison.

Ramanas Park decides to recycle the digging for treasures minigame of the Grand Underground as a way to collect the Mysterious Shards needed for Ramanas Park Legends. While fun for the first few slates, it gets old once you realize you're going to need dozens of these to catch all of the Legends available to you.

Con: Stripped Down Side Content

Not so super Contests

What a self-aware moment.

Going through the gym challenge, defeating the Elite Four and becoming Champion has always been the standard main campaign of Pokemon games. But over the years, it was nice to have different compelling options to play around with. From Contests, to Musicals, to Trick Surfing coast-to-coast on the back of a Mantine.

BDSP's take on the Super Contest Show strips down the little complexity the original games had for it, and leaves behind a short rhythm game segment. If you ever miss dressing up your Pokemon and coming up with your own difficult dance combos, looks like you'll have to revisit the original games.

New, but not necessarily improved, Grand Underground

Really diggin' the new Grand Underground! Just gotta find a few more Mysterious Shards...

Arguably the biggest change in the campaign of BDSP is the reimagining of the Grand Underground. Like with the originals, you can navigate through the mazes of the Grand Underground while mining for spheres and other treasures. But by visiting different Pokemon Hideaways, you can also catch Pokemon outside of the Sinnoh Dex. This allows you to mix up your team and have members that you don't usually see on Sinnoh Playthroughs.

However, the introduction of these new features does not automatically make it the better Underground experience. Unfortunately, you won't be able to enjoy old features like setting up traps, playing capture the flag, or even interior designing your base. Gameplay still offers fun interactions through collecting Digletts, finding statues of your favorite Pokemon, and more opportunities for mining but it does get stale after a while.

Con: Inconsistent and Incomplete QOL Upgrades

Overall, the developers inexperience really shows due to the many inconsistencies stemming from the disconnect between feature implementation and game design.

We really tried to keep this list as short as possible, but these are just a few examples:

Honey Trees are Trivialized

Don't worry, Honey Tree Munchlax, you're still special in my heart.

While the Pokemon Hideaways are a fantastic way to catch Pokemon, it completely devalues the Honey Tree mechanic. Sure, the Honey Trees were a pain to deal with in the first place, (who wants to wait 6 hours for a Wurmple?) but getting Munchlax and Combee easily in the Grand Underground renders the Honey Tree method essentially useless.

Character Customization is a Joke

If only I could have Winter Style's cap on Pikachu Hoodie's style...

Outside of team building, players don't really get to express their individuality in Pokemon games. Character customization was a nice way for players to be a part of the world they are in, but with a limited set of styles to choose from, it just doesn't hit the mark.

All outfits are unlocked from the moment you visit Veilstone, and there aren't even any more you can unlock by progressing through the game. This approach loses the excitement of finding new clothes as you find more shops (as implemented in previous titles.)

A big gripe is also the lack of mixing and matching of clothes. It comes off as not really being character customization, and instead a choice between presets. It's frustrating to think they've done this feature well since its introduction in XY, but the game has taken a step back through this undercooked implementation.

Following Pokemon are a letdown

The threatening lord of the skies, reduced to a stationary floating noodle.

On the topic of expressing individuality, sometimes players just want to have their favorite Pokemon following them. This has been a highly-requested feature ever since it was implemented in Pokemon Yellow and fleshed out a decade later in HGSS. When LGPE and SWSH's Isle of Armor reintroduced these features after another decade, it only felt right to see it in BDSP.

However, BDSP offers the most underwhelming implementation of the feature. The following Pokemon don't move naturally, and often end up getting in the players way. It wouldn't be a surprise if players ended up not walking with their Pokemon just because of how they slow down the already inconvenient world traversal.

Is Pokemon BDSP Worth It?

Maybe Wait For A Sale

This should be the climax of the story, but it's hard to take Cyrus seriously.

Despite being a long-awaited remake of a well-loved generation, Pokemon BDSP doesn't quite reach the quality expected, especially when compared to past remakes that have been made, nor to its contemporary Pokemon games on the Switch.

While improvements such as modern gameplay mechanics, harder trainer battles, and a region filled with all of the Pokemon are great additions, they are hard to appreciate when you have to deal with janky overworld navigation, uncompelling new offerings, and an overall inconsistent experience. It's hard to recommend this game at full price.

We Recommend Other Pokemon Games Instead

Pokemon Sword and Shield

If you or a loved one is really interested in picking up a Pokemon game for the Switch, you'll get a more polished and enjoyable experience by going with either Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield (and their respective DLC). You'll be able to enjoy all the modern gameplay mechanics with a whole new world and even more Pokemon!

Game8's Pokemon Sword and Shield Wiki

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Alternatively, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, is the Pokemon Company's first attempt at straying away from the classic Pokemon formula, and instead attempting to take Pokemon into the Action RPG genre.

Released last January 28, 2022, fans of the franchise might want to see what's in store for a brand new adventure in the Hisui region!

Game8's Pokemon Legends: Arceus Wiki

Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu and Eevee

If you'd rather play a remake of a familiar game, Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee are probably the most charming Pokemon remakes available. They may not have the exact same gameplay that you'd expect from a Pokemon game, but it comes pretty close!

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Software Information

Titles	Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Pokemon Shining Pearl
Release Date	November 19, 2021
Price	59.99 USD / 79.99 CAD each
Game File Size	6.7 GB each
Platform	Nintendo Switch
Genre	Adventure, Role-Playing
Developer / Publisher	ILCA / Nintendo
Official Site	Pokemon Official Site

Pokemon BDSP News

News and Game Info

Pokemon HOME News

All Latest News

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Game Features
Everything We Know	New Features & Differences
Version Exclusive Pokemon	Multiplayer and Online Features
National Dex	Mega Evolutions
Platinum Content	Fairy Type
Removed Features	Pal Park
Battle Frontier	Dynamax and Gigantamax
Sword and Shield Compatibility	Sinnoh Regional Variants
Available Editions