REVIEW POKEMON BRILLIANT DIVOND AND SHINING PEARL: RETURN TO SINNOH
Pokemon has returned with Pokemon Bright Diamond and Shining Pearl. These are remakes of the 2006 original games. Developer ILCA created the faithful 3D adaptation of the 2006 games. Fans have been asking for remakes of Gen 4 ever since Omega Ruby was released and Alpha Sapphire was released. Although it took longer than anticipated, they finally came through. Pokemon Brilliant and Shining Pearl are faithful remakes. This faithfulness and inability to fully commit to better graphics prevents remakes from being as good as they could be.
The repetitive nature of the Pokemon video games has been the topic of much debate online over the years. This topic is likely to come up again with the new Pokémon games. Although the games are well-made, there are no obvious issues. However, they lack direction, which raises the question of why they were made.
STORY: SAME OLPOKEMON
You are a new Pokemon trainer, and you set out on an adventure to be the best in the area. You will earn 8 badges and challenge the Elite Four. And maybe even save the world. Pokemon Bright Diamond, Shining Pearl has been rewritten. The story takes place once more in Sinnoh, with Team Galactic, a returning criminal organization.
These villains aren’t very different from other Pokemon game villains. They want to use the legendary Pokemon Sinnoh to reset the world. Team Galactic’s leader will manage this new world. His reasoning was as baffling and ambiguous as the criminal organizations they are.
Piplup is ready for action.
You’re familiar with the Pokemon games. Some players might find this annoying, but they want more. The story didn’t bother me as much despite not having played the Pokemon entries in the past. However, it’s not like I was invested. The thing that bothered me was the utter lack of interest in almost all NPCs. This is not surprising, and it’s generally a problem in RPG games, but it seems worse here. NPCs are scattered worldwide, whose sole purpose is to inform the player that the sun shines brightly today. This makes it feel like players are being talked down to, which translates into how they treat them in battles.
GAMEPLAY: EASY TO USE
This Pokemon formula is unchanged. The problem is the ridiculously simple Pokemon is. At times, I was nearly twice as high as some gym leaders. Due to a new quality-of-life update in Pokemon Bright Diamond and Shining Pearl, I attained such high levels. Since the beginning of the game, EXP Share has been activated for all Pokemon in a party. This means that all Pokemon can gain experience, even if they are not in battle.
Underground offers more challenges than gym leaders.
Although it may seem minor because Pokemon are constantly getting experience, players will eventually have three or five-level 20’s rather than one or five levels 50’s. Except for the Elite Four, I only used potions five times total during the entire game. Although the Elite Four was difficult, it was only because I had to rush through Victory Road. I was able to pass the Elite Four despite having two new Pokemon, one of which was under-leveled and an unbalanced roster.
POKETCH
Another important change is how HMs are used Pokemon Brilliant diamond and Shining Pearl. To progress, players no longer need to teach their Pokemon Surf and Cut or Rock Smash to make it easier. These HMs can be found in the Poketch and are similar to a smartwatch that the player carries. This is an important and welcomed change, as it makes it easier to move around and gives you more space for Pokemon.
