Faithful to a fault.
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| Console: Nintendo Switch |
When I was young, nearly every kid in school had a Nintendo DS and a copy of either Diamond or Pearl (DP). With how easy it was to connect the games over the DS' built-in Wi-Fi you bet we played these games a heck of a lot. From battling to trading to just playing the games while sitting together. Almost 800 hours was the playtime of my childhood Diamond savefile before I finally started up a new. It's all of these memories that made me very excited when Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (BDSP) were revealed.
However,
from day 1, there were things to be concerned about. The poor-looking graphics
and the 'faithful' buzzword in the marketing didn't give fans, including me, a
lot of hope. It seemed like these games were going to be a one-to-one redo
instead of the improved and reworked Pokémon remakes we've gotten in the past.
Would they even be better than the 2007 releases?
I think
that BDSP are, yes, an improvement over the originals, but not by a wide
margin. They stick very close to the originals while only bringing in some
improvements, leaving something to be desired.
This is a
core series Pokémon game so the story is just what you´d expect. You’re a
10-year-old kid who, after receiving their starter Pokémon, sets out on their
journey across the Sinnoh region. Your goal is to become the best there ever
was by obtaining 8 gym badges, becoming the Sinnoh Champion and completing the
Pokédex. Along the way, you compete with your childhood friend and rival ´Barry´
while also dealing with the nefarious Team Galactic.
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| Who is this mysterious man and what is he planning? OK, yeah. He's the leader of Team Galactic. That's not very subtle. |
The story
is Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is fine. It's that basic Pokémon plot
without many differences. And differences is the right word. BDSP's narrative
is the exact same as the originals. No additions or adjustments have been made.
That's my first gripe with these games. The narrative, especially if you keep
in mind that the games are aimed at kids, isn't bad. A story that´s not taxing
to follow, fun looking characters and whatnot. However, it is also rather
lacking.
The pacing
is off. The big story developments are all lumped together while the rest is
just. moving from one gym to the next without many interactions. Platinum, the
third version of the original pair, fixed both these issues by introducing more
characters, more story interactions and diving deeper into some of its main
characters such as the big-bad Cyrus. By not including this Platinum
improvement, these problems of the originals persist here.
And this is
a trend of BDSP; not including improvements made in Platinum. I've multiple
problems with DP that make me hesitant to revisit them. The biggest is the very
lacking Pokédex. Only 151 critters and not only that: the balance is off. For
instance, there are only 2 fire types in the entire Pokédex including the
Chimchar starter line. This results in a lack of variety for players when it
comes to building your team. BDSP doesn't expand the Pokédex but does bring in
more Pokémon through the Grand Underground. Pokémon such as Ralts, Houndoom (a
Fire-type!) and Magnemite can be found in the Grand Underground as rare spawns
and are catchable for you to diversify your team with.
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| Non-Sinnoh Pokédex Pokémon, such as Houndoom, can be found in caves deep beneath Sinnoh in the Grand Underground. |
It's an
improvement, but not a fix. This method comes with its own share of problems.
Platinums expanded Pokédex wasn't just advantageous to your team, but the teams
of your opponents as well. Even in the late game, Team Galactic grunts still
use the weak bug type Pokémon while some Gym Leaders and Elite Four members
have Pokémon not of their type speciality because there are too few of them in
the Pokédex. That has not been fixed here.
Graphically
the game is fine. Instead of using the same visual style as Sword &
Shield this game
instead opts for a chibi style that is more reminiscent of the pixel graphics
of the originals. It's a controversial decision, but I'm fine with it. Where
BDSP improves over Sword & Shield in the graphical department are the
battle backgrounds. They are much more detailed than before, with many more
layers and matching the overworld better.
The
gameplay for BDSP is unchanged. Exploration in the overworld, turn-based battle
system etc. It's Pokémon, you know the drill by now. There are genuine problems
with this system, like the pace at which it crawls by, but it has persevered
for over 25 years for a reason. Catching Pokémon and building up your team and
such. It´s fun and a good gameplay loop.
Too bad
these games are way too easy. Thanks to the EXP. Share you'll be over levelled
which takes away the challenge in battles. I had trouble engaging with the game
as I didn't need to think about what moves to use, which turned battles into a
monotonous slog. However, to my surprise, there are points in the game which
are genuinely challenging. The Gym Leaders and Elite Four are noticeably more
difficult. Not just highly levelled but withheld items and strategies beyond
'hit hard'. I understand these games are, first and foremost, for kids but
couldn't they at least give you the option to turn the EXP. share off?
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| Thankfully, Champion Cynthia is still as tough as nails. Strong and diverse team, well thought out items and movesets and even a near-perfect IV and EV distribution for her Pokémon. |
Yet another
problem is that BDSP doesn't include all quality of life updates the series has
made since the originals. For instance, TM's are back to a one-time-use and
random encounters are back. A lot more frustrating and less engaging than the
roaming model from Let's Go onwards. It's not an engine thing as in the Grand
Underground and with Pokémon, Swarms are shown roaming in the overworld, so
what gives? Oh, right. 'Faithfull remakes'. When in battle you also can´t view
the stat changes the Pokémon undergo anymore, a UI change which I find rather
annoying.
Not
everything in BDSP has a caveat to it. The Grand Underground is an improvement
over the originals. In the underground, you dig for fossils, can make your own
space, play a Diglett mini-game and interact with other players. They also
introduce Pokémon Hideaways, rooms where Pokémon roam free. The Underground is
much more seamless here as it was in the originals, no more mandatory saves,
and the Pokémon Hideaways breathe new life into its exploration element while
giving it much more worth.
Pokémon
Contests are more involved, more enjoyable than they were in the past. Walking
your Pokémon is back which is always a fun addition and trainer customization
is here as well. HM's are removed in the traditional sense. No longer bound to
Pokémon moves, they are simply an app on the Pokétch. A smartwatch device
that's a neat tool to your arsenal with many different applications. The switch
from sprite-based to vector images for items and such is a small but welcome
change. And the game has a surprising amount of little details and easter eggs.
And the
music! Before release, I really wanted to know how the updated soundtrack would
sound and I'm glad to say it sound excellent. I always found that Diamond &
Pearl's music was too ambitious, felt watered down on the DS. Now on the
Switch, which can play actual musical instruments, it sounds really good.
Conclusion
I'm a big
Pokémon fan with a lot of Pokémon experience under my belt. That made it very
easy for me to pick BDSP apart. I would like to stress: this isn't an
indication that Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are terrible games. They
are unambitious and stick so close to the originals so that they fail to
address many of the problems. They have a lot of caveats but none of the
problems is that terrible in the grand scheme of things. The core of the game
remains fun and strong and these games are enjoyable.
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