Arrived for the first time in Japan in 2006 and in the rest of the world in 2007, Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl come back to life on the occasion of the inevitable remake operation that Nintendo offers cyclically to fans of the series. The time has come to take stock and find out how the annual appointment with Pokémon went. There is a very important tradition when it comes to Pokémon games: one year there is the new canonical chapter of the series, while the other (and not always) there is a remake. In 2021 it was the turn of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, respectively in the versions Shining Diamond And Shining Pearl, take us up Nintendo Switch from THE CA, Since Game Freak she is very busy working on Pokémon Legends: Arceus, expected by the end of January 2022.
- Title: Pokémon Shining Diamond / Pokémon Shining Pearl
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Version analyzed: Nintendo Switch (EU)
- Type: JRPG, Adventure
- Players: 1-3
- Publisher: Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
- Developer: THE CA
- Tongue: Italian (texts)
- Exit date: November 19, 2021
- Availability: retail, digital delivery
- DLC: nobody
- Note: remake of the two originals released in 2006 in Japan and in 2007 in the rest of the world.
We reviewed Pokémon Shining Diamond with a Nintendo Switch code given to us free of charge by Nintendo.
Return to Sinnoh
It is the first time that the studio has entrusted a remake of one of its heavyweights to an external company, but it certainly cannot be said that ILCA has not honored the work of Game Freak dated 2006. Returning to Sinnoh is in fact like returning home, in a land that we have come to know and appreciate and love, discovering for the first time, years ago, the fourth generation of Pokémon. Everything is as we remembered it, even more beautiful! Taking the three-dimensional graphics of Pokémon Sword and Shield (although in a miniaturized version in theoverworld), Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl they make us retrace the entire adventure for Nintendo DS in a very faithful way, both in gyms, in the Pokémon league, and in the full-bodied post-game.
It is paradoxical how, with the lack of the double screen of the lucky portable console, the rhythm of the game is broken a bit. What used to be manageable without pausing the game now requires opening menus and the same PokéKron it suffers as a mechanic. The two games also inherit the experience shared with all the Pokémon present in the team. These simplifications were and remain very divisive: there are those who love them and those who hate them and it is not possible to say unambiguously whether it was a good or a bad thing to implement them. The game, in fact, less than crazy Nuzlocke by the stringent rules, therefore remains not only very easy, but it is even more so because of the choice to implement HM moves no longer as a gift to a Pokémon in the team, but as a move that allows us to call a wild Pokémon that will use the move for us. This will allow to optimize the slots of the team to the point of always having an extremely performing team. Similarly, the remakes already show which moves are effective and which are not against certain types of enemies. While all these small differences lighten some passages, they make others really too simple, so much so that more than in other titles we find ourselves simply repeatedly pressing the “A” key to move forward.
Loyalty at all costs
We have said this before: Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl are two games that are very faithful to the originals. So faithful that they carry all their strengths and weaknesses with them: excellent level design, variety of situations and clashes, longevity but also excessive ease, very few Pokémon of certain types (such as fire ones) and a plot rather disappointing. Sure, the games in the series were never known for their scripts, but Black and white they had shown that it was possible to dare something more from a narrative point of view. On the other hand, the lack of any content coming from is completely inexplicable Platinum, thereby removing sections on the lore of Giratina, and therefore also the absence of the Battle Park who was back from Emerald. Also noteworthy is the complete lack of a whole series of features that had brought important innovations in the series such as Mega evolutions or regional variations, missing in this remake and not implemented.
The only real “novelty” worthy of weight is perhaps the deepening of the Great Underground, made a real underground playground that, as in the original, allows the use of the online to face them in the company of other players, together with the creation of the shelter, as well as in the original games. The Pokémon Super Contests are also back, the mini-game that allows the use of Poffin to improve statistics, all unchanged as we remembered it. Finally, it should be noted that the type was introduced retroactively in these remakes Elf, otherwise present only from Pokémon X and Y.
Complete restyling
The region of Sinnoh which made famous Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and which is inspired by the Japanese island of Hokkaido, has never been so beautiful, vibrant and rich in detail. Although there have been many rumors against the use of the chibi style in the game map, the amount of detail and the graphic care is not lacking, making this pair of remakes beautiful to look at, as long as you stay around 30 FPS both in mode docked that handheld. Net of some lack in the animations of some moves, really sparse and essential, even the fourth generation Pokémon, in remaking their makeup, are more resplendent than ever, especially the three starters, who give their best in their evolutions. The soundtrack has also been re-orchestrated, presenting itself without distortions but maintaining its original spirit.
All of this gives the games a truly remarkable nostalgic tone for those who know the games well, but it could be less impactful for those who instead approach Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl for the first time ever. If we then count that it is sold at the price of a brand new title, it is really difficult to recommend its purchase with your eyes closed, despite the many hours made available.
In 2006, with the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl for the Nintendo DS system, Trainers explored the Sinnoh region for the first time. Now they will be able to visit it once again with Pokémon Shining Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, faithful remakes of two iconic Pokémon games.
Buy Pokémon Shining Diamond for Nintendo Switch following this link at the special price of € 49.98 (instead of € 59.99). Release scheduled for November 19, 2021. Support Akiba Gamers by purchasing the game on Amazon through this link!
Who do we recommend Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl?
What has been analyzed so far tells us that Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl are so faithful to the originals that we would only recommend them to those who skipped the two games in 2007., or at most to those who felt the urgent need to replay them as soon as possible. Those who know the two adventures well will find nothing new except a graphic layout rebuilt from scratch which, although it is well done, does not justify the disbursement of so much money.
- Excellent aesthetic reinterpretation
- Very long-lived
- Remake faithful to the original …
- … But many might argue that it is too much
- Some simplifications inherited from more recent titles
- Without the dual screen of the DS, the pace of play sometimes suffers
Pokémon Shining Diamond / Pokémon Shining Pearl
Never change a winning team
Pokémon Shining Diamond And Shining Pearl they are remakes without infamy and without praise. Faithful to the original adventures, they are shown in a renewed graphics and a re-orchestrated soundtrack. Apart from these things there is nothing different, both for good and for bad. Indeed, the absence of the double screen of the homonymous portable console from Nintendo also affects the flow games, although never in an irreparable or annoying way. Ultimately, these are two remakes full of nostalgia and made with affection, and which while offering several dozen hours of play (especially for completism fanatics), do not add anything to what had already been seen.
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