Some of the first reviews described Pokémon brilliant diamond and Shiny pearl how incredibly knowledgeable, and they were correct. These games are workable replicas that seem to do the bare minimum when it comes to adding something new, let alone surprising. And yet, despite all the mediocrity, I can’t stop playing it.
diamond and pearl became two of the best games in the 35-year series, and while the Nintendo Switch remasters are nowhere near the glitz some fans have wished for or that the 2007 DS games deserved, they are a welcome dose of the classic Pokémon Experience I’ve longed for.
If you hike in the tall grass, you will pass a new one Pokémon, conquer it, increase it and smash the leader of the next arena with his most overwhelming movement.
I got sick of this formula years ago. But then more years went by, the series tried to move on, and now I’m ready to get back to basics. I’ve played Brilliant diamond
I was so put off by BDSPIt’s chibi-art style when it was first revealed earlier this year, but in motion it’s a perfect marriage of top-down graphics and 3D sprites. It’s nowhere near the level of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Remakes beautiful toy-like homage to the 8-bit world of the original. But it’s enough to immerse myself in the Gen IV Sinnoh region on a modern platform without completely sacrificing the cute and cozy warmth of the original games. Above all, the day-night cycle and the environmental influences such as the shadows of clouds that pass over us are just beautiful.
BDSP also has a handful of great quality of life improvements. EXP Share, the most controversial of bag-Mechanics, is automatic. The grinding is streamlined, almost except for one glitch. Are these remasters too easy? Probably. Do i care Not really. Hidden moves, like breaking obstacles or surfing through water, can now be started from an in-game clock and do not require valuable spots on your Pokémon’s Move List. Most Welcome: You can access Pokémon Boxes anywhere, anytime. No more going back to the Pokécenter to keep your growing Pokémon collection in order.
But otherwise, outside of the expanded Grand Underground space, it’s pretty much diamond and pearl just like over a decade ago. These games marked the end of an era for the series with the following black and White Start games a more experimental phase, at least in terms of how much Pokémon usually sticks to tradition. Maybe therefore x and AND, Sun and moon, and sometimes even sword and sign never a reptilian itch scratched deep in my gaming brain like previous games.
diamond and pearl‘s first gym leader specializes in rock types. There is a tunnel early on where you can only catch Geodudes, Zubats, and the occasional Psyduck. After the second gym, you’ll work your way through a mini-team Galactic Dungeon by battling a row of coaches in a row. This frees an old man who will then give you a bike so you can ride down the bike path to the next town on your journey. That is supposed to mean everything diamond and pearl are often a permutation of well-known trademarks from the early games.
Pokémon BDSP‘s world is small and circumscribed, put together with short snippets of dialogue that hardly tell an overarching narrative, but I have found more peace in the inconspicuous labyrinths than I ever expected. It’s just the stopover that I needed in between Pokémon sword and sign and next year Monster hunter-inspired Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Cant say I would recommend $ 60 repackaging a 13 year old DS game to the average person, but for anyone looking to come back to the series after years, Pokémon BDSP is a good reason like any other.
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