The exciting generation four remakes were released in November on the Nintendo Switch, however after many mixed reactions from gaming fans across the globe, here’s the reasons behind why these remakes are overall actually decent games.
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl were my first ever Pokémon games on the Nintendo DS, so they have a special place in my heart. Despite the clear downsides to these remakes, (which you will find out about later on in this feature), there are more upsides to this game than you may think.
1) The pace of the game
When Pokémon Diamond and Pearl were first released on the Nintendo DS 15 years ago, they were profoundly known for being very slow games (a 10-year-old me with 400 hours worth of gameplay can strongly support this statement).
However, thanks to the advancements in gaming platforms, the software of the Nintendo Switch has enabled for the speed of this games to be increasingly faster. No more sitting around for the health bar to go down, a faster experience bar and overall turn-taking in battles.
2) Pokémon following you
This was one of the most exciting parts revealed in the early trailers for these remakes. The beloved moment of having your Pokémon partner follow you around as you explore Mt. Coronet and areas such as HeartHome city feels heart-warming to say the least. Having my Roserade follow me in stride after winning the Pokémon League was a glorious moment.
The feature makes you feel closer to your Pokémon team, it’s great to see this inclusion be part of the last few games of the series and hopefully it’ll maintain a staple in the mainstream line of games.
While it was an unexpected and pleasant surprise, witnessing a miniature version of a walking Palkia raises a few eyebrows, maybe that part could’ve been tweaked before final release… poor Palkia.
3) The difficulty of the games
Pokemon games have been criticised over the years for the apparent “easiness” of the games, especially since the whole Exp Share debate. Personally, it’s been an enjoyable experience and means less grinding and switching Pokémon back and forth from the party just to level them up quickly before the next gym.
These games stick to the principles of the generation four games by having a challenging Pokémon experience. This is demonstrated by the power which is Cynthia. All that can be said is, revive, Hyper Potion and hope. While its predecessors Pokémon Sword and Shield were amazing editions to the game, it was a joyous moment having a game which didn’t feel like a walk over.
4) Sinnoh Underground as an expansive side quest
Now this was the most surprising element of the remakes. Back in the originals, it was difficult to see the appeal behind the Sinnoh Underground. The plain tunnels connecting across the region along with mining which didn’t make complete sense to a then eight-year-old child.
However, in these remakes the underground has been renovated into a magical play-through, which adds a variety of exciting elements. The mining is more thrilling, the hideaways allow you to capture rare and powerful Pokémon and the graphics in these new locations are a pleasure to see.
5) Post-game galore and re-playability
The post-game part in Pokémon games is significantly personal in my gameplay experience. This is an area of Pokémon which can either be work extremely well or can just fizzle out and feel lack-laster.
What makes these remakes brilliant is how the Sinnoh region already has such an expansive post-game with the battle area island as well as capturing Regigigas and Heatran. However, these remakes add its own unique spin, through the expansion of Ramanas Park and its link to the Sinnoh Underground. The inclusion of legendaries from the previous generations and the extensive quest for the Mysterious Shards. This bundle of joy adds hours worth of gameplay, with a hint of frustration (but in a good way which will turn into determination).
6) The graphics of the Sinnoh region
The scenery within these remakes can be described in one word – beautiful. From the glistening glow in Floaroma Town, to the mysterious scenery within Eterna Forest.
Sinnoh has a region has always been one of the most fascinating places to explore, with the east and west side of Mt. Coronet displaying dynamic locations which makes you want to traverse all four corners.
The overall graphics of these remakes is clearly a refreshing coat of paint, as one of the many Pokémon fans who is not the biggest fan of the Chibi art-style (in a lot of ways) it’s still such a missed opportunities that these games were not released in the generation eight art-style.
Reflecting on the overall impact
While all these additions to the remakes make these games brilliant additions to the mainstream series, it can’t be ignored there are some issues in the overall titles.
As previously mentioned, the Chibi art-style is not my forte as this miniature versions of the characters and overall locations make it seem somewhat childlike. This design flow, could possibly prevent the game from being viewed as a 10/10 video Pokémon game in my eyes if the creators stuck to the art-style of the generation eight games.
Furthermore, there are elements in the game which make it feel slightly uncompleted upon release. The GWS in Jubilife City should’ve been released on release day, even though we’re on the third month since release, there is still no access to this feature. Wonder trading needs to make an immediate return.
Finally, there is one significant feature which NEEDED to return in my view. The Battle Frontier. Yes, we have the Battle Tower, but it is not the same, and never will be. The Battle Frontier has not returned since Platinum/HeartGold and SoulSilver and it’s just disappointing. It’s one of the best features which adds another dynamic to Pokémon games and makes you want to pick up the console and carry on playing. The reasoning behind why this is not included is baffling, as it’s not just newcomer kids playing these video games, but it’s also the die hard fans who have been there for many years.
Overall, these remakes are outstanding games, however even with many flaws included, they are some of the best games we’ve had in years. Maybe this is because the original Diamond and Pearl are arguably part of the best generation (which may be my own opinion) or it may be how Pokemon are consistently exploring new ways to reel fans into their video games.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pearl are available to play on the Nintendo Switch.
Rating: 8/10
By Jack Proverbs
Feature image: Jack Proverbs/Pokemon.com