Pokémon Diamond was my first Pokémon game. No idea how to save, giving every Pokémon monotyped moves, I learnt the hard way through the mountainous region to a stale mate against Cynthia. By the end of the battle, despite my Empoleon’s struggles against her Milotic through the waves of potions and aqua rings, I knew that my heart had been won. I was all in for this franchise. 19 years later, I’m still playing, going back to Sinnoh for a whole new adventure.
Chibi Cuteness
Bright colours and cute characters mark the start of a new adventure. The brilliant graphics really shine on the Switch while harkening back to the original game. However they do seem a little young for more experienced Pokémon players like myself. (We don’t use the word ‘old’ around here!) They’ve been updated but not in the way most Pokémon fans expected. The epic moments don’t translate as well as they could and the Sinnoh that everyone hoped would have greater depth looks instead as if it’s had a new lick of paint. The graphics have been pretty widely received and are definitely a talking point right off the bat.
The Essence of Sinnoh
Pretty or not, the developers certainly captured the original games from the wild encounter at Lake Verity to the moment you become the Pokémon Champion. The characters come through and their designs in 3D give that extra oomph to their iconography. The difficulty is there and Pokémon are familiar. Having said that…
They took the worst of both worlds!
It is truly a remake of Diamond and Pearl in the best ways and the worst ways. Why on Earth did they not remaster Platinum? There were so many issues at the time of Diamond and Pearl that Platinum improved upon: Limited Pokémon options, lack of extra evolutions (Mamoswine, Yanmega, etc.)and elite four members using Pokémon outside of their specified type (The Fire-type member sporting a Lopunny, Driftblim and Steelix) are features fans would rather forget. Even smaller things that sweetened Platinum like the abilitiy to get Eevee in Hearthome City. It’s like buying the ultimate version but without any of the DLC. The potential is there but with giant holes where more content should be.
Gotta Catch a Few!
Maybe it’s due to the sheer range of Pokémon that we’re used to now but it feels like there’s a lack of variety to the team you can make in this game. Most teams that I’ve seen sport a Luxray, Gardevoir, Staraptor or a Floatzel and I’m ashamed to say that I was no different. Imagine this experience with some Sinnohean form poking their heads in! What about fairy types that were practically invisible throughout the playthrough? Unfortunately the missed opportunities that could’ve enhanced the experience and given this remake it’s own personality left us with a feeling of emptiness. It feels like the remake needs a bit of a remake.
Tom Tip: Research the catchable Pokémon. Before playing I picked out my entire team based on Platinum’s choices. An eevelution here, a version exclusive there. Halfway through the game I had to completely change my plans. Make sure you know what you can catch and at what point you can catch them!
Mythicals in Bloom?
It’s not all bad. One of the highlights of my playthrough was the adoption of a Mew- a notoriously evasive Pokémon- from pretty early in the game. A big issue that I have with legendary Pokémon is that, if you’re not a competitive player, they’re kinda unusable. They have a huge impact on the story until the moment you catch them and then they just sit in the PC until the game gets reset. This is a huge shame considering the stats, typings, designs and playstyles that legendary Pokémon can offer. Being offered a Jirachi and a Mew (if the player owns either of the Pokémon Let’s Go titles) very early on give the player new opportunities that really weren’t available in any other title. Being able to take advantage of Mew’s crazy stats and teaching them whatever I wanted was a really unique experience that only this game has given me. They’re hardly game breaking thanks to the game’s difficulty and filled in the holes of the Pokémon that I couldn’t obtain.
Final Battle
In summary, it’s a decent remake of Diamond and Pearl but it could’ve been much more successful as a remake of Platinum. The graphics stand out though not necessarily for the right reasons while the choice of Pokémon is lacking albeit the ability to receive Mew and Jirachi early on. I enjoyed the game but I had to come to terms with the limited choices and chibi choices to make the most out of it.
- Suitable difficulty with some unique experiences in catching mythicals.
- Graphics aimed at a younger audience.
- Lacking many features of other games in the series.
