Off the Shelf Media

Remakes and Remasters seem to be a large chunk of “new” games releasing these days, and their execution ranges in success greatly. From the critically acclaimed top-to-bottom rebuild of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered released by Bethesda in April 2025, to the remaster with more bugs than the original of Star Wars Battlefront 2 in March 2024 that still has mostly negative reviews on Steam. I would say that Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond falls somewhere in the middle of these two, and that it’s still worth a try. 

Gameplay: 2

If you have played any of the classic Pokémon games, you know the drill. You set out on an adventure to become the worlds greatest Pokémon trainer, encounter some shadowy organization dealing with mythical Pokémon lore, and then find your way to the elite four and beating the champion to close it out. As the old saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 

Even knowing what the core of the game is, it’s such an addicting game and the Pokémon franchise deserves the attention it gets. What I think this game does so well is it keeps you going from thing to thing so seamlessly you don’t even realize you’ve beaten it until it’s over. You bounce between navigating Pokémon gym puzzles and defeating their leaders, to squaring off with with a crime syndicate trying to recreate the universe. All the while, you’re under constant assaults from Zubats and other annoying Pokémon that jump out at you as you try desperately to make it to the next town before your Pokémon all faint. 

The fighting itself is the real crown jewel of the series and they really nail it in this iteration. The Rock-Paper-Scissors tactic based fighting on steroids this game provides is one of the reasons it’s not only so popular with average games, but has an intense and dedicated competitive scene among hardcore fans. Having to find that perfect mix of pokemon types to defeat each challenger, and being incentivized to train up pokemon you might not have thought about at first, get you into a really interesting gameplay loop where you are trying out new teams and matchups each play through. 

This is also one of the more replayable titles I’ve seen in a while. While the story is by no means bad, the gameplay is what keeps people coming back to these games, and this one is a ton of fun. It’s always fun to come back to this game once in a while and try a whole new six starting Pokémon and see all the benefits of each of the crazy and creative Pokémon they’ve added over the years. 

Story: 1

The biggest downside to the story in this game is the writing. It’s been a problem in other Pokémon games, but it’s usually carried by some somewhat interesting main plot line, accompanied with the main quest of becoming the greatest Pokémon trainer alive. 

I covered the overall story a bit earlier, but generally, I don’t love or hate it. It has some interesting points and characters, but is very shallow at times and seems to exist simply to keep the game progressing. It does introduce some fun puzzles and interesting fights but nothing groundbreaking.

Overall, you don’t go to Pokémon games for the story, it’s not the main draw. This one does the most important thing: it didn’t detract from the game in any way, and lord knows there are plenty of Pokémon games where the story and writing nearly ruin the fun of the game.

Atmosphere: 1

This semi-3D world is where I think the peak of Pokémon exists. Great artwork of 3D models in a two dimension type world really fit the vibe and nostalgia I have with this series. This is not a dig at the newer games that are in big 3D open worlds like Pokémon Legends: Arceus or Pokémon Scarlet, I just  think the world in which Brilliant Diamond lives is better suited for these games. 

The music and art direction in this game are fantastic and really immerse you into the Sinnoh region of Pokémon. Each of the towns have their own unique style and feel, and it lines up well with your inevitable competitor, the local gym leaders. The story does a great job of giving these towns a personality as you enter them. 

The details are not out of this world. Again, as this was a remaster from a Nintendo DS game, they weren’t going to be melting graphics cards. I think it does do a great job of owning the lower resolutions and providing high quality art vs overly photorealistic graphics in many other AAA titles. 

For those looking for that updated graphics version of old school Pokémon, this is your best available option from Nintendo. Most of the rest of the series available on the Switch currently are the 3D world ones, which have had some success and some absolute duds. 

Value: 1

The value for this game is tough, because I do really enjoy it. I have such a problem with $60+ price tags for games, and Nintendo is notorious for not budging on that price point. However, I do think there are many other games that never get close to that price, whereas this game could for the right customer. 

If you are someone who is going to breeze through the story, beat the elite four, and never touch the game again, I would say wait for a sale. For Pokémon super fans, $60 is fine for players who will have multiple playthroughs, and spend hundreds of hours catching them all, or finding the perfect build to play online. 

My issue isn’t as much this game, as the industry charging full price for a remake of a game from 2006. I would say it’s a great game, and if you can get it on sale, great. If not, it’s not the worst $60 I’ve spent. 

Duration: 1

If you blitz through the story, you can beat this game in around 20-25 hours. However, as a I mentioned, if you allow yourself to get lost in the world, you can play for hundreds. Hunting down every available Pokémon can take a long time, and there are many other features if you look around. 

They have an entire underground zone with all sorts of interesting Pokémon you can fight and catch. They also have a talent competition for Pokémon ,which for some can be fun, but I never really cared about. There are plenty of options to burn time in Sinnoh, and there is something for everyone. 

The only thing keeping me from this score being perfect is how quick the main story is. Normally, I’m a big fan of games that don’t have 50+ hour main story lines as I find its usually filled with bloat and not worth the time investment. The problem is this story and gameplay loop is so fast and seamless that you don’t realize how far into the game you are until it ends. It’s a good problem to have, but it left me wanting a bit more. 

Total Score: 6/10

I enjoyed my time with this game. It’s a great title from a great series that I’ve been playing my whole life. Is it a groundbreaking game that changes the gaming industry? No, but it doesn’t need to be for it to be one of my favorite games in a while. Critically, I can be objective and it lands with a 6/10, but by no means is it not a game you should pick up and give a shot.