As someone who’s first real Pokémon playthrough was Diamond, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed when the remakes were first shown off earlier this year. My expectations were set significantly higher, and not without precedent. Previous remakes were always on par with the latest mainline game entry; FireRed looked like Ruby, for example, HeartGold like Diamond, and Omega Ruby like X. Due to this established concept, myself and many other fans had spent a long time considering what Diamond might look like in a world like Sword’s. Of course, Pokémon Legends: Arceus will probably hit closer to the mark on that front, and I more than suspect that Arceus began as the original remake concept before ideas overtook Game Freak, but given some fundamental gameplay changes to Arceus I’m still not sure if that game will appeal to me.
What Diamond and Pearl fans were left with, then, wasn’t the exciting, mainline-level remake that was expected, but rather a scaled back, chibi style game with the words “faithful remake” slapped on it like an impending doom. Not that everyone was against it, I must add; the game has had its fans since day one, and given how much I enjoyed Let’s Go Eevee, you might be surprised not to find me among them. But whilst I don’t dislike chibi art styles as a whole, something about the overworld characters in BD/SP are reminiscent of cheap, £1 a piece plastic toy collectibles that make the whole thing look naff.
As time went on we got more glimpses of the game, and as it turned out, the initial gameplay reveal was graphically unfinished. A few tweaks to the colour palette and the lighting made the cheap overworld look a little more charming, but even having played it myself now, I’m still not entirely sold on it. It’s cute, sure, and I no longer hate it, but there’s something about those chunky pixel graphics on DS which just can’t be replicated in a 3D environment. I think I’ll always prefer how the original Diamond and Pearl looked over the remakes, but that’s just something I’ll have to live with.
There’s a reason I’m making this blog post, though, and that’s because this game has pleasantly surprised me. Despite not being able to bring myself to be excited about it even on launch day, I eventually decided to pick it up simply because my phone bill happened to fall between paydays, so I had a little spare to throw at the game. I picked it up having watched a review which echoed my most negative sentiments about the remake, and then some. But my love for the original games held true, and despite only being a few hours in at the time of writing, I can now confidently say that I’m actually pretty damn pleased with the game overall.
I think it would be fair to say that my disappointment with how the game looked and what the game could have been blinded me to what the game actually was. For instance, if you took me aside, outside of this bubble of expectation regarding impending gen 4 remakes, and told me that they were porting Diamond and Pearl to the Switch as-is, I’d have been ecstatic. And these remakes are more than simple ports with a graphical overhaul. They include much-needed quality of life improvements to bring the gameplay up to modern standards, such as not needing to teach HMs to Pokémon to navigate the overworld, or having XP Share to lessen the grind. My favourite quality of life feature of this generation makes a return in the form of being able to access your PC boxes anywhere, encouraging players in this instance to collect Pokémon outside of their core team to rotate in and out as the situation demands. Of course, this system really shines when paired with Sword and Shield’s max raid lairs, but it’s nice to see it here, too.
We learned fairly late that these remakes would have the feature I love most in traditional remakes, too – collecting Legendary Pokémon from previous titles! Or at least, titles prior to generation 4. Some of my favourite Pokémon memories are of collecting all the Legendaries in SoulSilver’s post-game, and I intend to continue that tradition here. I’ll also enjoy trying to catch ’em all, so I can add to my living dex when Pokémon Home capability is added further down the line. I also want to set out on a personal quest to catch and raise the perfect god-tier Bidoof.
From my experience playing so far, though, what’s struck me the most is that no matter how I feel about the nature of these remakes, they’re still remakes of a game which is very near and dear to my heart. Due to the lack of additional save slots, it’s rare to replay a Pokémon adventure when you’re done, and so this is my first time playing through Diamond in over a decade. And yet, I’m surprised by just how much information I’ve retained, from important details such as the gym leader’s team lineup and moves, to smaller ones, like the fact that there’s a hidden item in the grass over there, or that one guy in Oreburgh City who calls you a noob. I may not have asked for a faithful recreation of Sinnoh, but I’ll be damned if I don’t appreciate it now that it’s here. ILCA have really nailed the fine details, from the menu buttons to the 2000s digital wristwatch design of the Pokétch, and the soundtrack does a fantastic job of transporting me back in time.
The remakes aren’t perfect, and they’re not necessarily what I asked for. But they’re good. They are – dare I say – maybe even brilliant. I only have one gym badge to my name, and I’m so excited to continue my journey through Sinnoh, not simply reliving my past but playing through a genuinely solid Pokémon adventure. I suspect that it may end up being the best way to experience Diamond and Pearl, which is the ideal goal of a remake.
I’m so happy to have been wrong about this game.
32 Bit Brain 