Here’s what you should know before getting Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl are now out for the Nintendo Switch. While they’re not totally new Pokemon games, they’re the latest remakes of the classic Nintendo DS games. So, what should we know about the games before we buy them?

Starter Pokemon

Like the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games, you’ll have three Pokemon to choose from as your starter—Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig. If you’re new to the games, the general rule is to pick the grass starter (Turtwig) for a fairly easier early run, or a water type (Piplup) for a medium challenge. Picking the fire starter (Chimchar) might be more difficult to begin with, but it’s usually a very strong choice in the long run.

There’s also talk about how there’s a big problem with the lack of fire-type Pokemon in the game, and that could mean a lot of struggling if you need them for your play-through. When the original Diamond and Pearl games came out, players who didn’t pick the fire-type starter, Chimchar, had only one other option if they wanted to train a fire-type—Ponyta. So, picking Chimchar might be your best bet for a satisfying play.

Updated graphics… but they could be better

Yes, a huge difference between the original game and the new Nintendo Switch version is better graphics. But they honestly could be better. It looks great on a small Nintendo Switch screen, but the graphics aren’t designed to look good on a bigger screen like a TV.

These official images I got off the official website are also pretty blurry, but they are cute—which is all that matters, really. While I don’t expect extraordinary graphics for games on the Nintendo Switch (even the new OLED version can push a maximum of 1080p), I am looking forward to the more beautiful Pokemon Arceus coming next year. Arceus has a Breath of the Wild-ish vibe to the classic Pokemon formula.

Pokemon can follow you around

With Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl, you can make your Pokemon follow you outside—like in Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee. However, it’s not something that can be done at the very beginning of the games.

To do so, you must first need to visit Amity Square in Hearthome City after defeating the second gym leader. Once you enter Amity Square, a character behind the counter will inform you that you can go for a stroll with your Pokemon in this area.

But it’s not just looking at cute Pokemon—getting your Pokemon to follow you around also has extra perks. Approaching your Pokemon by pressing A will typically elicit a brief response from the Pokemon. But they could also occasionally hand over an item to you.

There are a lot more things about the games that I haven’t mentioned. But hopefully, this brief list gave you some ideas on what to look out for when you do start either Pokemon Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl. You can get each game for USD 59.99 (RM250.97), or you can even get both for USD 119.99 (RM501.98).

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