Back in November 2021, I picked up Pokemon Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond. There was already a lot of noise around the game’s release. Many long term fans were not happy with the new versions., and that was before release.
So I shut my ears and picked up the new games. I then went to Rabbit and asked her if I bought her jewellery if she would prefer diamonds or pearls. Yes, this is my way of surprising Rabbit!
And that is how I began playing Pokemon Shining Pearl. No nostalgic reasoning, or tie to a specific Pokemon. Like Pokemon Sword and Shield, I play the one Rabbit didn’t want to play!
![I wonder what it is we are looking for](https://www.johnhqld.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220110-Pokemon-Shining-Pearl-I-wonder-what-it-is-we-are-looking-for.jpg)
That was then. This is January 2022. I finally picked up Pokemon Shining Pearl after a few weeks. For a lot of games, this is almost a death knell to me. I may have forgotten controls, and I usually forget what I was doing when I put it down. Where to go and why are mysteries in the wind.
This is where these old school Pokemon games shine for casual players like me. How to play – it’s turn-based hit the one button. There isn’t a lot of digit dexterity for combos and the like required.
Where to go next? Well, usually in a Pokemon game it’s the next gym. Worst case, I can look at the badges I have and google the next badge location. But in Pokemon Shining Pearl, the pause screen gives you the next goal. This makes my life even easier after an absence!
![There are very clear objective instructions](https://www.johnhqld.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220110-Pokemon-Shining-Pearl-There-are-very-clear-objective-instructions.jpg)
The Pokemon show with its mini-rhythm game is fine. If I don’t need to do it again for story reasons, I likely won’t do it again. Nor the underground mining bits. I appreciate their inclusion – it’s always good to see new elements added to a new formula. But I praise the more optional nature of them.
It’s not that I dislike these sections. They don’t hold my attention enough to want to put something else down or stop the story progress to play.
I am enjoying these ‘old’ Pokemon games as a casual diversion. I enjoy exploring, levelling up my Pokemon and beating the Gym leaders. Then I take on whatever the Elite Four or whatever end game group is presented, and call it a game. And for Shining Pearl, I am about halfway to this goal.
![Not likely to do the talent contest again](https://www.johnhqld.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220110-Pokemon-Shining-Pearl-Not-likely-to-do-the-talent-contest-again.jpg)
Pokemon Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond have gotten a mixed reception. There are plenty of reviews and comments that boil down to ‘Nintendo/Pokemon cash grab – avoid’. I’m not saying this stance is wrong, but I think people are coming at the games the wrong way.
To me, they are ‘if you want to sit back and enjoy a remaster of an old school Pokemon game, enjoy’. Yes, there are modern touches missing like going back to one-off TMs. But these are remastered from 15-year-old handheld games. Keep this in mind, and Shining Diamond and Brilliant Pearl will be fun. Especially if like me, you never played the originals.
If you are looking after a more modern and new Pokemon experience, keep an eye on Pokemon Legends: Arceus at the end of the month. It looks amazing, but I am worried about picking it up. Not because I don’t think it will be good, but because it will be the new larger open-world people have been asking for.
I don’t have time to spend in all these new worlds! So for me, I am pointing my gaze towards the last few gyms in Pokemon Shining Pearl. Slow and steady progress while relaxing on the couch – sounds perfect to me!
![I do enjoy the city views and overall art style](https://www.johnhqld.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220110-Pokemon-Shining-Pearl-I-do-enjoy-the-city-views.jpg)