Pokémon Brilliant Diamond First Thoughts

I’ve never been a Pokémon fan. I thought Pokémon was not for me. Then I saw footage of Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl and it looked good! So I asked to review the game. And now I have some first thoughts on Pokémon Brilliant Diamond.

Yesterday, I received a review code for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond. First of all, thank you Nintendo Canada. Second of all…

I am now addicted to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond.

Let me back up for a second. I’ve never played a Pokémon game before. Well, okay I tried some demos on the 3DS and I reviewed Pokken Tournament but I never actually got a Pokémon game and started from the very beginning. I thought the series was not for me.

But Pokémon Brilliant Diamond got its hooks into me right away.

The game’s graphics are just so good. They remind me a bit of the Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake. I really love the small characters and overhead view in exploration.

I thought, at first, the change to taller characters in battle would be jarring but it wasn’t at all. The two styles of graphics work well together.

As for the battle system, I really like it. Its a pretty typical turn-based battle system and I am such a fan of that. There is also a bit of strategy to each battle because of the different types of Pokémon and how effective one type is on another. The battles are pretty addictive.

Actually the entire game is addictive. The exploration is very much: what will I find next? Once I saw that the game had fishing, I knew I’d be hooked…

I also finally understand why people want to “catch ’em all”. Every time I see a new Pokémon I think “okay, quick, get this Pokémon’s HP down a little so I can catch it.” Must. have. new. Pokémon!

There’s also the Grand Underground, which I won’t spoil. I just got to that and its amazing. I think I could spend the entire game down there! There are lots of cool things to do and even more Pokémon to catch in Brilliant Diamond.

I traded a Pokémon online also. And I saw the Grand Underground in online mode. This game is another good reason to have the Nintendo Switch Online service. Truly. I can see trading Pokémon and visiting the online Underground more.

Well, I could go on forever about this game. I really could. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond is calling to me again as I write this. Brilliant Diamond is fighting with Animal Crossing New Horizons for attention. Animal Crossing is my all-time favorite series!

Have I become…a Pokémon fan?!

Stay tuned to GamesReviews.com to find out if I continue to be this hopelessly addicted to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond.