3/5 ★ – CaptainQuaz's review of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond.

A nostalgic trip for me that reminded me of the childhood joy it was to play a Pokémon game. My journey with Pokémon started all the way back in the early 2000’s where I received a game boy color with the original Pokémon Red inside. (from I think the dentist?) I loved the game but I don’t think I considered myself a fan until I picked up Pokémon Diamond in 2007, where that (and Platinum the next year) got me hooked. I have fond memories of playing the games even if I didn’t actually beat them. It was still fun just to catch Pokémon and battle all while trying to figure out where to go when you have the brain capacity of only a seven year old. Fast forward to today, and the only Pokémon game I had really thoroughly since then was Heartgold when THAT first came out. I had touched black 2 and Sun, but never actually hunkered down to play them like the previous titles. I still enjoyed the Pokémon franchise, but found myself steering away from it to other games and their franchises on other consoles as the years went by. However, as soon as this game was announced all the good memories from my childhood came back to me, and I was excited. Playing Pokémon today, it really is quite a different experience from when playing it as a child; You could argue any game would be. Playing Pokémon today, I found myself being a lot more strategic and thorough when it came to exploring; which made me realize WOW THIS GAME IS EASY. At least… around 90% of it. I attribute this games easiness not to the battles themselves, but how over-leveled I was compared to the rest of my opponents. Honestly it got to the point where it became a drag to fight people or wild Pokémon, it was boring. I can count on my hand the number of times that I actually had intense battles, and I only lost 2 times in the game at all! (One very early place where I had the type disadvantage and then Cynthia) That being said though, when the battles become intense and you actually have to strategize it becomes a heck of an adrenaline rush. I know other people are going to have different experiences when it comes to the games difficulty and how they strategize, but that’s the point of Pokémon. You build your team, and you grow together. I didn’t mind the chibi style, I thought it was faithful to the original game enough while adding some cute elements. I did find it weird sometimes though when fighting a gym leader and being used to their more realistic style then being brought back to their chibi face. The point is that this is a faithful adaptation/remake of the original diamond and pearl, with a few fun surprises here and there for veterans. If you are new to the Pokémon world and looking for a starting point, I would say this is your best bet. The characters are fun, the story is good, and dang if the music isn’t a bop. I’m writing this review after beating the Champion, but I’m not sure what the future holds for me after that. Maybe I’ll keep playing and do the post game stuff, I heard it gets really challenging there; so I may have to post an updated review in the future who knows. Simply put; It’s Pokémon, and if you’re a fan of Pokémon you won’t be disappointed in this.