Pokémon Brilliant Diamond is a fantastically fun role-playing game that is new to the Nintendo Switch. It’s easy to pick-up-and-play, but promises to deliver depth and variety of gameplay that will keep you entertained for many hours.
We have been playing together as a family, and it never fails to be exciting to explore a new area, level up our Pokémon or see them evolve into even more awesome Pokémon along the adventure. We’ve taken turns stepping into the Pokémon Trainer’s shoes in battles, enjoyed learning the strengths and weaknesses of the Pokémon on our team, and thrived at the challenge of collecting the wild Pokémon of the Shinnoh region to complete an encyclopedic record of Pokémon known as a Pokédex.
If you enter the long grass you may be challenged to a battle by a wild Pokémon. You will then enter a turn-based battle where you can use your Pokémon to execute one of his moves against the wild Pokémon. If you beat the Pokémon it will faint and you will then receive Experience Points which will help to level up your Pokémon’s. You’ll be able to select different Pokémon from your team during a battle and use the various potions you can purchase from the shops, and there’s even an option to run if you’re struggling during that particular battle. You will also face off against other Pokémon Trainers along the way.
Poké Balls can be used to catch the wild Pokémon you battle along the way. You will also learn Hidden Moves to overcome the various obstacles in the areas by challenging Gym Leaders across the region. I liked the feeling that the game was constantly changing and evolving as I played. There is a big map to explore, and the game does well to give you the tools to tackle the areas and challenges without overwhelming you, as well as giving assistance from the many characters you will meet along the way who each give you more information about being a Pokémon Trainer.
The kids and I fell head over heels for our Pokémons, and leveling each of them up never felt like a grind but was always a fun challenge. After playing Pokémon Brilliant Diamond I really feel as if we can all talk a different Pokémon language, and I kind of love how we have all bonded over playing this game and together enjoyed the adventuring, puzzle-solving, exploring and strategizing!
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond is available from the Nintendo eShop for R1129.
Thanks to Nintendo for sending me this game in exchange for an honest review.
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