Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond ポケットモンスター ブリリアントダイヤモンド
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond's boxart, featuring Dialga
Pokémon Shining Pearl ポケットモンスター シャイニングパール
Pokémon Shining Pearl's boxart, featuring Palkia
Basic info
Platform:	Nintendo Switch
Category:	RPG
Players:	1-2, 4 players simultaneous
Connectivity:	Wireless, Nintendo Switch Online
Developer:	ILCA, Inc.
Publisher:	Nintendo/The Pokémon Company
Part of:	Generation VIII core series
Ratings
CERO:	A
ESRB:	E
ACB:	PG
OFLC:	PG
PEGI:	7
GRAC:	ALL
GSRR:	6+
Release dates
Japan:	November 19, 2021
North America:	November 19, 2021
Australia:	November 19, 2021
Europe:	November 19, 2021
South Korea:	November 19, 2021
Hong Kong:	November 19, 2021
Taiwan:	November 19, 2021
Websites
Japanese:	Pokémon.co.jp
English:	Official site Pokémon.com Nintendo.com (Brilliant Diamond) Nintendo.com (Shining Pearl)
Japanese boxart Pokémon Brilliant Diamond Japanese boxart Pokémon Shining Pearl Japanese boxart

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond (Japanese: ポケットモンスター ブリリアントダイヤモンド Pocket Monsters Brilliant Diamond) and Pokémon Shining Pearl (Japanese: ポケットモンスター シャイニングパール Pocket Monsters Shining Pearl) are the second paired Generation VIII games that are enhanced remakes of the fourth-generation titles Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

The games were announced worldwide on the 25th Anniversary of the release of Pokémon Red and Green on February 27, 2021 at 12 am JST through Pokémon Presents. The paired versions were released worldwide for Nintendo Switch on November 19, 2021. All copies of the game are playable in nine languages: Japanese, English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. These are the first core series games not to be developed directly by Game Freak.

Features

Overall, the game's graphical style is different compared to Pokémon Sword and Shield. The camera returns to a mostly top-down viewing angle similar to the original Diamond and Pearl, while the player and NPCs appear with chibi proportions in the overworld but regular proportions in battle. The regular overworld uses random encounters only, while Pokémon Hideaways in the Grand Underground use symbol encounters.

Like in the originals, the games only include Pokémon from the first four generations; therefore, the games include a total of 493 Pokémon.

New features

• The Underground has been replaced with the Grand Underground.
• Pal Park has been replaced with Ramanas Park.
• The Global Trade Station (GTS) has been replaced with the Global Wonder Station (GWS).
• Amity Square now supports up to six walking Pokémon instead of just one. It retains the limitation that only "cute" Pokémon may walk, although as in Platinum, the starters and their evolutions are included, and now Eevee and its evolutions are supported as well.
  • The player may also pose for screenshots and save them to the Nintendo Switch's Album.
  • The Poffin-making minigame can now be performed inside Amity Square. The player's walking Pokémon surround the bowl during the minigame, visibly reacting to the player's cooking.
• With the Nintendo Switch's lack of a bottom screen, the Pokétch may now be either absent from the screen, present in the top right corner of the screen, or enlarged to take up the majority of the screen (during which the regular overworld in the background has a blur filter applied). These three different methods of viewing are switched between using the R button. The touch screen or a pointer cursor can be used to control the Pokétch while it uses the enlarged screen.
  • HMs have been removed; instead, the Pokétch has a new "Hidden Moves" app allowing the player to call wild Pokémon to perform field moves corresponding to the original game's HMs. These wild Pokémon are the same regardless of location: Bidoof for Rock Smash and Cut, Staraptor for Fly and Defog, and Bibarel for Strength, Rock Climb, Surf, and Waterfall.
    • Hidden Moves now skip the splash screen animation when used multiple times in the same area.
• The Town Map now has new features allowing it to show the locations of Honey Trees (distinguishing between Honey Trees with no Honey, Honey Trees with Honey but no wild Pokémon, and Honey Trees with wild Pokémon) and Berries that can be picked.
  • Due to this, the Pokétch's Berry Searcher app has been removed, as it would be redundant.
• The miniature sprites used for all Pokémon between Generation III and Sword and Shield now have a different appearance, no longer looking pixelated.
• The icons that represent types have undergone numerous changes. For example, the plain circle icon for the Normal type now depicts two nubs resembling Bidoof's ears.
• Pokémon now have different cries when they faint.
• Each Gym Leader can now be rematched once per day after the National Pokédex has been obtained.
• If the Nintendo Switch system being used has save data from previous mainline Pokémon games, the player may talk to an NPC in Floaroma Town to receive a Mythical Pokémon:
  • Jirachi, if Sword and Shield save data exists.
  • Mew, if Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! save data exists.
• A new Key Item has been added: the DS Sounds. It is very similar to the GB Sounds from Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and can be used to replace the music in the game with the original versions of the songs from Diamond and Pearl. It is obtained from the Sound Designer, a guitarist who appears in Game Freak's house on Valor Lakefront after the player enters the Hall of Fame.

Features from Pokémon Platinum

• Rotom can change forms in Rotom's Room. The Secret Key is no longer event-exclusive, and is obtained after catching Rotom in the Old Chateau.
  • Like in Generation V onward, Rotom's forms have different types.
• Giratina's Origin Forme is included. The Griseous Orb is now obtained from the Distortion Room in Ramanas Park after defeating Origin Forme Giratina in battle.
  • As Giratina can only be caught in Turnback Cave, the Origin Forme Giratina in the Distortion Room is shown in a shadow-based form when fought to signify it cannot be caught.
• Shaymin's Sky Forme is included. The NPC in Floaroma Town who gives the Gracidea in Platinum is present.
• As in every game since Platinum, entering the Hall of Fame causes in-game event Pokémon who have been defeated to reappear, so they are not permanently missable.
• Foreign Pokédex entries exist for all Pokémon, rather than only for a select few.
• It is possible to buy ten jars of Honey simultaneously.
• The Bicycle can be ridden inside gates.

Features from later generations

• The Fairy type has been added. The Roseli Berry, Pixie Plate, and Arceus's Fairy-type form have also been added to accommodate for this.
• The Steel type no longer resists Ghost and Dark.
• The player may have one walking Pokémon anywhere in the overworld outside of Amity Square. The feature is unlocked after visiting Amity Square once, and can be used with Pokémon outside of those that could walk in the original Amity Square.
  • As in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, different Pokémon walk at different speeds, and the player may directly interact with their walking Pokémon.
• At the beginning of the game, the player can choose from eight different appearances (four for Lucas and four for Dawn), which feature different skin tones and hair colors.
• Trainer customization is now available. The Metronome Style Shop, where outfits can be purchased, replaces the location of what used to be the Veilstone Game Corner, while the prize exchange house has been replaced with a functionally useless storage building.
  • An early-purchase bonus event gives the player character an outfit based on their design in Pokémon Platinum.
• The Apricorn Poké Balls are included, albeit as event-exclusive items.
• The Autosave option returns from Sword and Shield.
• The Exp. Share functions how it has since Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. Rather than an item, Exp. Share is a background mechanic that applies to the player's party from the start of the game and cannot be turned off.
• Two battle screen features present since Pokémon Sun and Moon continue to appear:
  • Type effectiveness is shown in the move selection screen.
  • The player can press the Y button to bring up a Bag sub-menu for Poké Balls in wild battles.
• The Pokémon Box Link returns (albeit no longer as an item), allowing the Pokémon Storage System to be accessed from anywhere (besides Gyms and the interior of the Pokémon League). This ability is obtained from Bebe in Jubilife City following the defeat of the Team Galactic Grunts.
• The Pokémon Nursery replaces the Pokémon Day Care.
• Origin marks return. A new origin mark that corresponds to these games has been added.
• Like in Sword and Shield, affection has been merged with friendship, meaning that friendship now results in affection bonuses.
• Critical captures return.
  • The Catching Charm returns from Sword and Shield. It is given out by one of the Game Directors on Valor Lakefront after reaching the criteria for obtaining the Regional Pokédex diploma.
• Terrain returns, excluding Psychic Terrain, which is unusable.
• Morimoto is now present on Route 213 as a swimmer, being available to battle once per day after the Hall of Fame has been entered. After the first time he is defeated, he rewards the player with an Oval Charm.
• Hyper Training, Bottle Caps and Gold Bottle Caps return. A veteran in the Battle Park's Exchange Service Corner can Hyper Train the player's level 100 Pokémon in exchange for Bottle Caps and Gold Bottle Caps.
• The Rotom Catalog returns from Sword and Shield. It is obtained after Rotom first enters one of the appliances in Rotom's Room, though at first it only contains Rotom's normal form and the appliance that it entered to obtain the catalog. The other appliances can then be taken from Rotom's Room to add them to the catalog.
• The Shiny Charm returns, albeit only increasing the chance of an Egg containing a Shiny Pokémon.
• The Pokédex can show form differences and foreign languages from the start, rather than having to be upgraded to unlock these features. The NPCs who originally gave the Pokédex these features will still attempt to upgrade the Pokédex, only to find that it does not need any upgrades.
• Though the Running Shoes return and still must be obtained before the player can run, there is no longer a button that must be held down in order to run; instead, the player runs by default after the Running Shoes have been obtained, like in all core games since Pokémon Sun and Moon.
• The HP bar drains noticeably faster than in Diamond and Pearl.

Returning features

• Seals return for the first time since HeartGold and SoulSilver, and are now called Stickers.
  • The player may now earn Stickers from completing Super Contest Shows or by defeating Gym Leaders.
  • There are now "over 90" different Stickers in the game, up from 77. "Ribbon Sticker C" and "Ribbon Sticker D" have been seen in screenshots as new Stickers.
  • Up to twenty Stickers may be placed on a Ball Capsule, up from eight.
  • The menu for positioning Stickers on a Ball Capsule now supports 3D movement for more detailed placement.
  • The boy in the easternmost house of Solaceon Town no longer awards letter Stickers for showing him the different forms of Unown, instead awarding extra Ball Capsules.
• Pokémon Super Contests return for the first time since Platinum, and are renamed Super Contest Shows.
  • Ball Capsules and Stickers are now used during the Visual round in place of Accessories.
  • The points earned during the rounds are now named Hype Points.
  • An unspecified mechanic appears to involve adding up the Hype Points of all four competitors and comparing it to a target score.
  • Contests now support online connectivity.
• The Union Room returns for the first time since Generation V.
  • There are now two rooms, called the "Local Room" and "Global Room", the latter of which newly supports online connections.
• The Manaphy Egg is obtainable through an event for the first time since Generation IV. It is now an early-purchase bonus event.
• TMs are single-use again, which was the case for all Pokémon games before Generation V.
  • Unlike in Diamond and Pearl, however, TMs have repeatable acquisition methods. Most NPCs who give TMs now give three of the same TM, while Gym Leaders give five of the reward TM with the badge. All TMs can also be bought in the Grand Underground by trading Spheres.
• The National Pokédex returns in a core series game for the first time since Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (though it only features the first 493 Pokémon, as in the original Diamond and Pearl).
• Despite the removal of HMs, field moves return for the first time since Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The eight hidden moves corresponding to the original game's HMs can only be used outside of battle from the Pokétch, but the field moves which were not originally HMs (namely Flash, Dig, Teleport, Soft-Boiled, Milk Drink, and Sweet Scent) can be used outside of battle by Pokémon in the party like in the original. Chatter is an exception to this, being unusable outside of battle due to the Nintendo Switch lacking a microphone.
• The Berry growing mechanic returns.
• Honey Trees return for the first time since Platinum.
• Footprints are displayed in the Pokédex for the first time since Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.
• The Bicycle is obtainable for the first time since Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
• The Badge-polishing feature returns. The Badge case can be viewed from the Trainer Card.
• The Key Items Vs. Seeker and Poké Radar both return.
• The Moss Rock, Ice Rock, and special magnetic field have returned following their removal in Sword and Shield. As in Sword and Shield, most of the Pokémon that evolve using these methods can still evolve using Evolution stones instead, although the Ice Stone is not obtainable, and Nosepass was not given a second evolution method.
• Several moves that were unusable in Sword and Shield have returned: Flash, Sketch, Hidden Power, Tail Glow, Psycho Boost, Heart Swap, Rock Climb, Chatter, Judgment, Dark Void, Seed Flare, and Toxic Thread. More information can be found here.
• Escape Rope is once again a single-use item.

Connectivity

The game is planned to receive Pokémon HOME connectivity at some point in 2022. The game does not support Ranked Battles.

Game-exclusive Pokémon

The following Pokémon are only obtainable in one game of this pair. In order to obtain Pokémon exclusive to the other game of this pair, they must be traded from that game. Alternatively, all Pokémon listed below will be able to be transferred from previous games via Pokémon HOME.

Brilliant Diamond 0243 Raikou Electric 0244 Entei Fire 0245 Suicune Water 0250 Ho-Oh Fire Flying 0408 Cranidos Rock 0409 Rampardos Rock 0434 Stunky Poison Dark 0435 Skuntank Poison Dark 0483 Dialga Steel Dragon

Shining Pearl 0144 Articuno Ice Flying 0145 Zapdos Electric Flying 0146 Moltres Fire Flying 0249 Lugia Psychic Flying 0410 Shieldon Rock Steel 0411 Bastiodon Rock Steel 0431 Glameow Normal 0432 Purugly Normal 0484 Palkia Water Dragon

Reception

Sales

The games sold 6 million units in their launch week.

Staff

Main article: Staff of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Version history

Version	Release date	Official note	More information
1.0.0	Original release	N/A	Initial release. This version is officially playable using a physical cart in a Switch whose internet connection remains off.
1.1.0	November 11, 2021	Adds multiplayer and online communications to the Grand Underground, Super Contest Shows, and the Union Room. Adds Mystery Gift. Adds Ramanas Park. Adds the opening and ending movie.	The Union Room only supports connection with 1 other player at a time. Certain Trainers' teams were adjusted. The delay in HP bar animation has been increased.
1.1.1	November 17, 2021	Optimized Ver. 1.1.0 update data.
1.1.2	December 1,2021	Fixed some issues that would prevent the game from progressing under certain circumstances. Some issues have also been fixed for more pleasant gameplay.	Menu glitch is fixed Nursery cloning glitch is fixed Flower Paradise glitch is fixed
TBA		Enables the Colosseum area of Pokémon Centers. Increases the number of players that can be connected to simultaneously in the Union Room. Adds greeting and Capsule Decoration functions to the Union Room. Enables the Global Wonder Station.

Gallery

• 

  English Brilliant Diamond logo

• 

  English Shining Pearl logo

• 

  Japanese Brilliant Diamond logo

• 

  Japanese Shining Pearl logo

Trivia

Male Pikachu's sprite in Diamond and Pearl compared to its artwork in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

• The artwork of both humans and most Pokémon for these games is based on their sprites in the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
• The design of the ambiguous Dialga/Palkia statue in Eterna City resembles its design from the Pokémon Adventures manga.
• These are the first pair of remakes not to include any Pokémon introduced in the later generations after the original games.
• These are the first core games in which Latias and Latios can both be obtained in a single save file without requiring trading, transferring, or events.
• These are the first core games in which the other two starter Pokémon that weren't chosen at the beginning of the game can later be found in the wild, if Pokémon X and Y's Friend Safari is excluded.
• The Pokedex entries are recycled from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

In other languages

Language Title Japanese ポケットモンスター ブリリアントダイヤモンド・シャイニングパール Chinese Cantonese 寶可夢 晶燦鑽石／明亮珍珠 Mandarin 寶可夢 晶燦鑽石／明亮珍珠 宝可梦 晶灿钻石／明亮珍珠 French Pokémon Diamant Étincelant et Perle Scintillante German Pokémon Strahlender Diamant und Leuchtende Perle Italian Pokémon Diamante Lucente e Perla Splendente Korean 포켓몬스터 브릴리언트 다이아몬드・샤이닝 펄 Spanish Pokémon Diamante Brillante y Perla Reluciente

References

Core series games and DLC

Gen I

Red

Green

Blue^JP

Red

Blue

Yellow

Gen II

Gold

Silver

Crystal

Gen III

Ruby

Sapphire

FireRed

LeafGreen

Emerald

Gen IV

Diamond

Pearl

Platinum

HeartGold

SoulSilver

Gen V

Black

White

Black 2

White 2

Gen VI

X

Y

Omega Ruby

Alpha Sapphire

Gen VII

Sun

Moon

Ultra Sun

Ultra Moon

Let's Go, Pikachu!

Let's Go, Eevee!

Gen VIII

Sword

Shield

+

Sword and Shield Expansion Pass (DLC)

The Isle of Armor

The Crown Tundra

Brilliant Diamond

Shining Pearl

Legends: Arceus

Gen IX

Scarlet

Violet

+

The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (DLC)

The Teal Mask

The Indigo Disk

Legends: Z-A

Pokémon games

Core series • Side series • Spin-off series • Pokémon mini • Individual spin-offs • Betas • Demos

This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.