The test
Released in 2007 for Nintendo DS, Pokémon Diamond version and Pokémon Pearl version have a makeover on Nintendo Switch, a few months before the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Coincidence or marketing coup, the two titles also take place in the same region as the future adventure. But as remakes, they’re naturally much more backward-looking than forward-looking. As always, some will welcome it and others will regret the lack of new features. But we will see that there are also other points that could create division among the fans …
Whether it is the meeting with Professor Rowan, the difficult choice between Tortipouss, Ouisticram and Tiplouf as the starting Pokémon, or the layout of the Sinnoh region identical to our memories, the first minutes of play confirm that we are dealing with a remake that favors loyalty over novelty. You will therefore have the pleasure of finding buildings, enemies and characters placed in exactly the same places as fifteen years ago. The biggest difference comes of course from the graphics processing, which abandons the pixelated 2D of the DS versions for a simple and colorful 3D, with a choupi-kawaii tendency. More exactly, the characters approach a Chibi design (or super deformed if you prefer) during the exploration phases, but are represented with a more realistic silhouette during the fights. We know that some players have trouble with this artistic direction, either because the aspect “big round head on small body” displeases them, or because the double design seems to them to lack coherence.
Understandable in absolute terms, however, these criticisms hardly have any place when you think about it, since these characteristics are consistent with the graphics of 2006. The Chibi may be better in 2D than in 3D, but a radical change of style would also have created controversy. On the other hand, the developers could have refrained from zooming as much on the characters during certain scenes of dialogue. The two heads that occupy half of the screen are almost scary, and the simplicity of the textures is all the more apparent. The animations during the fights are uneven, some holding the wet firecracker and others showing sufficiently detailed and pyrotechnic. It is in any case very pleasant to be able to observe in three dimensions Pokémon that we knew all pixelated in 2006. Likewise, the period music has been rather well reworked, while remaining recognizable.
PURE DIAMOND OR PEARL OF PACOTILLE?
Another modification compared to the original games concerns the increase in experience. From now on, your team benefits from the Multi-Exp, which allows Pokémon that have not participated in a fight to still gain experience points. This option would have been extremely welcome … if it had really been an option! Unfortunately, it is not possible to deactivate it, which significantly upsets the general balance. Not having to farm for hours is nice, of course, but some supposedly important fights lose tension and become mere formalities. One wonders why the developers did not leave the choice between an “easy” or “modern” stamped mode with the Multi-Exp activated, and a “difficult” or “classic” mode without. The overhaul of the Sinnoh Undergrounds is however totally positive, since they are much larger than before and give access to many treasures. The game also offers us some options to make our life easier, such as the possibility of running with the stick and no longer by pressing a key, the adjustment of the text display speed, the possibility of skipping the combat animations, and the option to skip the renaming of newly captured Pokémon. All this is very nice but not enough to erase the scars of a gameplay that has aged badly. Surprise encounters with Pokémon that do not appear in the sets can quickly get on your nerves, while the general slowness and the display of the same endless texts are also likely to annoy a player looking for a modernized experience. Another stigma of the past, the Pokémontre that was once displayed on the second screen of the DS now takes up space on the only screen of the Switch. Fortunately, it is possible to deactivate its display, but its ergonomics remain dated. But ultimately, the biggest flaw of the game is to remake us the coup of the two versions not giving access to exactly the same list of Pokémon, even though Pokémon Platinum has been around for thirteen years now. Isn’t a remake supposed to integrate all the content published in the past…?
