Pokemon Shining Pearl
a game by | Nintendo |
Platform: | Nintendo Switch (2021) |
Editor Rating: | 7/10, based on 1 review |
User Rating: | 8.0/10 - 4 votes |
Rate this game: | |
See also: | Pokemon Games, JRPG Games |
Pokemon Shining Pearl is the latest remake of an older game produced for the legendary series. It stands out amongst other remakes by being one of the first that developer Game Freak outsourced to another developer.
This is evident throughout Pokemon Shining Pearl, with the game being a faithful remake of its namesake, Pokemon Pearl. The game goes back to a simpler time for Pokemon games, when there wasn’t hundreds of Pokemon to try and keep track of or impossible game mechanics to memorize.
Fire Issue Fixed
Although the original 2006 game, Pokemon Pearl, was good it did have some issues. One of the biggest of those issues was that there were only two fire Pokemon in the whole game, and one of those Pokemon was a starter Pokemon. That means if you didn’t choose that Pokemon you had only one Pokemon in the whole game with a fire element you could access.
This version of the game offers more fire Pokemon, as well as a few other changes designed to make the game more enjoyable to play.
Less grinding
Repeatedly crawling the wilderness over and over again in order to find that one Pokemon not in your collection, or continuing to fight in the grass to level up, you can go to the Underground to get more exciting Pokemon. While this really does ease the grinding aspects of the game, certain aspects of it tip the balance over into too much, too easily. You can quickly end up with Pokemon that are overleveled for the area, making the game less challenging until you gain more levels.
There’s also a new feature called EXP Share can also quickly advance you, even if you don’t want it. There’s no way to turn this feature off. The result is less grinding, but also less time enjoying the game.
Not the best remaster ever
The Pokemon series has a long tradition of improving their remakes in new and creative ways. This game doesn’t have the same impact that Pokemon SoulSilver had. While it remained true to the original story, and did some minor changes such as switching from cartoon style to a 3D chibi style, it doesn’t really do anything that makes it worth playing if you’ve already playing Pokemon Pearl.
There’s not enough change to make it feel like a big improvement, nor is there any surprises or anything particularly challenging beyond the usual Pokemon game challenge of collecting Pokemon. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing—catching Pokemon has long been the main appeal of the game, but if you were looking for more you won’t find it.
This isn’t the best Pokemon game the world has ever seen, but nor is it the worst. If you are a diehard Pokemon fan that loves spending time in the game, you’ll probably enjoy this and find the fixes they made a relief. If you were looking for a powerful and thought provoking remake, this game falls short of the usual Pokemon dynamics.
Pros:
- Less grinding
- Fixed the fire Pokemon issue
- True to the original
Cons:
- Not very innovative
- Not as challenging
Download Pokemon Shining Pearl
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP