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| Titles | Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Pokémon Shining Pearl 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 |
| Platform | Nintendo Switch – Game Card and Nintendo eShop download; also plays on Switch 2 |
| Developer | ILCA, co-directed with Game Freak |
| Publisher | The Pokémon Company (Japan) / Nintendo (elsewhere) |
| Directors | Yuichi Ueda (ILCA) and Junichi Masuda (Game Freak) |
| Producers | Akira Kinashi, Toyokazu Nonaka, Takanori Sowa, Kenji Endo, Shunsuke Kohori |
| Music | Shota Kageyama and Junichi Masuda |
| Remake of | Pokémon Diamond & Pearl (Nintendo DS, 2006) |
| Players | 1; up to 4 together in local wireless or online play (online needs Nintendo Switch Online) |
| Generation | Released in Generation VIII – a remake of Generation IV, set in Sinnoh |
| Pokémon | Sinnoh Pokédex of 151 and a National Pokédex of 493, covering Generations I to IV; no new species |
| Languages | Japanese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese |
| Predecessor | Pokémon Sword & Shield |
| Successor | Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Nintendo Switch, January 2022) |
| Released | 19 November 2021 worldwide – Japan, North America, Europe, Australia and South Korea on the same day |
| Rating | CERO A · ESRB E (Everyone) · PEGI 7 · PG (Australia) |
| Bundles | The Double Pack with both games; the Nintendo Switch Lite Dialga & Palkia Edition (5 November 2021, sold without the games) |
| Sales | 15.06 million combined (31 December 2022) – more than 6 million in the first week |
Overview
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl are remakes of the 2006 Nintendo DS games Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, released worldwide on 19 November 2021 for the Nintendo Switch. They were developed by ILCA – the first core series games not made by Game Freak itself – with ILCA’s Yuichi Ueda directing alongside Junichi Masuda, director of the originals, and they take you back to Sinnoh fifteen years after the first trip.
The story is the one Diamond and Pearl told: you and your hasty neighbour Barry grab your first Pokémon from Professor Rowan’s briefcase at Lake Verity, collect eight Badges across Sinnoh and keep running into Team Galactic, whose leader Cyrus plans to remake the universe with the power of Dialga or Palkia. Champion Cynthia waits at the end, and the post-game opens the Battle Tower, Stark Mountain and the new Ramanas Park.
BDSP is a deliberately faithful remake. The overworld keeps the original map almost tile for tile, with small chibi-proportioned characters that echo the DS sprites, while battles switch to full-size models. The biggest additions are underground: the Grand Underground and its Pokémon Hideaways, where wild Pokémon roam in plain sight, replace the old Underground, and Super Contest Shows, Pokémon that follow you and HM-free Hidden Moves bring the 2006 games up to date. Platinum’s additions, such as the Distortion World and its larger Pokédex, are left out.
The cover Legendaries are Dialga, the Pokémon of time, on Brilliant Diamond and Palkia, the Pokémon of space, on Shining Pearl. More than six million copies sold in the first week and the pair went on to pass 15 million, while save-data links with Let’s Go, Sword & Shield and Legends: Arceus – which followed ten weeks later – unlock Mew, Jirachi and Arceus.
Experience the nostalgia of the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games in an adventure reborn on Nintendo Switch systems.
— Official description
Quick Answers
The questions people ask most about Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, answered first and explained further down the page.
What is the difference between Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and which should I buy?
The story, map and features are identical; only the cover Legendary and 37 version-exclusive species differ. Brilliant Diamond has Dialga, Cranidos, Stunky, Murkrow, Larvitar and Ho-Oh, while Shining Pearl has Palkia, Shieldon, Glameow, Misdreavus, Bagon and Lugia. Choose the exclusives you like best, then trade with a friend for the rest. More →
How faithful a remake is it, and is any Platinum content included?
Very faithful: it follows the 2006 Diamond and Pearl story, map and 151-species Sinnoh Pokédex almost scene for scene. Platinum’s Distortion World, Battle Frontier, expanded Pokédex and Commander Charon are absent, though BDSP does borrow Rotom’s appliance forms, Giratina’s Origin Forme, Shaymin’s Sky Forme and Platinum-style Elite Four rematch teams. More →
How do you get Darkrai, Shaymin and Arceus?
Shaymin and Darkrai came from time-limited Mystery Gifts: Oak’s Letter (27 February to 27 March 2022) opened Flower Paradise, and the Member Card (1 to 30 April 2022) opened Newmoon Island. Arceus needs version 1.3.0, a Legends: Arceus save with the main story complete, the Hall of Fame and the National Pokédex; the Azure Flute then appears at home. More →
How do you get Mew and Jirachi?
Both are save-data bonuses collected in Floaroma Town rather than Mystery Gifts. If the same Switch holds save data for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Let’s Go, Eevee!, a Madame there hands over a level 1 Mew; Sword or Shield save data prompts a Gentleman to give a level 5 Jirachi. No code is needed. More →
What are the Grand Underground and Pokémon Hideaways?
The Grand Underground is a huge tunnel network beneath Sinnoh, opened with the Explorer Kit from the Underground Man in Eterna City. Players dig walls for fossils, Spheres and statues, build a Secret Base and explore 18 Hideaways: caves and caverns where wild Pokémon roam in plain sight, including many species missing from the surface. More →
Which Legendary Pokémon are in Ramanas Park, and how do you catch them?
Ramanas Park on Route 221 opens after the Hall of Fame and the National Pokédex. Slates bought with Mysterious Shards open its rooms. Both versions offer the Regi trio, Latias, Latios, Mewtwo, Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza; Brilliant Diamond adds Raikou, Entei, Suicune and Ho-Oh, and Shining Pearl the Kanto birds and Lugia, all at level 70. More →
How many Pokémon can you catch, and is there a National Pokédex?
The Sinnoh Pokédex lists 151 species, exactly as in Diamond and Pearl, and the post-game National Pokédex covers all 493 species of the first four generations. Nothing from Generation V onwards appears. Version exclusives, trade evolutions and event-only Mythicals mean a complete Pokédex needs both versions plus Pokémon HOME or past events. More →
Can Pokémon move to and from Pokémon HOME, Sword and Shield or Scarlet and Violet?
Yes. Pokémon HOME added support in its version 2.0.0, released in May 2022. Standard forms of the first 493 species can be moved into BDSP, with exceptions such as Spinda, and Pokémon caught in BDSP can go on to Sword and Shield, Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet. More →
Can your Pokémon follow you?
Yes. In Amity Square, north of Hearthome City, every eligible party member walks with you and picks up Berries and Stickers, and Eevee’s family joins the eligible list after the National Pokédex. Once you have visited Amity Square, a single Pokémon can also walk behind you across the rest of Sinnoh. More →
Do the online features still work in 2026, and can you play it on Switch 2?
Online trading and battling, the Global Union Room and the Global Wonder Station all need a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership. The Manaphy, Shaymin and Darkrai gifts were time-limited and ended in 2022, but the Mew, Jirachi and Arceus save-data bonuses are built into the game. BDSP is a Switch game that also plays on Nintendo Switch 2 through backward compatibility. More →
Plot / Story
Lucas or Dawn begins in Twinleaf Town, where their restless neighbour Barry drags them to Lake Verity in search of a Legendary Pokémon. They find Professor Rowan and his assistant instead, and when wild Starly attack on Route 201 the pair grab Pokémon from Rowan’s abandoned briefcase: Turtwig, Chimchar or Piplup, with Barry taking the one strong against the player’s choice. Rowan lets them keep their partners and sends the player out from Sandgem Town with a Pokédex.
The road runs through Jubilife City and a first battle with Barry on Route 203 to Roark’s Gym in Oreburgh City. Team Galactic, a gang in space-suit uniforms who talk of creating new energy, soon shows its hand: Commander Mars occupies Valley Windworks and Commander Jupiter holds the Galactic building in Eterna City, where Gardenia runs the Gym and the Champion, Cynthia, first meets the player. Badges follow from Maylene in Veilstone City and Crasher Wake in Pastoria City, with Barry testing the player again in Hearthome and Pastoria. A quiet man first glimpsed on Mt. Coronet introduces himself as Cyrus at the ruins of Celestic Town, and Surf, unlocked there, leads back to Fantina in Hearthome and on to Byron in Canalave City.
In Canalave, Rowan is briefing the player, Barry and his assistant on the legend of Sinnoh’s three lakes when an explosion rocks Lake Valor. Team Galactic seizes the lake guardians one by one: Saturn takes Azelf at Lake Valor, Mars takes Mesprit at Lake Verity and Jupiter carries off Uxie from Lake Acuity, near Candice’s Gym in Snowpoint City. The trail ends at the Galactic headquarters in Veilstone, where Cyrus is revealed as the boss. Beaten, he hands over a Master Ball and leaves the captured guardians to be freed, because he no longer needs them.
Spear Pillar, the League and the post-game
At Spear Pillar, on the summit of Mt. Coronet, Barry and the player defeat Mars and Jupiter while Cyrus uses the Red Chain to summon Dialga in Brilliant Diamond or Palkia in Shining Pearl, intending to remake the universe with himself as its god. Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf break the chain; Cyrus loses one final battle and vanishes, and the player can catch the Legendary. Volkner’s Gym in Sunyshore City, Victory Road and the Pokémon League remain. After a last battle with Barry, the player defeats Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian, then Cynthia, to become Champion.
The post-game opens the Fight Area with its Battle Tower and the volcanic Stark Mountain, home of Heatran. The Pokédex is upgraded to the National Pokédex, Ramanas Park opens on Route 221 with Legendaries from earlier regions, and Giratina waits at the end of Turnback Cave, beyond Sendoff Spring. Gym Leaders and the Elite Four take rematches, and event items unlock Newmoon Island, Flower Paradise and the Hall of Origin.
Twenty things Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl does differently
- The plot follows Diamond and Pearl rather than Platinum: there is no Distortion World, no Commander Charon and no Looker, and Giratina stays a post-game encounter in Turnback Cave.
- The Sinnoh Pokédex is the original 151-species list with its original numbering, not Platinum’s 210; several Platinum additions turn up in the Grand Underground instead.
- The Underground becomes the much larger Grand Underground, split into seven zones, with online play replacing the local-only original.
- Eighteen Pokémon Hideaways are new, with wild Pokémon visible on the map and levels that rise with the player’s badges.
- Secret Bases are pared back to statues and pedestals; the old goods, traps and flag-stealing are gone, and Pokémon Statues now influence which types appear in Hideaways.
- Pal Park is replaced by Ramanas Park on Route 221, where slates bought with Mysterious Shards summon Legendary Pokémon from Kanto, Johto and Hoenn.
- HMs are gone: the Pokétch’s Hidden Moves app calls a wild Bidoof, Staraptor or Bibarel to perform field moves, so no party slot is spent on them.
- Pokémon Contests become Super Contest Shows, with a rhythm-game Dance round, a Visual round judged on Stickers and Scarves, and online entry.
- Every eligible party member can walk with the player in Amity Square, and after a first visit one Pokémon can follow the player across Sinnoh.
- Experience is shared with the whole party automatically and the effect cannot be switched off.
- Modern rules apply: the Fairy type exists, Steel no longer resists Ghost and Dark, and Hidden Abilities, Hyper Training, Bottle Caps and critical captures are available.
- Trainer customisation offers eight starting looks, four for Lucas and four for Dawn, plus outfits that can be changed during the adventure.
- The GTS is replaced by the Global Wonder Station in Jubilife City, and the Union Room handles local and online trades and battles.
- Gym Leaders can be rematched once a day after the National Pokédex, something Diamond and Pearl never offered, and the Elite Four and Cynthia take rematches with Platinum-based teams that grow stronger after Stark Mountain.
- The Battle Tower’s opponents now include the Gym Leaders, Cynthia, Barry with his father Palmer, the Team Galactic Commanders and Cyrus.
- Rotom’s appliance forms, Giratina’s Origin Forme (via the Griseous Orb from Ramanas Park) and Shaymin’s Sky Forme are carried over from Platinum.
- The Hall of Origin is reachable for the first time: the Azure Flute, granted to players with qualifying Legends: Arceus save data, opens the way to Arceus.
- TMs are single-use again, and each Gym Leader hands over five copies of their TM.
- The DS Sounds Key Item, received at Valor Lakefront after the Hall of Fame, switches the soundtrack back to the original Nintendo DS music.
- Veilstone City’s Game Corner is replaced by the Metronome Style shop, and new animated opening and ending movies arrived in version 1.1.0.
Barry
Barry always takes the starter that has the advantage over yours. Every battle with him, from Route 203 to the Battle Tower:
- Barry 1 – Route 203: Starly Lv. 7 plus Chimchar Lv. 9 (if the player chose Turtwig), Piplup Lv. 9 (if the player chose Chimchar) or Turtwig Lv. 9 (if the player chose Piplup)
- Barry 2 – Hearthome City: player chose Turtwig – Starly Lv. 19, Buizel Lv. 20, Roselia Lv. 20, Monferno Lv. 21; Chimchar – Starly Lv. 19, Ponyta Lv. 20, Roselia Lv. 20, Prinplup Lv. 21; Piplup – Starly Lv. 19, Buizel Lv. 20, Ponyta Lv. 20, Grotle Lv. 21
- Barry 3 – Pastoria City: Turtwig – Starly Lv. 26, Buizel Lv. 26, Roselia Lv. 27, Monferno Lv. 31; Chimchar – Starly Lv. 26, Ponyta Lv. 27, Roselia Lv. 27, Prinplup Lv. 31; Piplup – Starly Lv. 26, Buizel Lv. 26, Ponyta Lv. 27, Grotle Lv. 31
- Barry 4 – Canalave City: Turtwig – Staravia Lv. 32, Buizel Lv. 33, Heracross Lv. 32, Roselia Lv. 34, Monferno Lv. 37; Chimchar – Staravia Lv. 32, Roselia Lv. 34, Heracross Lv. 32, Ponyta Lv. 34, Prinplup Lv. 37; Piplup – Staravia Lv. 32, Buizel Lv. 33, Heracross Lv. 32, Ponyta Lv. 34, Grotle Lv. 37
- Barry as partner – Spear Pillar Multi Battle: Turtwig – Munchlax Lv. 42, Staraptor Lv. 41, Buizel Lv. 42, Heracross Lv. 43, Roselia Lv. 42, Infernape Lv. 45; Chimchar – Munchlax Lv. 42, Staraptor Lv. 41, Roselia Lv. 42, Heracross Lv. 43, Ponyta Lv. 42, Empoleon Lv. 45; Piplup – Munchlax Lv. 42, Staraptor Lv. 41, Buizel Lv. 42, Heracross Lv. 43, Ponyta Lv. 42, Torterra Lv. 45
- Barry 5 – Pokémon League: Turtwig – Staraptor Lv. 49, Floatzel Lv. 49, Heracross Lv. 51, Roserade Lv. 49, Snorlax Lv. 52, Infernape Lv. 55; Chimchar – Staraptor Lv. 49, Roserade Lv. 49, Heracross Lv. 51, Rapidash Lv. 49, Snorlax Lv. 52, Empoleon Lv. 55; Piplup – Staraptor Lv. 49, Floatzel Lv. 49, Heracross Lv. 51, Rapidash Lv. 49, Snorlax Lv. 52, Torterra Lv. 55
- Barry, post-game weekend battles – Fight Area: the same six-Pokémon line-ups at Lv. 58–64, rising to Lv. 68–74 after 20 Hall of Fame entries
- Barry and Palmer – Battle Tower Master Class Double Battles (Rank 10): Barry’s pairs include Empoleon and Staraptor, Heracross and Infernape, or Torterra and Snorlax
Barry, the restless rival
Barry is the player’s neighbour and self-appointed rival, a blond bundle of energy who sprints everywhere, crashes into people and threatens to fine anyone who slows him down. His impatience starts the whole adventure at Lake Verity, and he always takes the starter with the type advantage over the player’s. He battles the player five times during the story with a team built around Staraptor, Heracross and Snorlax, and fights beside them against Mars and Jupiter at Spear Pillar. His father is Palmer, the Tower Tycoon, and in BDSP the two team up in the Battle Tower’s Master Class Double Battles.
Dialga, Palkia, Giratina and Arceus
Dialga, the Legendary Pokémon of time, appears in Brilliant Diamond and Palkia, ruler of space, in Shining Pearl; each is summoned at Spear Pillar and can be caught at level 47 once Cyrus is beaten. The lake guardians Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf, tied to knowledge, emotion and willpower, wait in caverns at Lakes Acuity, Verity and Valor after the story, with Mesprit fleeing to roam Sinnoh. Giratina stays out of the main plot, as in the originals, lurking in Altered Forme at the end of Turnback Cave; the Griseous Orb won in Ramanas Park unlocks its Origin Forme. Arceus, the deity said to have shaped the universe, is finally reachable: the Azure Flute raises a stairway from Spear Pillar to the Hall of Origin.
In the anime and movies
Ash’s Sinnoh journey ran for four seasons and three films alongside the original Diamond and Pearl, and Sinnoh’s Champion returned for one of the anime’s biggest battles in Ultimate Journeys, shortly after the remakes came out.
In the anime
Anime seasons and films which tie in with Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (Sinnoh, Team Galactic and the Legendary Pokémon of the remakes):
Season 10: Diamond and Pearl2006–2007Dawn sets out from Twinleaf Town with a Piplup from Professor Rowan as Ash arrives in Sinnoh, meeting his cold rival Paul, Team Galactic and Champion Cynthia – the opening stretch of the games.
Season 11: DP Battle Dimension2007–2008Ash’s Gym challenge and Dawn’s Contest career continue across Sinnoh, with Paul still Ash’s chief rival and Team Galactic’s plans growing steadily more serious.
Season 12: DP Galactic Battles2008–2009Team Galactic’s plot comes to a head: the lake guardians are hunted down and Cyrus summons Dialga and Palkia at Spear Pillar, mirroring the climax of the games.
Season 13: DP Sinnoh League Victors2010The Lily of the Valley Conference brings Ash’s long-awaited full battle with Paul and a semi-final against Tobias, closing the Sinnoh series.In the movies
Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai2007Dialga and Palkia carry their feud into Alamos Town, twisting time and space, while the feared Darkrai turns out to be the town’s protector – the Pokémon later met on Newmoon Island in BDSP.
Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior2008Giratina hunts Dialga while Ash’s group protects a Shaymin heading for the Gracidea flowers, echoing Turnback Cave and the Flower Paradise event in the games.
Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life2009Arceus awakens to punish a long-ago betrayal, and Dialga, Palkia and Giratina are drawn in – the Pokémon that BDSP finally lets you meet in the Hall of Origin.Sinnoh in the anime
The episodes where the games’ story and characters come through most clearly:
- DP001Following A Maiden’s Voyage! – Dawn begins her journey with Piplup from Professor Rowan’s laboratory as Ash arrives in Sinnoh.
- DP036A Secret Sphere of Influence! – Ash and friends foil a Team Galactic plot to steal the Adamant Orb, Dialga’s treasured item.
- DP040Top-Down Training! – Champion Cynthia battles Paul while Ash and his friends watch.
- DP151The Needs of the Three! – Pokémon Hunter J captures the lake guardians Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf as Team Galactic’s plan nears its end.
- DP152The Battle Finale of Legend! – Cyrus summons Dialga and Palkia at Spear Pillar, the anime’s take on the games’ climax.
- DP189The Semi-Final Frontier! – Ash faces Tobias in the semi-final of the Lily of the Valley Conference.
- JN117The Fiery Road to Mastership! – Cynthia defeats Iris to reach the Masters Eight semi-finals.
- JN125Whittle While You Work! – Ash’s semi-final against Cynthia reaches its end, sending Ash through to the Masters Eight final.
In the Trading Card Game
When Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl arrived in November 2021, the Pokémon Trading Card Game was deep in its Sword & Shield era, with Fusion Strike out a week earlier. The sets that followed turned towards Sinnoh and its Hisuian past: Brilliant Stars brought Arceus VSTAR and Supporters for Barry and Cynthia, plus Boss’s Orders and Professor’s Research cards showing Cyrus and Professor Rowan; Astral Radiance added Origin Forme Dialga and Palkia and Gardenia; Lost Origin starred Giratina VSTAR alongside Fantina; and Silver Tempest added Candice.
All of this echoed the original Diamond & Pearl and Platinum era of 2007 to 2010, which introduced Pokémon LV.X and turned Sinnoh’s cast into cards such as Professor Rowan, Cynthia’s Feelings and Cyrus’s Conspiracy, alongside Team Galactic’s own Pokémon G.
The Sinnoh sets, then and now
Twelve expansions with the strongest links to Sinnoh and the remakes – eight from the original Diamond & Pearl and Platinum era and four from the year after BDSP – each with its own page on the site:
Diamond & PearlReleased 23 May 2007The expansion that opened the card game’s Sinnoh era. It debuted Generation IV Pokémon, with Dialga and Palkia as the headline Legendaries and Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup alongside them, introduced Pokémon LV.X through Torterra, Infernape and Empoleon, and gave the story its first character cards in the Professor Rowan and Rival Supporters.
Great EncountersReleased 13 February 2008Built mostly from Japan’s Moonlit Pursuit and billed as a meeting of three legends, Dialga, Palkia and Darkrai, the stars of The Rise of Darkrai. Its Cresselia and Darkrai cards match the Cresselia chase and the Newmoon Island Darkrai event in the games.
Legends AwakenedReleased 20 August 2008Drawn from the Japanese sets Cry from the Mysterious and Temple of Anger, it celebrates the Legendary Pokémon met late in Diamond and Pearl. Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf each get LV.X cards, Heatran and Regigigas appear, and its Supporters and Stadiums are named after the games’ people and places: Cynthia’s Feelings, Buck’s Training, Snowpoint Temple and Stark Mountain.
StormfrontReleased 5 November 2008The last expansion of the Diamond & Pearl series, based on Japan’s Intense Fight in the Destroyed Sky. Its LV.X line-up includes Heatran and Regigigas, the post-game Legendaries of Stark Mountain and Snowpoint Temple, and it adds Marley’s Request, a Supporter starring one of the companion Trainers who team up with the player.
PlatinumReleased 11 February 2009Based on Japan’s Galactic’s Conquest and the Platinum game, this set puts Team Galactic centre stage. It introduced Pokémon SP, starting with Team Galactic’s Pokémon G, gave Dialga G, Palkia G and Giratina LV.X cards, debuted the Lost Zone, and turned the villains’ story into cards such as Cyrus’s Conspiracy, Galactic HQ, Looker’s Investigation and the Team Galactic’s Invention Trainers.
Rising RivalsReleased 16 May 2009Based on Japan’s Bonds to the End of Time, it brings Sinnoh’s Gym Leaders and Elite Four to the table as owners of Pokémon SP, marked GL and 4. Supporters such as Aaron’s Collection, Bertha’s Warmth, Flint’s Willpower, Lucian’s Assignment, Volkner’s Philosophy and Bebe’s Search, plus the Sunyshore City Gym and Pokémon Contest Hall Stadiums, map closely onto the games’ cast and places.
Supreme VictorsReleased 19 August 2009Based on Japan’s Beat of the Frontier, it completes Sinnoh’s line of leaders with Champion Cynthia’s Pokémon, marked C and headed by Garchomp C LV.X, plus the Frontier Brains’ FB Pokémon. Character and location cards include Cynthia’s Guidance, Cyrus’s Initiative, Palmer’s Contribution, Battle Tower and Champion’s Room, echoing the Pokémon League and the Battle Park’s Battle Tower.
ArceusReleased 4 November 2009Released in English as part of the Platinum series, this set marked Arceus’s debut in the card game, with nine versions of different types numbered AR1 to AR9 and three Arceus LV.X cards, reflecting its power to change type. It ties to the Hall of Origin encounter that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl opened through the Azure Flute.
Brilliant StarsReleased 25 February 2022Released three months after Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and based on Japan’s Star Birth, this set introduced Pokémon VSTAR with Arceus VSTAR as its focus. It is full of Sinnoh: the Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup lines, Barry and Cynthia’s Ambition Supporters, a Boss’s Orders card showing Cyrus and a Professor’s Research card showing Professor Rowan.
Astral RadianceReleased 27 May 2022Based on Japan’s Time Gazer and Space Juggler, it centres on Origin Forme Dialga and Palkia as V and VSTAR cards, taken from their Legends: Arceus debut. Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf appear, its Stadiums include Temple of Sinnoh, and among its character Supporters is Gardenia’s Vigor, starring Eterna City’s Grass-type Gym Leader.
Lost OriginReleased 9 September 2022Based mainly on Japan’s Lost Abyss and built around the Lost Zone, with Giratina V and Giratina VSTAR as its focal Pokémon, a fitting match for the Distortion Room in Ramanas Park. Fantina, Hearthome City’s Ghost-type Gym Leader, becomes a Supporter.
Silver TempestReleased 11 November 2022Based on Japan’s Paradigm Trigger and led by Lugia VSTAR, it is lighter on Sinnoh than the sets before it, but it gives Snowpoint City’s Ice-type Gym Leader Candice her own Supporter, completing a 2022 run of Sinnoh Gym Leader Supporters after Gardenia and Fantina. Its Lugia also links to Shining Pearl’s Squall Slate in Ramanas Park.Sinnoh on the cards
Twelve cards that tie straight back to the games:
Cynthia’s AmbitionBrilliant Stars · 138/172Sinnoh’s Champion and the final opponent at the Pokémon League, on a Supporter that draws extra cards after one of your Pokémon is Knocked Out.
Gardenia’s VigorAstral Radiance · 143/189Eterna City’s Grass-type Gym Leader, whose card draws two cards and attaches Grass Energy.
CandiceSilver Tempest · 152/195Snowpoint City’s Ice-type Gym Leader, whose card digs Water Pokémon and Water Energy out of the deck.
Boss’s OrdersBrilliant Stars · 132/172Team Galactic’s leader Cyrus on the card that drags one of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon into the Active Spot.
Professor’s ResearchBrilliant Stars · 147/172Professor Rowan of Sandgem Town on the era’s standard draw card: discard your hand and draw seven.
Arceus VSTARBrilliant Stars · 123/172The Pokémon waiting in the Hall of Origin once the Azure Flute is played, as the headline card of Brilliant Stars.
Giratina VSTARLost Origin · 131/196Giratina, found at the end of Turnback Cave and challenged in its Origin Forme in Ramanas Park.
Professor RowanSecret Wonders · 123/132The Sandgem Town professor’s first Supporter card, from the Diamond & Pearl set and reprinted here in Secret Wonders.
Cynthia’s FeelingsLegends Awakened · 131/146An early card of the Champion who keeps crossing your path across Sinnoh before the final battle.
Cyrus’s ConspiracyPlatinum · 105/127Team Galactic’s boss, whose card searches out Team Galactic’s Invention Trainers, mirroring his plan at Spear Pillar.
Dialga G LV.XPlatinum · 122/127Dialga as a Team Galactic-owned Pokémon G, recalling Cyrus summoning it at Spear Pillar in Brilliant Diamond.
Palkia G LV.XPlatinum · 125/127Palkia as a Team Galactic-owned Pokémon G, recalling Cyrus summoning it at Spear Pillar in Shining Pearl.Sinnoh promos
Black Star Promos with a Sinnoh link, from both eras:
- DP01 Turtwig, DP02 Chimchar and DP03 Piplup: the Sinnoh starters, from Diamond & Pearl three-pack blisters.
- DP17 Dialga LV.X, DP18 Palkia LV.X and DP19 Darkrai LV.X: from the 2008 spring collector’s tins.
- DP24 Darkrai: from the Darkrai Premium Box, and also packed with the European DVD release of Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai in September 2008.
- DP26 Dialga and DP27 Palkia: from the Dialga and Palkia Premium Boxes.
- DP37 Dialga LV.X, DP38 Giratina LV.X and DP39 Shaymin LV.X: from the 2009 spring collector’s tins.
- DP50 Arceus: from the Arceus Poster Pack and Poster Box; DP53 and DP56 Arceus LV.X: from the Arceus collector’s tins.
- DP51 Cresselia and DP52 Darkrai: from Arceus three-pack blisters.
- SWSH204 Arceus V: from the Arceus V Figure Collection.
- SWSH251 Boss’s Orders (Cyrus): from the Cyrus Premium Tournament Collection.
- SWSH253 Origin Forme Palkia V and SWSH254 Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR (jumbo): from the Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR Premium Collection.
- SWSH255 Origin Forme Dialga V and SWSH256 Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR (jumbo): from the Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR Premium Collection.
- SWSH259 Giratina V: from the Hidden Potential tins.
- SWSH306 Arceus V and SWSH307 Arceus VSTAR: from Trainer’s Toolkit 2023.
Sinnoh products
Collections and tins built around the region’s Legendary Pokémon and characters:
- Diamond & Pearl three-pack blisters with the Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup promos.
- 2008 spring collector’s tins with Dialga LV.X, Palkia LV.X and Darkrai LV.X promos.
- Darkrai, Dialga and Palkia Premium Boxes from the Diamond & Pearl era.
- 2009 spring collector’s tins with Dialga LV.X, Giratina LV.X and Shaymin LV.X promos.
- Supreme Victors Poster Pack (Dialga promo DP49), the Arceus Poster Pack and Poster Box, Arceus three-pack blisters and Arceus collector’s tins (2009).
- HeartGold & SoulSilver series Clash of Legends Box (November 2010), which reprinted Dialga G LV.X and Palkia G LV.X.
- Arceus V Figure Collection (Sword & Shield era).
- Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR Premium Collection and Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR Premium Collection (Sword & Shield era).
- Cyrus Premium Tournament Collection (Sword & Shield era).
- Hidden Potential tins with a Giratina V promo, plus Lost Origin and Silver Tempest three-pack blisters with Regigigas and Manaphy promos (Sword & Shield era).
What’s new in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl keeps Diamond and Pearl’s map, story and Gyms almost exactly, but rebuilds a great deal around them. The headline changes first, then the fine print:
The Grand Underground
The old Underground returns as the Grand Underground, a network of tunnels beneath the whole of Sinnoh that opens once the Underground Man in Eterna City hands over the Explorer Kit. You can still chip treasure out of the walls – fossils, Spheres, Plates and Pokémon Statues – and carve out a Secret Base to show off your statues, but the big addition is the Pokémon Hideaways: eighteen caves and caverns where wild Pokémon wander in plain sight. Many of them are species missing from the Sinnoh Pokédex, their levels rise with your Badges, and the statues in your base make some types appear more often. Friends can explore together, locally or online.
Super Contest Shows
Pokémon Contests become Super Contest Shows at Hearthome City’s Super Contest Hall. Your Pokémon is judged first on looks – its condition, raised with Poffins, plus the Stickers on its Ball Capsule – and then in a rhythm-game Dance round, with one move per show for a burst of Hype. There are five categories and four ranks, and you can enter with friends locally or online.
Pokémon that follow you
In Amity Square, north of Hearthome City, every eligible member of your team can walk alongside you at once, picking up Berries and Stickers as they go. After your first visit, one Pokémon can follow you around the rest of Sinnoh too – a feature the original Diamond and Pearl only offered inside the square.
A faithful remake
ILCA rebuilt Sinnoh in 3D while keeping the DS layout almost tile for tile, so the overworld uses small, chibi-proportioned characters that recall the original sprites, while battles switch to full-size Pokémon and Trainer models in larger arenas. The music and script stay close to 2006 – a DS Sounds Key Item even restores the original soundtrack – but HMs are gone, replaced by Hidden Moves called up from the Pokétch, and the whole party shares experience automatically.
In depth: how Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl works
Each of the new systems, with the fine print.
Team Galactic
Team Galactic passes itself off as an energy-research group, but its space-suited grunts and three Commanders, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, serve a single aim: Cyrus’s plan to unmake the universe and build a new one with himself as its god. Mars raids Valley Windworks, Jupiter runs a western stronghold in Eterna City, and the headquarters stands in Veilstone City. Cyrus blames the human spirit, with all its emotions, for the world’s imperfection, so the team bombs Lake Valor and captures Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf, the guardians of knowledge, emotion and willpower, whose power lies behind the Red Chain that can bind Dialga or Palkia. The ritual at Spear Pillar collapses when the freed guardians intervene. Cyrus disappears after his final defeat and Saturn inherits the organisation. BDSP keeps the Diamond and Pearl version of events, so Platinum’s fourth Commander, Charon, never appears.
Cyrus
Cyrus is the cold, composed leader of Team Galactic. The player first passes him on Mt. Coronet, where he gives no name, before he introduces himself at Celestic Town’s ruins; only at the Veilstone headquarters is he revealed as the boss. After losing there he hands over a Master Ball, saying he has no use for it. At Spear Pillar he summons Dialga or Palkia with the Red Chain to build a new universe in which he would be a god, and after the lake guardians foil him he loses again and disappears.
Mars, Jupiter and Saturn
Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are Team Galactic’s three Commanders. Mars, the loyal enforcer who carries out Cyrus’s orders, leads the raid on Valley Windworks and later captures Mesprit at Lake Verity. Jupiter commands the Eterna City building and takes Uxie from Lake Acuity, and the two face the player and Barry together at Spear Pillar. Saturn, the calm lieutenant, oversees the Lake Valor operation and guards the headquarters, then takes charge of what is left of the team after Cyrus vanishes. All three return as Battle Tower opponents.
Every Team Galactic battle
The Commanders and Cyrus, in the order you meet them – including the Multi Battle at Spear Pillar with Barry at your side and their return to the Battle Tower after the story:
- Mars, Valley WindworksZubat Lv. 14, Purugly Lv. 16
- Jupiter, Team Galactic Eterna BuildingZubat Lv. 18, Skuntank Lv. 20
- Saturn, Lake Valor (Valor Cavern)Kadabra Lv. 35, Bronzor Lv. 35, Toxicroak Lv. 37
- Mars, Lake VerityGolbat Lv. 37, Bronzor Lv. 37, Purugly Lv. 39
- Saturn, Team Galactic HQ (Veilstone City)Kadabra Lv. 38, Bronzor Lv. 38, Toxicroak Lv. 40
- Cyrus, Team Galactic HQ (Veilstone City)Murkrow Lv. 40, Golbat Lv. 40, Sneasel Lv. 43
- Mars and Jupiter, Spear Pillar (Multi Battle, Barry as the player’s partner)Mars – Bronzor Lv. 41, Golbat Lv. 42, Purugly Lv. 45; Jupiter – Bronzor Lv. 41, Golbat Lv. 41, Skuntank Lv. 46
- Cyrus, Spear PillarHonchkrow Lv. 45, Crobat Lv. 46, Gyarados Lv. 45, Weavile Lv. 48
- Battle Tower (post-game)Jupiter and Saturn in Master Class Double Battles at Rank 4; Mars and Cyrus at Rank 9
After the Hall of Fame
Beating Cynthia and entering the Hall of Fame is only the halfway point. Filling in the Sinnoh Pokédex earns an upgrade to the National Pokédex, and that changes a great deal: many more species turn up in the Grand Underground’s Pokémon Hideaways, the Fight Area, Stark Mountain and the Battle Park open up, and Ramanas Park, a hall of Legendary Pokémon from earlier regions, opens on Route 221. Gym Leaders can be rematched once a day, the Elite Four return with tougher teams, and Mythical Pokémon wait for players with the right items or save data.
The Battle Park and Battle Tower
The Battle Park lies in the Battle Zone, just north of the Fight Area, and becomes reachable once the National Pokédex is in hand. It is a short, straight promenade where Trainers gather, with the Exchange Service Corner halfway along and the Battle Tower at the far end. The Tower is run by Tower Tycoon Palmer, Barry’s father. Every challenge is a run of seven battles in a row, either Single Battles using three Pokémon or Double Battles using four, and the seventh Trainer in each run acts as its boss. In the regular Single Battle room Palmer appears after 21 and then 49 straight wins, and a 49-win streak unlocks Master Class, a ten-rank ladder where Gym Leaders, Cynthia, Team Galactic and the game’s companions stand at the end of each run. Battle Points earned here buy TMs, vitamins, held items, Bottle Caps, Ability Capsules, Ability Patches and Rare Candies.
- As in the original Diamond and Pearl, the Battle Park and its Battle Tower take the place of the Battle Frontier that Pokémon Platinum added.
- In the regular Single Battle room Palmer battles after the 21st and 49th consecutive wins, and beating him is worth 20 BP each time.
- Master Class opens after a 49-win streak in either room and runs from Rank 1 to Rank 10; clearing a full run raises the rank by one, while repeated defeats drop it a rank.
- Master Class Single Battle bosses climb from Roark at Rank 1 through the other Gym Leaders to Cynthia at Rank 9 and Palmer at Rank 10.
- Master Class Double Battles are Multi Battles against pairs such as Mira and Cheryl, Marley and Riley, Buck and Bertha, Jupiter and Saturn, and Mars and Cyrus, with Barry and Palmer waiting together at Rank 10.
- First clears of each Master Class rank hand out prizes including Rare Candies, Mints, Bottle Caps, an Ability Capsule and a Gold Bottle Cap, and clearing Rank 10 earns the Tower Master Ribbon.
- The Exchange Service Corner charges 50 BP for an Ability Capsule, 200 BP for an Ability Patch and 20 BP for a Rare Candy, which cost 48 BP in Diamond and Pearl.
- Each Gym Leader can be challenged to a rematch once a day after the National Pokédex is obtained, and the Elite Four return with higher-level teams that are upgraded again after Heatran has been caught.
Ramanas Park
Ramanas Park takes the place of the original games’ Pal Park and opens only after the player has entered the Hall of Fame and received the National Pokédex; it was added to the games by the version 1.1.0 update. A cashier at the entrance sells slates for Mysterious Shards dug up in the Grand Underground: each costs three Mysterious Shard S or one Mysterious Shard L. Setting a slate on a room’s pedestal sends the player off to meet the Legendary Pokémon it calls. Rooms that lead to Pure Space hold a group, such as the legendary giants or Latias and Latios, met one at a time in random order, while rooms that lead to Strange Space hold a single Legendary such as Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza or Mewtwo. Brilliant Diamond has the Johto and Rainbow Slates for Raikou, Entei, Suicune and Ho-Oh; Shining Pearl has the Kanto and Squall Slates for Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Lugia. Several slates go on sale only once earlier groups are caught, a failed capture can be retried with another slate, and the Legendary Pokémon here are level 70. The Distortion Room is different: its Origin Forme Giratina can be battled but not caught.
| Room | Slate | Brilliant Diamond | Shining Pearl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Room (Pure Space) | Discovery Slate | Regirock, Regice and Registeel, in random order | Regirock, Regice and Registeel, in random order |
| Soul Room (Pure Space) | Soul Slate (on sale after the legendary giants are caught) | Latias and Latios, in random order | Latias and Latios, in random order |
| Johto Room (Brilliant Diamond) / Kanto Room (Shining Pearl), Pure Space | Johto Slate (Brilliant Diamond) / Kanto Slate (Shining Pearl), on sale after the legendary giants are caught | Raikou, Entei and Suicune, in random order | Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres, in random order |
| Rainbow Room (Brilliant Diamond) / Squall Room (Shining Pearl), Strange Space | Rainbow Slate (after the legendary beasts) / Squall Slate (after the legendary birds) | Ho-Oh | Lugia |
| Oceanic Room (Strange Space) | Oceanic Slate (after the beasts or birds) | Kyogre | Kyogre |
| Tectonic Room (Strange Space) | Tectonic Slate (after the beasts or birds) | Groudon | Groudon |
| Stratospheric Room (Strange Space) | Stratospheric Slate (after the beasts or birds) | Rayquaza | Rayquaza |
| Genome Room (Strange Space) | Genome Slate (after the beasts or birds) | Mewtwo | Mewtwo |
| Distortion Room (Strange Space) | Distortion Slate (after the legendary giants and Giratina are caught) | Giratina in its Origin Forme, battle only; defeating it leaves its statue and the slate stays fixed in the pedestal | Giratina in its Origin Forme, battle only; defeating it leaves its statue and the slate stays fixed in the pedestal |
Mythical Pokémon and save-data gifts
The Mythical Pokémon of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl arrive in two ways. Three are permanent save-data bonuses: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Let’s Go, Eevee! save data on the same Nintendo Switch earns Mew from a resident of Floaroma Town, Sword or Shield save data earns Jirachi from another Floaroma resident, and, from version 1.3.0, a Legends: Arceus save with the main story complete leaves the Azure Flute in the player’s room, opening the way from Spear Pillar to Arceus in the Hall of Origin. The rest were time-limited Mystery Gift downloads over the internet: a Manaphy Egg for early players, Oak’s Letter for Shaymin from Pokémon Day 2022, and the Member Card for Darkrai in April 2022. Those windows closed in 2022, so in October 2026 only Mew, Jirachi and Arceus can still be added to a new save.
- Mew – Floaroma Town, from a resident. Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Let’s Go, Eevee! save data on the same Nintendo Switch. Permanent save-data bonus; still obtainable in October 2026.
- Jirachi – Floaroma Town, from a different resident. Pokémon Sword or Shield save data on the same Nintendo Switch. Permanent save-data bonus; still obtainable in October 2026.
- Manaphy (Manaphy Egg) – Received through Mystery Gift (Get via Internet); the egg hatches into Manaphy, which can in turn produce Phione Eggs. Early-purchase bonus claimed over the internet. Claim deadline 21 February 2022; ended.
- Shaymin (Oak’s Letter) – Route 224, where Professor Oak waits by a stone tablet; Shaymin leads the way along Seabreak Path to Flower Paradise. Hall of Fame entry and the National Pokédex; one Shaymin per save file; Shaymin can change to Sky Forme with a Gracidea from Floaroma Town. Mystery Gift from 27 February to 27 March 2022 (Pokémon Day distribution); ended.
- Darkrai (Member Card) – Newmoon Island, reached through a locked house in Canalave City. Hall of Fame entry, the National Pokédex and the Cresselia event completed. Mystery Gift from 1 April to 30 April 2022; ended.
- Arceus (Azure Flute) – Hall of Origin, reached by playing the flute at Spear Pillar on Mt. Coronet. Pokémon Legends: Arceus save data with the main story completed on the same Switch user, version 1.3.0 or later, Hall of Fame entry, the National Pokédex and the version’s Dialga or Palkia caught at Spear Pillar; this Arceus can be Shiny. From version 1.3.0 (16 March 2022 in Europe); permanent save-data bonus, still obtainable in October 2026.
Version updates
BDSP was updated six times after the launch version on the Game Card, finishing with version 1.3.0 in March 2022:
- Version 1.0.0 (19 November 2021) – The launch version on the game card. Online features, the post-game areas and some cutscenes depended on the 1.1.0 update, which was available to download before release.
- Version 1.1.0 (11 November 2021) – Day-one update released eight days before launch. Added local and online play for the Grand Underground, Super Contest Shows, the Union Room and Mystery Gift; added the post-Hall of Fame content, including the Battle Zone and Ramanas Park, also for players who had already entered the Hall of Fame; added the opening and ending cutscenes and title-screen animation; other fixes.
- Version 1.1.1 (18 November 2021) – Optimised the 1.1.0 update data (17 November in the Americas).
- Version 1.1.2 (2 December 2021) – Fixed problems that could stop the game from progressing and other bugs, including duplication exploits and the menu glitch (1 December in the Americas).
- Version 1.1.3 (22 December 2021) – General fixes: closed further menu exploits, smoothed out invisible collisions in the overworld, added a message when a Repel runs out, and stopped NPC Trainers from using moves they could not legally know, such as the Snatch on Fantina’s Banette (21 December in the Americas).
- Version 1.2.0 (22 February 2022) – Expanded the Union Room to eight players with shared Greetings and Capsule Decorations; added a Colosseum on the upper floor of Pokémon Centres for custom-rule Single, Double and Multi Battles; blocked some Pokémon obtained through unintended methods or illicit modification from Link Trades and Link Battles; prepared support for the Legends: Arceus origin mark (21 February in the Americas).
- Version 1.3.0 (16 March 2022) – Added the Legends: Arceus-related event and the Azure Flute, letting qualifying players meet Arceus; added online trading at the Global Wonder Station in Jubilife City, which requires a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership; other fixes (15 March in the Americas). This is the final version.
- Pokémon HOME 2.0.0 (18 May 2022) – Not a game patch: this Pokémon HOME update connected Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl to HOME, allowing Pokémon from the first four generations to move in and out.
Sinnoh
Sinnoh is a large northern region split down the middle by the Mt. Coronet range, with three lakes at its edges guarded by Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf. Its towns run from quiet Twinleaf Town and the modern bustle of Jubilife City in the south-west to snowbound Snowpoint City in the north and the sunlit coast of Sunyshore City in the east, with the Pokémon League beyond. Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl rebuilds them almost exactly as they were in 2006, and adds the Grand Underground beneath them and Ramanas Park on Route 221.
Where the journey takes you
Sixteen places that define Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, in roughly the order you reach them.
Twinleaf Town & Lake Verity
Twinleaf Town is a quiet village in south-western Sinnoh and home to the player and Barry. A short walk away, off Route 201, lies Lake Verity, where Barry’s hunt for a Legendary ends with the player picking a starter from Professor Rowan’s briefcase. The lake returns later in the story when Commander Mars arrives to capture Mesprit, and once the Spear Pillar crisis is over its cavern is where Mesprit appears before fleeing to roam the region. In the post-game, players with qualifying Legends: Arceus save data find the Azure Flute waiting in their bedroom.
Pokémon of note: Turtwig, Chimchar or Piplup (starter), Starly, Bidoof, Mesprit (Lake Verity, post-story). Items: Professor Rowan’s briefcase (starter choice), Azure Flute (player’s bedroom, post-game, with Legends: Arceus save data).
Sandgem Town
Sandgem Town, a short walk from Twinleaf, sits on the coast and houses Professor Rowan’s laboratory, where you receive the Pokédex and meet Rowan’s assistant properly. It is the hub you keep returning to as your research progresses, and once the Hall of Fame is behind you the Pokédex is upgraded to the National Pokédex. Rowan’s assistant also lives in the town, and the coastal routes leading on from it eventually reach Route 221 and Ramanas Park.
Pokémon of note: Starly, Bidoof, Shinx, Kricketot. Items: Pokédex, National Pokédex upgrade.
Jubilife City
Jubilife City is Sinnoh’s largest and most modern city, built around a Trainers’ School, the Jubilife TV building and the Pokétch Company. Collecting Coupons from the clowns in the streets earns the Pokétch, the wrist device that holds the game’s apps and, in BDSP, its Hidden Moves. Team Galactic first appears here, and the Global Wonder Station, the remake’s replacement for the GTS, stands in the city. The producer at Jubilife TV is one of several characters who hand out Stickers for Ball Capsules.
Pokémon of note: Shinx (Route 202), Kricketot (Route 202), Abra (Route 203), Starly. Items: Pokétch (Pokétch Company, three Coupons), Stickers (Jubilife TV producer).
Oreburgh City & Oreburgh Mine
Oreburgh City is a coal-mining town that grew up around Oreburgh Mine, and its Gym Leader Roark is the son of Canalave’s Byron. The Oreburgh Mining Museum explains the region’s industry and revives fossils, which in BDSP are dug up in the Grand Underground. Roark’s Gym is the first badge challenge of the journey. On the way in from Jubilife, a Hiker at Oreburgh Gate installs the Hidden Moves app with Rock Smash, the first of the remake’s HM replacements. A local trader also offers her Abra, nicknamed Kazza, in exchange for a Machop.
Pokémon of note: Geodude, Onix, Zubat, Machop, Abra (in-game trade). Items: TM76 Stealth Rock, Fossil revival (Oreburgh Mining Museum), Hidden Moves app (Oreburgh Gate).
Floaroma Town & Valley Windworks
Floaroma Town is a flower-filled village whose meadow supplies Honey for slathering on Honey Trees to lure rarer Pokémon. Team Galactic’s first big move happens nearby at Valley Windworks, the wind farm Commander Mars seizes to harvest its energy, and the player must win a Works Key from grunts in Floaroma Meadow to break the siege. Floaroma is also where save-data bonuses are collected: a Madame gives Mew to players with Let’s Go save data and a Gentleman gives Jirachi to those with Sword or Shield save data.
Pokémon of note: Drifloon (Valley Windworks), Shellos, Pachirisu, Mew and Jirachi (save-data gifts). Items: Honey (sold in Floaroma Meadow), Works Key.
Eterna City & Eterna Forest
Eterna City is an old city in the shadow of Mt. Coronet, known for its ancient statue of the Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh myth. Team Galactic runs a western stronghold here under Commander Jupiter, and Gardenia leads the Grass-type Gym. Cynthia first meets the player in Eterna and unlocks Cut, and the Underground Man hands over the Explorer Kit that opens the Grand Underground. The dense Eterna Forest to the south must be crossed on the way in, and it hides the haunted Old Chateau, where Rotom lurks.
Pokémon of note: Budew, Buneary, Gastly (Old Chateau), Rotom (Old Chateau), Murkrow (Brilliant Diamond) or Misdreavus (Shining Pearl). Items: Explorer Kit (Underground Man), Cut (Hidden Moves), TM86 Grass Knot.
Hearthome City & Amity Square
Hearthome City is a warm, welcoming city that hosts the Super Contest Hall, the Poffin House and the Pokémon Fan Club, whose chairman hands over the Poffin Case. Bebe, the creator of the storage system, lives here and gives an Eevee after the National Pokédex. Its Gym is run by Fantina, though she only takes challenges later in the journey. North of the city, Amity Square lets the whole eligible party walk alongside the player. A Hiker at the western gate gives away an Egg that hatches into Happiny.
Pokémon of note: Eevee (gift from Bebe), Happiny (Egg gift), Drifblim, Gengar and Mismagius (Fantina’s team). Items: Poffin Case (Pokémon Fan Club), Spooky Plate and Amulet Coin (Amity Square), TM65 Shadow Claw.
Solaceon Town & Solaceon Ruins
Solaceon Town is a peaceful farming community that is home to the Pokémon Nursery, the remake’s breeding centre, and the Pokémon News Press. Just outside lie the Solaceon Ruins, an underground maze whose chambers are filled with Unown, and nearby Route 209 leads to the Lost Tower, a memorial tower for departed Pokémon where Strength is found. Pokétch apps are on offer from a man at the Nursery and from one of the townspeople, and the Nursery itself becomes the place to breed Eggs for the rest of the game, which makes Solaceon a regular stop for players chasing Hidden Abilities or Shiny Pokémon.
Pokémon of note: Unown (Solaceon Ruins), Gastly (Lost Tower), Zubat (Lost Tower). Items: Egg Monitor and Pokémon History apps, Strength (Hidden Moves, Lost Tower).
Veilstone City
Veilstone City is carved into rocky cliffs on the eastern side of Mt. Coronet and is home to Sinnoh’s biggest department store, Maylene’s Fighting-type Gym and, ominously, Team Galactic’s headquarters. In BDSP the old Game Corner is replaced by the Metronome Style shop. Meteorites rest in the town square, and the department store’s second floor offers the Counter app. The Galactic Warehouse yields Fly, and later the player storms the headquarters itself to battle Saturn and Cyrus and free the lake guardians, receiving a Master Ball from the defeated boss.
Pokémon of note: Meditite, Machoke and Lucario (Maylene’s team), Murkrow, Golbat and Sneasel (Cyrus’s team). Items: TM60 Drain Punch, Fly (Hidden Moves, Galactic Warehouse), Master Ball, Counter app (Veilstone Department Store).
Pastoria City & the Great Marsh
Pastoria City, on Sinnoh’s southern coast, is the home of the masked wrestler Crasher Wake and his Water-type Gym, where switches raise and lower the pool to form a path. The city’s big attraction is the Great Marsh, a Safari Zone-style wetland where special rules and Safari Balls apply and several marsh-dwelling species can be caught. An observation deck overlooks the marsh, and the area is where you obtain Defog.
Pokémon of note: Croagunk, Carnivine, Skorupi, Wooper. Items: TM55 Brine, Defog (Hidden Moves, Great Marsh).
Celestic Town
Celestic Town is a tiny settlement tucked into the mountains, guarding an ancient shrine and ruins whose mural depicts Sinnoh’s creation myths. Reaching it means clearing the Psyduck blocking Route 210, which Cynthia helps with by handing over a Secret Potion; she then asks the player to deliver the Old Charm to her grandmother. Team Galactic menaces the ruins, and it is here that the quiet man from Mt. Coronet introduces himself as Cyrus. Surf is unlocked in Celestic Town.
Pokémon of note: Psyduck (Route 210), Dialga and Palkia (depicted in the ruins), Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf (in Celestic legend). Items: Surf (Hidden Moves), Secret Potion and Old Charm, Analog Watch app.
Canalave City & Iron Island
Canalave City is a port divided by a canal and drawbridge, home to Byron’s Steel-type Gym and the Canalave Library, a store of Sinnoh myths where Rowan gathers the player and Barry just before the attack on Lake Valor. Boats from the harbour reach Iron Island, where Riley teams up with the player against Team Galactic and leaves a Riolu Egg, and Fullmoon Island, home of Cresselia. In the post-game the locked Harbor Inn becomes the gateway to Darkrai on Newmoon Island for Member Card holders.
Pokémon of note: Riolu (Egg from Riley), Onix (Iron Island), Cresselia (Fullmoon Island), Darkrai (Newmoon Island, event). Items: TM91 Flash Cannon, Lunar Feather (Fullmoon Island), Member Card access to the Harbor Inn (event).
Snowpoint City & Lake Acuity
Snowpoint City lies in Sinnoh’s frozen north, reached through the blizzards of Routes 216 and 217, where Rock Climb is picked up. Candice runs the Ice-type Gym, a sliding puzzle of slopes and snowballs. Close by, Lake Acuity is where Jupiter seizes Uxie, which later waits in the lake’s cavern. Snowpoint Temple, opened after the National Pokédex, holds the slumbering Regigigas, which wakes only when Regirock, Regice and Registeel are brought along. A local trades her Haunter for a Medicham.
Pokémon of note: Snover, Sneasel, Uxie (Lake Acuity), Regigigas (Snowpoint Temple), Haunter (in-game trade). Items: TM72 Avalanche, Rock Climb (Hidden Moves, Route 217).
Sunyshore City
Sunyshore City, on Sinnoh’s eastern coast, is a seaside city laced with raised walkways of solar panels and watched over by the Vista Lighthouse. Its Gym Leader Volkner, an Electric-type specialist bored by weak challengers, is a friend of Flint of the Elite Four, and his Gym is a puzzle of rotating gears. Waterfall is unlocked here before the final stretch towards the Pokémon League.
Pokémon of note: Raichu, Ambipom, Octillery and Luxray (Volkner’s team). Items: TM57 Charge Beam, Waterfall (Hidden Moves).
Mt. Coronet & Spear Pillar
Mt. Coronet is the great mountain range splitting Sinnoh into east and west, threaded with tunnels the player crosses several times. Its summit holds Spear Pillar, a ruined temple where Cyrus uses the Red Chain to call Dialga or Palkia and where the climax of the story plays out. A lake deep inside the mountain is home to Feebas. In BDSP the Azure Flute, available to players with qualifying Legends: Arceus save data, raises a stairway from Spear Pillar to the Hall of Origin and Arceus.
Pokémon of note: Dialga (Brilliant Diamond) or Palkia (Shining Pearl), Arceus (Hall of Origin), Feebas. Items: Red Chain (story), Azure Flute (used at Spear Pillar).
Victory Road & the Pokémon League
The Pokémon League stands in Sinnoh’s far north-east, reached by Waterfall along Route 223 and then through Victory Road, a cave maze that tests the player’s Hidden Moves and team. Barry waits outside for one last battle before the player takes on Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian, followed by Champion Cynthia. After the Hall of Fame the League becomes the starting point for the post-game, and its members return for rematches with Platinum-based teams that grow stronger again after the events at Stark Mountain.
Pokémon of note: Drapion (Aaron), Hippowdon (Bertha), Infernape (Flint), Bronzong (Lucian), Garchomp (Cynthia). Items: Hall of Fame entry, Elite Four and Champion rematches (post-game).
Sinnoh in concept art
Official concept art for four of the remakes’ locations:
Can I catch them all?
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl’s Sinnoh Pokédex holds the same 151 species as Diamond and Pearl, and the National Pokédex after the Hall of Fame covers all 493 Pokémon of the first four generations. Nothing from Generation V onwards appears, but the Grand Underground and Ramanas Park bring in far more species than the originals offered.
Version exclusives
Version exclusives: each version has 37 species the other can’t catch, counting trade evolutions and the Legendary Pokémon of Ramanas Park. Trading, or Pokémon HOME, fills the gaps.
Exclusive to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond
Caterpie#010
Metapod#011
Butterfree#012
Ekans#023
Arbok#024
Growlithe#058
Arcanine#059
Seel#086
Dewgong#087
Scyther#123
Electabuzz#125
Murkrow#198
Gligar#207
Scizor#212
Elekid#239
Raikou#243
Entei#244
Suicune#245
Larvitar#246
Pupitar#247
Tyranitar#248
Ho-Oh#250
Seedot#273
Nuzleaf#274
Shiftry#275
Mawile#303
Zangoose#335
Solrock#338
Kecleon#352
Cranidos#408
Rampardos#409
Honchkrow#430
Stunky#434
Skuntank#435
Electivire#466
Gliscor#472
Dialga#483
Your cover Legendary is Dialga, and Ramanas Park offers Raikou, Entei, Suicune and Ho-Oh. The Skull Fossil (Cranidos) turns up in the Grand Underground.
Exclusive to Pokémon Shining Pearl
Weedle#013
Kakuna#014
Beedrill#015
Sandshrew#027
Sandslash#028
Vulpix#037
Ninetales#038
Slowpoke#079
Slowbro#080
Magmar#126
Pinsir#127
Articuno#144
Zapdos#145
Moltres#146
Slowking#199
Misdreavus#200
Teddiursa#216
Ursaring#217
Stantler#234
Magby#240
Lugia#249
Lotad#270
Lombre#271
Ludicolo#272
Sableye#302
Seviper#336
Lunatone#337
Bagon#371
Shelgon#372
Salamence#373
Shieldon#410
Bastiodon#411
Mismagius#429
Glameow#431
Purugly#432
Magmortar#467
Palkia#484
Your cover Legendary is Palkia, and Ramanas Park offers Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Lugia. The Armor Fossil (Shieldon) turns up in the Grand Underground.
As in the originals, Murkrow and Honchkrow are found only in Brilliant Diamond and Misdreavus and Mismagius only in Shining Pearl, which also changes a few wild encounters around Eterna City.
The Sinnoh and National Pokédexes
BDSP uses the original Diamond and Pearl Sinnoh Pokédex of 151 species, with the same numbering, rather than Platinum’s enlarged list. After the Hall of Fame, it is upgraded to the National Pokédex, which stops at Arceus, number 493. No Pokémon from Generation V or later appears, there are no regional forms, and later evolutions such as Sylveon are absent, although the Fairy type itself is present. The Grand Underground broadens the range considerably: its Hideaways host many species from other regions during the story, including some Platinum-era additions as rare spawns, and add more after the National Pokédex. Ramanas Park provides Legendaries from Kanto, Johto and Hoenn, while Mythical Pokémon arrive through events, save-data bonuses or Pokémon HOME.
Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf
The lake guardians embody knowledge, emotion and willpower, and Team Galactic seizes all three during the story. Once Spear Pillar is over, Uxie waits in Acuity Cavern and Azelf in Valor Cavern, both at level 50, while Mesprit appears in Verity Cavern and then flees to roam Sinnoh, to be tracked down with the Pokétch’s Marking Map.
Fossils
Fossils are dug from the walls of the Grand Underground and revived at the Oreburgh Mining Museum. Brilliant Diamond yields the Skull Fossil (Cranidos) and Shining Pearl the Armor Fossil (Shieldon). Once Dialga or Palkia has been battled, the Helix, Dome, Root and Claw Fossils and Old Amber appear too, giving Omanyte, Kabuto, Lileep, Anorith and Aerodactyl.
What Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl adds to Sinnoh
- Pokémon Hideaways – Eighteen caves and caverns in the Grand Underground, home to many species from outside the Sinnoh Pokédex.
- Ramanas Park – Legendary Pokémon of Kanto, Johto and Hoenn, called up with slates after the Hall of Fame.
- Platinum’s forms – Rotom’s appliance forms, Giratina’s Origin Forme and Shaymin’s Sky Forme carry over from Pokémon Platinum.
- Mythical gifts – Mew, Jirachi and Arceus for players with save data from Let’s Go, Sword & Shield or Legends: Arceus.
Starter Pokémon
Professor Rowan’s briefcase holds the three Sinnoh starters, and Barry always takes the one with the advantage over yours:
- Turtwig: Grass-type; evolves into Grotle at Lv. 18, then Torterra (Grass/Ground) at Lv. 32. The slow, sturdy choice; Barry takes Chimchar if the player picks Turtwig. Strong against Roark and Crasher Wake early on.
- Chimchar: Fire-type; evolves into Monferno (Fire/Fighting) at Lv. 14, then Infernape at Lv. 36. The fast attacker; Barry takes Piplup in response. Fire types are rare in the Sinnoh Pokédex, which makes Chimchar a popular pick.
- Piplup: Water-type; evolves into Prinplup at Lv. 16, then Empoleon (Water/Steel) at Lv. 36. The balanced option with many resistances once it becomes Empoleon; Barry takes Turtwig if the player chooses Piplup.
Legendary, Mythical and event Pokémon
- DialgaBrilliant Diamond
- PalkiaShining Pearl
UxieLake Acuity
MespritRoaming
AzelfLake Valor
GiratinaTurnback Cave
HeatranStark Mountain
RegigigasSnowpoint Temple
CresseliaRoaming- RaikouRamanas Park (BD)
- EnteiRamanas Park (BD)
- SuicuneRamanas Park (BD)
- ArticunoRamanas Park (SP)
- ZapdosRamanas Park (SP)
- MoltresRamanas Park (SP)
- Ho-OhRamanas Park (BD)
- LugiaRamanas Park (SP)
RegirockRamanas Park
RegiceRamanas Park
RegisteelRamanas Park
LatiasRamanas Park
LatiosRamanas Park
MewtwoRamanas Park
KyogreRamanas Park
GroudonRamanas Park
RayquazaRamanas Park
ManaphyEvent (ended)
DarkraiEvent (ended)
ShayminEvent (ended)
ArceusHall of Origin
MewLet’s Go save
JirachiSword/Shield save
Dialga – Lv. 47, Spear Pillar, Mt. Coronet (Brilliant Diamond). Story encounter after defeating Cyrus at Spear Pillar.
Palkia – Lv. 47, Spear Pillar, Mt. Coronet (Shining Pearl). Story encounter after defeating Cyrus at Spear Pillar.
Uxie – Lv. 50, Acuity Cavern, Lake Acuity. Waits in the lake’s cavern once the Spear Pillar crisis has been resolved.
Mesprit – Lv. 50, Verity Cavern, Lake Verity, then roaming Sinnoh. Appears in its cavern after the Spear Pillar events, then flees and roams; track it with the Marking Map app.
Azelf – Lv. 50, Valor Cavern, Lake Valor. Waits in the lake’s cavern once the Spear Pillar crisis has been resolved.
Giratina – Lv. 70, Turnback Cave, reached via Sendoff Spring. Post-game (National Pokédex). Reach the end of the cave within 30 rooms to find it in Altered Forme; the Griseous Orb from Ramanas Park unlocks Origin Forme.
Heatran – Lv. 70, Stark Mountain (deepest chamber). Post-game (National Pokédex). Escort Buck through Stark Mountain; once the Magma Stone has been returned, Heatran can be battled.
Regigigas – Lv. 70, Snowpoint Temple (bottom floor). Post-game. It sleeps until Regirock, Regice and Registeel, all caught in Ramanas Park, are brought along in the party.
Cresselia – Lv. 50, Fullmoon Island, then roaming Sinnoh. Post-game. Help the Canalave sailor’s sick son by fetching a Lunar Feather from Fullmoon Island; Cresselia flees and roams, tracked with the Marking Map.
Raikou, Entei and Suicune – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Johto Room (Johto Slate, Pure Space), Brilliant Diamond only. Post-game. Buy the Johto Slate with Mysterious Shards; the three appear in random order.
Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Kanto Room (Kanto Slate, Pure Space), Shining Pearl only. Post-game. Buy the Kanto Slate with Mysterious Shards; the three appear in random order.
Ho-Oh – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Rainbow Room (Rainbow Slate, Strange Space), Brilliant Diamond only. Post-game slate encounter.
Lugia – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Squall Room (Squall Slate, Strange Space), Shining Pearl only. Post-game slate encounter.
Regirock, Regice and Registeel – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Discovery Room (Discovery Slate, Pure Space), both versions. Post-game slate encounter; catching all three opens the way to Regigigas.
Latias and Latios – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Soul Room (Soul Slate, Pure Space), both versions. Post-game slate encounter; catching both yields a Soul Dew.
Mewtwo – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Genome Room (Genome Slate, Strange Space), both versions. Post-game slate encounter.
Kyogre – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Oceanic Room (Oceanic Slate, Strange Space), both versions. Post-game slate encounter.
Groudon – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Tectonic Room (Tectonic Slate, Strange Space), both versions. Post-game slate encounter.
Rayquaza – Lv. 70, Ramanas Park – Stratospheric Room (Stratospheric Slate, Strange Space), both versions. Post-game slate encounter.
Manaphy – Egg via Mystery Gift. Early-purchase bonus Egg claimed through Mystery Gift until 21 February 2022. Breeding Manaphy produces Phione.
Darkrai – Lv. 50, Newmoon Island, via the Harbor Inn in Canalave City. Member Card Mystery Gift, 1 to 30 April 2022. Requires the Hall of Fame, the National Pokédex and the Cresselia event; sleep at the Harbor Inn to reach the island.
Shaymin – Lv. 30, Flower Paradise, at the end of Seabreak Path (Route 224). Oak’s Letter Mystery Gift, 27 February to 27 March 2022. Speak to Professor Oak on Route 224 and inscribe a message on the white stone to open Seabreak Path.
Arceus – Lv. 80, Hall of Origin, above Spear Pillar. Version 1.3.0 or later, Pokémon Legends: Arceus save data with the main story completed on the same console, the Hall of Fame and the National Pokédex, plus Dialga or Palkia caught. The Azure Flute appears in the player’s bedroom in Twinleaf Town.
Mew – Lv. 1, Floaroma Town (gift from a Madame). Save-data bonus for players with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Let’s Go, Eevee! save data on the same console.
Jirachi – Lv. 5, Floaroma Town (gift from a Gentleman). Save-data bonus for players with Pokémon Sword or Shield save data on the same console.
What one copy can’t give you
Celebi and Deoxys were never distributed for the remakes, and the Manaphy, Shaymin and Darkrai events have ended, so these can only arrive through Pokémon HOME:
Celebi#251
Deoxys#386- Manaphy#490
Phione#489- Shaymin#492
- Darkrai#491
On one copy, without trading, no more than 454 of the 493 species can be registered: each version lacks the other’s 37 exclusives, and Celebi and Deoxys need Pokémon HOME. The real figure is lower, because Pokémon that evolve only by trading – Alakazam, Machamp, Golem and Gengar among them – need a link trade too. Mew, Jirachi and Arceus need save data from other Switch games rather than a trade.
Gift Pokémon and in-game trades
Pokémon you are simply handed:
- Turtwig, Chimchar or Piplup (Lv. 5) – Lake Verity. Chosen from Professor Rowan’s briefcase at the start of the game.
- Happiny (Egg) – Hearthome City, western gate. Given by a travelling Hiker.
- Riolu (Egg) – Iron Island. Given by Riley after the pair clear Team Galactic from the island.
- Eevee (Lv. 5) – Hearthome City. Given by Bebe once the player has the National Pokédex.
- Cranidos or Shieldon (Lv. 1) – Oreburgh Mining Museum. Revived from a Skull Fossil (Brilliant Diamond) or Armor Fossil (Shining Pearl) dug up in the Grand Underground.
- Omanyte, Kabuto, Aerodactyl, Lileep or Anorith (Lv. 1) – Oreburgh Mining Museum. Revived from fossils found in the Grand Underground after battling Dialga or Palkia.
- Mew (Lv. 1) – Floaroma Town. From a Madame, with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Let’s Go, Eevee! save data on the console.
- Jirachi (Lv. 5) – Floaroma Town. From a Gentleman, with Pokémon Sword or Shield save data on the console.
- Manaphy (Egg) – Mystery Gift. Early-purchase bonus, claimable until 21 February 2022.
In-game trades: four Pokémon offered by Sinnoh’s residents, each with a nickname and a held item:
| You give | You get | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Machop | Abra (nicknamed Kazza, holds an Oran Berry) | Oreburgh City (Hilary) |
| Buizel | Chatot (nicknamed Charap, holds a Leppa Berry) | Eterna Condominiums, Eterna City (Norton) |
| Medicham | Haunter (nicknamed Gaspar, holds an Everstone so it will not evolve on arrival) | Snowpoint City (Mindy) |
| Finneon | Magikarp (nicknamed Foppa, holds a Lum Berry; a foreign-language Pokémon) | Route 226 (Meister) |
Connectivity
There is no direct link to any other game: Pokémon move in and out through Pokémon HOME, and save data from Let’s Go, Sword & Shield and Legends: Arceus on the same Switch unlocks the Mythical gifts.
Local wireless and online play cover link trades and battles, the Union Room, the Grand Underground and Super Contest Shows, all enabled by the day-one version 1.1.0, and online play needs a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership. Version 1.2.0 raised the Union Room’s player limit, added Colosseum battles with custom rules and stopped illicitly modified Pokémon being used in link trades and battles, and version 1.3.0 added online trading at the Global Wonder Station in Jubilife City. Pokémon HOME connected in its version 2.0.0 in May 2022: standard forms of the first 493 species can enter BDSP, apart from exceptions such as Spinda and the Gigantamax-capable Pikachu, Eevee and Meowth, and BDSP Pokémon can move on to Sword and Shield, Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet. The games run on Nintendo Switch 2 through backward compatibility.
Characters
Sinnoh’s familiar faces, remade with the look of the original artwork. Barry is covered with the story above, and Cyrus and his Commanders with Team Galactic.
Lucas
The player is Lucas or Dawn, a young Trainer from Twinleaf Town who, with best friend Barry, ends up with a starter Pokémon after a trip to Lake Verity and sets out to fill Professor Rowan’s Pokédex. BDSP offers eight starting looks, four for each character, and outfits can be changed during the adventure; Lucas and Dawn’s Platinum outfits were also given out as an early-purchase bonus. Whichever character is not chosen becomes Rowan’s assistant. By the end the player has beaten Team Galactic at Spear Pillar, caught Dialga or Palkia and become Champion.
Dawn
Whichever of Lucas or Dawn the player does not choose works as Professor Rowan’s assistant. They are at Lake Verity with Rowan when the adventure begins, show the player how to catch wild Pokémon, hand over the Dowsing Machine app on Route 207 and join Rowan’s briefing in Canalave City. Throughout the journey they act as a friendly guide and a link back to Rowan’s research. Dawn is also the girl you can play as, with four starting looks of her own, and as the heroine of the Diamond and Pearl anime she is one of the best-known characters of the region.
Professor Rowan
Professor Rowan is Sinnoh’s Pokémon Professor, a stern, white-haired researcher of evolution based in Sandgem Town. Gruff at first about the children who raided his briefcase, he soon trusts the player with a starter and the task of completing the Sinnoh Pokédex. Later he gathers the player, Barry and his assistant in Canalave City to discuss the legend of the lakes, moments before Team Galactic’s attack on Lake Valor.
Cynthia
Cynthia is the Champion of the Sinnoh League and a scholar of the region’s myths, which explains why she keeps turning up wherever Team Galactic meddles with legend. She first meets the player in Eterna City and unlocks Cut, researches Azelf at Valor Lakefront, gives the player a Secret Potion for the Psyduck blocking Route 210 and sends them to her grandmother in Celestic Town with the Old Charm. At the Pokémon League she fields the toughest team in the game, led by her famous Garchomp, and after the story she takes rematches and appears in the Battle Tower’s Master Class.
Riley
Riley is a skilled Trainer who partners with Lucario and meets the player on Iron Island, where the pair team up to drive out the Team Galactic grunts who have taken over the mine. As thanks he leaves the player an Egg that hatches into Riolu, giving Sinnoh Trainers an early route to their own Lucario.
Cheryl
Cheryl is a gentle Trainer who keeps you company on the walk through Eterna Forest, battling at your side as a partner. In the post-game she reappears in the Battle Tower, where she and Mira form one of the pairs you face in the Master Class Double Battles.
Gym Leaders
Sinnoh’s eight Gym Leaders are back in their Diamond and Pearl order, from Roark in Oreburgh City to Volkner in Sunyshore City, with their original Gym puzzles rebuilt in 3D. New to the remakes, each one can be challenged again once a day after you receive the National Pokédex, with a full team of six.
The Gym route – every Gym in order, with the Leader’s ace, a team level to aim for and the TM you win:
- Coal BadgeRoark · Oreburgh CityRock · ace Cranidos Lv. 14Aim for Lv. 14–17 · TM76 Stealth Rock
- Forest BadgeGardenia · Eterna CityGrass · ace Roserade Lv. 22Aim for Lv. 22–25 · TM86 Grass Knot
- Cobble BadgeMaylene · Veilstone CityFighting · ace Lucario Lv. 30Aim for Lv. 30–33 · TM60 Drain Punch
- Fen BadgeCrasher Wake · Pastoria CityWater · ace Floatzel Lv. 30Aim for Lv. 30–33 · TM55 Brine
- Relic BadgeFantina · Hearthome CityGhost · ace Mismagius Lv. 36Aim for Lv. 36–39 · TM65 Shadow Claw
- Mine BadgeByron · Canalave CitySteel · ace Bastiodon Lv. 39Aim for Lv. 39–42 · TM91 Flash Cannon
- Icicle BadgeCandice · Snowpoint CityIce · ace Abomasnow Lv. 42Aim for Lv. 42–45 · TM72 Avalanche
- Beacon BadgeVolkner · Sunyshore CityElectric · ace Luxray Lv. 49Aim for Lv. 49–52 · TM57 Charge Beam
The Gym Leaders
Oreburgh Gym: Roark
Roark, the son of Canalave’s Byron, leads the Oreburgh Gym and spends his spare hours digging for fossils in the mine that keeps his city running. As the first Gym Leader he is a gentle introduction, but his Rock types lay Stealth Rock and his fossil Pokémon Cranidos hits surprisingly hard. Turtwig and Piplup take him apart with super-effective moves, while Chimchar players can lean on Fighting-type attacks once Monferno evolves at level 14.
Team: Geodude Lv. 12, Onix Lv. 12, Cranidos Lv. 14 (ace)
Rematch: Tyranitar Lv. 68, Aerodactyl Lv. 66, Armaldo Lv. 70, Probopass Lv. 68, Relicanth Lv. 64, Rampardos Lv. 72 (ace)
His team carries Stealth Rock throughout, and his rematch line-up is built around fossil and ancient Pokémon such as Aerodactyl, Armaldo and Rampardos. Reward: TM76 Stealth Rock (five copies).
Eterna Gym: Gardenia
Gardenia is Eterna City’s cheerful Grass-type specialist, and her Gym is a greenhouse maze where her Trainers hide among the trees and must all be beaten before she will battle. Her Roserade, holding a Sitrus Berry, is the real test, backed by Cherubi and a Turtwig of her own. Fire and Flying moves, such as those of Chimchar or a Staravia, make the battle much easier.
Team: Cherubi Lv. 19, Turtwig Lv. 19, Roserade Lv. 22 (ace, holds a Sitrus Berry)
Rematch: Jumpluff Lv. 66, Sunflora Lv. 70, Cherrim Lv. 69, Breloom Lv. 68, Torterra Lv. 68, Roserade Lv. 72 (ace)
Grass Knot gets stronger against heavier targets. Her rematch team adds Breloom, Sunflora, Jumpluff and a fully evolved Torterra of her own. Reward: TM86 Grass Knot (five copies).
Veilstone Gym: Maylene
Maylene is Veilstone City’s young, barefoot martial artist, devoted to training alongside her Pokémon. Her Gym is a dojo of sliding walls that must be pushed into line to reach her. Lucario is the danger, with Drain Punch and Metal Claw, while Meditite and Machoke soften the player up first. Flying and Psychic moves serve best, and Ghost types shrug off her Fighting-type attacks.
Team: Meditite Lv. 27, Machoke Lv. 27, Lucario Lv. 30 (ace)
Rematch: Hitmontop Lv. 64, Breloom Lv. 66, Heracross Lv. 68, Infernape Lv. 70, Medicham Lv. 72, Lucario Lv. 74 (ace)
The Cobble Badge allows Fly outside battle once the move has been picked up in the Galactic Warehouse, which opens fast travel around Sinnoh. Reward: TM60 Drain Punch (five copies).
Pastoria Gym: Crasher Wake
Crasher Wake is Pastoria City’s masked, larger-than-life wrestler, whose booming enthusiasm fills a Gym built around a pool. Switches raise and lower the water to create a path of platforms to him. His Floatzel is fast, Gyarados is bulky and Quagsire’s Ground typing makes Electric moves useless against it, so a strong Grass-type attack is the most reliable answer for all three.
Team: Gyarados Lv. 27, Quagsire Lv. 27, Floatzel Lv. 30 (ace)
Rematch: Politoed Lv. 68, Kingdra Lv. 68, Ludicolo Lv. 68, Huntail Lv. 70, Gyarados Lv. 70, Floatzel Lv. 72 (ace)
The Fen Badge unlocks Defog outside battle. Barry battles the player in Pastoria around the same point in the story. Reward: TM55 Brine (five copies).
Hearthome Gym: Fantina
Fantina is Hearthome City’s flamboyant Ghost-type Gym Leader and a celebrated Contest performer, and she can turn up in Master Rank Super Contest Shows. She is away when the player first reaches Hearthome and only takes challenges later, making her the fifth Gym, as in Diamond and Pearl. Her Gym asks players to solve simple sums to pick the right door on each floor. Dark and Ghost moves work well, and Normal-type attacks are useless against her team.
Team: Drifblim Lv. 32, Gengar Lv. 34, Mismagius Lv. 36 (ace)
Rematch: Drifblim Lv. 68, Banette Lv. 65, Dusknoir Lv. 70, Mismagius Lv. 70, Froslass Lv. 72, Gengar Lv. 72 (ace)
Her Gym’s maths puzzles can be checked with the Pokétch Calculator. The Relic Badge lets the player use Surf outside battle. Reward: TM65 Shadow Claw (five copies).
Canalave Gym: Byron
Byron, Roark’s father, is a burly Steel-type expert who rules Canalave City’s Gym, a tower of lifts and moving platforms. His fossil Pokémon Bastiodon is a wall of Defense, and Steelix and Bronzor resist many common attacks. Fire and Fighting moves are the way through, and Ground-type attacks hit Bastiodon hard, though Bronzor is immune to them. Chimchar’s evolutions and a Fighting type caught along the way are ideal.
Team: Bronzor Lv. 36, Steelix Lv. 36, Bastiodon Lv. 39 (ace)
Rematch: Skarmory Lv. 69, Steelix Lv. 69, Magnezone Lv. 70, Empoleon Lv. 70, Aggron Lv. 71, Bastiodon Lv. 72 (ace)
The Mine Badge lets the player use Strength outside battle. Barry’s fourth battle comes as the player arrives in Canalave City. Reward: TM91 Flash Cannon (five copies).
Snowpoint Gym: Candice
Candice is Snowpoint City’s upbeat, energetic Ice-type Gym Leader and the seventh badge on the road to the Pokémon League. Her Gym is an ice rink of slopes and snowballs that have to be smashed to reach her. Snover’s and Abomasnow’s Snow Warning brings hail and Aurora Veil, and her Medicham adds Fighting-type cover, so Fire, Steel and Rock moves are the best answers.
Team: Snover Lv. 38, Sneasel Lv. 38, Medicham Lv. 40, Abomasnow Lv. 42 (ace, holds a Sitrus Berry)
Rematch: Abomasnow Lv. 68, Jynx Lv. 70, Mamoswine Lv. 68, Froslass Lv. 70, Glaceon Lv. 70, Weavile Lv. 72 (ace)
The Icicle Badge lets you use Rock Climb outside battle. Reward: TM72 Avalanche (five copies).
Sunyshore Gym: Volkner
Volkner is Sunyshore City’s laid-back Electric-type master, the strongest Gym Leader in Sinnoh and so bored by weak challengers that he has drifted away from battling. His friend Flint of the Elite Four hopes the player can rekindle his passion. His Gym is a maze of rotating gear platforms. Ground types are the obvious answer, but Ambipom and Octillery cover his weaknesses, and Luxray is the final hurdle.
Team: Raichu Lv. 46, Ambipom Lv. 47, Octillery Lv. 47, Luxray Lv. 49 (ace)
Rematch: Pelipper Lv. 70, Raichu Lv. 70, Luxray Lv. 70, Lanturn Lv. 66, Jolteon Lv. 68, Electivire Lv. 75 (ace)
He is the last Gym Leader, and the Beacon Badge allows Waterfall, which leads on to Victory Road and the Pokémon League. Reward: TM57 Charge Beam (five copies).
The Elite Four & the Champion
Sinnoh’s Elite Four – Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian – are the same four as in 2006 and use their Diamond and Pearl teams on your first visit. Beyond them waits Champion Cynthia with the strongest team in the game, led by her Garchomp.
After the Hall of Fame all five return with stronger, Platinum-based teams, which grow stronger again once the events at Stark Mountain are over.
Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian, then Champion Cynthia
Aaron, Elite Four
Aaron, the first of the Elite Four, is a young devotee of Bug-type Pokémon. His team leans heavily on Flying and Poison secondary types, so Fire, Flying and Rock moves cover most of it. His ace Drapion, part Dark type, is the exception and is best handled with Ground-type attacks.
Team: Dustox Lv. 53, Beautifly Lv. 53, Vespiquen Lv. 54, Heracross Lv. 54, Drapion Lv. 57 (ace)
Rematch: Before Stark Mountain: Yanmega Lv. 65, Scizor Lv. 65, Vespiquen Lv. 66, Heracross Lv. 67, Drapion Lv. 69. After Stark Mountain: Yanmega Lv. 75, Scizor Lv. 75, Vespiquen Lv. 77, Heracross Lv. 77, Flygon Lv. 75, Drapion Lv. 79
Drapion is his only non-Bug Pokémon in the first battle; his post-game teams add Scizor, Yanmega and later Flygon.
Bertha, Elite Four
Bertha is the kindly, elderly second member of the Elite Four and a seasoned Ground-type specialist with decades of battling behind her. Her Ground types are weak to Water and Grass, but Quagsire and Whiscash are part Water, which makes Grass-type moves the most valuable tool. Her Hippowdon summons a sandstorm with Sand Stream.
Team: Quagsire Lv. 55, Sudowoodo Lv. 56, Golem Lv. 56, Whiscash Lv. 55, Hippowdon Lv. 59 (ace)
Rematch: Before Stark Mountain: Whiscash Lv. 66, Gliscor Lv. 69, Golem Lv. 68, Hippowdon Lv. 68, Rhyperior Lv. 71. After Stark Mountain: Whiscash Lv. 76, Gliscor Lv. 79, Nidoking Lv. 78, Hippowdon Lv. 78, Mamoswine Lv. 78, Rhyperior Lv. 81
Grass attacks hit Quagsire and Whiscash for four times the damage.
Flint, Elite Four
Flint is the hot-headed, afro-crowned third member of the Elite Four and a close friend of Volkner. Because Diamond and Pearl had few Fire types, his first team mixes in Steelix, Drifblim and Lopunny, so a balanced team works better than Water moves alone. Infernape is quick and hits hard with mixed attacks.
Team: Rapidash Lv. 58, Steelix Lv. 57, Drifblim Lv. 58, Lopunny Lv. 57, Infernape Lv. 61 (ace)
Rematch: Before Stark Mountain: Houndoom Lv. 68, Flareon Lv. 71, Rapidash Lv. 69, Infernape Lv. 71, Magmortar Lv. 73. After Stark Mountain: Ninetales Lv. 78, Houndoom Lv. 78, Rapidash Lv. 79, Infernape Lv. 81, Arcanine Lv. 81, Magmortar Lv. 83
His rematch teams switch to a pure Fire-type line-up, as in Platinum.
Lucian, Elite Four
Lucian is the calm, bookish last member of the Elite Four, often found reading as challengers arrive. His Psychic types fall to Dark, Ghost and Bug moves, though Mr. Mime brings Fairy typing in BDSP and Medicham resists Dark attacks. Bronzong, his ace, is part Steel and resists a great deal, so Fire and Ground moves are the answer.
Team: Mr. Mime Lv. 59, Girafarig Lv. 59, Medicham Lv. 60, Alakazam Lv. 60, Bronzong Lv. 63 (ace)
Rematch: Before Stark Mountain: Mr. Mime Lv. 69, Espeon Lv. 71, Bronzong Lv. 70, Alakazam Lv. 72, Gallade Lv. 75. After Stark Mountain: Mr. Mime Lv. 79, Espeon Lv. 81, Bronzong Lv. 80, Alakazam Lv. 82, Slowbro Lv. 82, Gallade Lv. 85
Mr. Mime is Psychic/Fairy in BDSP, so Steel and Poison attacks also find a weakness.
Cynthia, Champion
Cynthia is Sinnoh’s Champion and one of the most feared opponents in the series. Her team has no single theme: Spiritomb had no weaknesses at all before the Fairy type arrived, Gastrodon and Milotic cover each other, and Lucario and Roserade hit hard from both sides. Her Garchomp, fast and powerful with Dragon and Ground typing, is the Pokémon most players remember, and Ice-type moves are the best way to stop it.
Team: Spiritomb Lv. 61, Roserade Lv. 60, Gastrodon Lv. 60, Lucario Lv. 63, Milotic Lv. 63, Garchomp Lv. 66 (ace)
Rematch: Before Stark Mountain: Spiritomb Lv. 74, Roserade Lv. 74, Togekiss Lv. 76, Lucario Lv. 76, Milotic Lv. 74, Garchomp Lv. 78. After Stark Mountain: Spiritomb Lv. 84, Porygon-Z Lv. 85, Togekiss Lv. 86, Lucario Lv. 86, Milotic Lv. 84, Garchomp Lv. 88
Spiritomb now has a Fairy-type weakness. Her post-game rematch teams swap Gastrodon for Togekiss and later add Porygon-Z.
Glitches, exploits and oddities
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl shipped with a number of bugs, and the updates of December 2021 to March 2022 fixed the worst of them; a few oddities remain in the final version.
Menu cloning glitch
The most famous BDSP glitch let players duplicate Pokémon along with their held items. Opening a Pokémon’s summary from the party menu and pressing ZL and ZR almost simultaneously left the player able to walk around with the X menu still open on screen. In that broken state, players could copy a chosen Pokémon together with the item it was holding, which made it simple to multiply rare held items. Version 1.1.2 closed this route, although variants that open the menu while pushing a Strength boulder or viewing the Fly map are reported to still work.
Surf glitch and early Shaymin
Using Surf at the exact moment Trainer Carl challenges the player, then winning the battle, left the player able to surf across land. Players used this to slip through the barrier to Seabreak Path and Flower Paradise long before the Oak’s Letter event existed, catching Shaymin without the required item. Version 1.1.3 locked Flower Paradise so that it cannot be entered until Oak’s Letter has been received, ending the trick for Shaymin hunters. Shaymin itself then became available legitimately through the Oak’s Letter Mystery Gift from 27 February 2022.
Snowpoint Gym shortcuts and softlock
Candice’s Gym was designed around the four-directional movement of the DS original, but BDSP allows diagonal movement with the analogue stick. Moving diagonally lets players climb slopes that should be impassable, reaching Candice without battling her Gym Trainers. The same freedom can also strand the player on a section of ice from which there is no way back, softlocking the Gym and forcing a reload of an earlier save. Saving inside the Gym before attempting the puzzle is therefore risky, and players are advised to stick to straight lines on the ice.
Spinda spot pattern bug
Every Spinda has its own spot pattern, generated from a hidden value. BDSP reads that value’s bytes in the wrong order, so its Spinda show different patterns from the ones they would display in other games. Super Contest Shows go further and randomise Spinda’s spots regardless of its true pattern, so even the in-game display cannot be trusted. Because a transfer would scramble the pattern, Pokémon HOME refuses to move Spinda into or out of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, so any Spinda caught in the remakes has to stay there.
Memory leaks and crashes
Lingering on certain screens slowly eats into the game’s memory. Spending a long time in the Ball Capsule decoration or preview screens, or on the screens after a Super Contest Show, can make sound stutter or drop out and the frame rate sink until the game crashes. Scrolling through the Pokédex for an extended period can also bring the game down. No fix for these problems has been documented, so players who spend long sessions decorating capsules or browsing the Pokédex are best advised to save regularly.
Glitched blank Sticker
In version 1.0.0 the producer at Jubilife TV, who hands out Stickers, could award a blank, glitched Sticker instead of the one intended. The script for one of his rewards was corrupted, so roughly one time in 64 the player received an empty Sticker with no proper design. The faulty reward was the one meant to be Burning Sticker A. Version 1.1.2 repaired the script so that the producer now hands over a Blazing Sticker instead, and blank Stickers can no longer be obtained in updated copies of the game.
Shiny Charm odds bug
BDSP and Sword and Shield share a bug in how extra Shiny rolls are applied to Eggs (in BDSP the Shiny Charm only affects breeding anyway). When bonuses such as the Shiny Charm add rerolls, the game skips the first roll, so breeding with the Shiny Charm alone gives odds of about 1 in 2,048 rather than the intended 1 in 1,365. Combined with the Masuda method, which breeds Pokémon from parents of different languages, the odds are 8 in 4,096 rather than the intended 9 in 4,096. The bug does not stop Shiny Pokémon appearing; it only makes them a little rarer than designed.
What no longer works
Several exploits were closed by updates. Version 1.1.2 (1 December 2021) patched the ZL and ZR menu cloning method, fixed the glitched Jubilife TV Sticker and addressed issues that could stop the game progressing. Version 1.1.3 (21 December 2021) sealed off Flower Paradise until Oak’s Letter is received and corrected Fantina’s rematch Banette, which had known Snatch instead of Payback. Version 1.2.0 (21 February 2022) added checks that stop Pokémon obtained through unintended methods or modification being used in link trades and battles.
Videos & media
The reveal and trailers for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, in English and Japanese.
The announcement trailer from the 26 February 2021 Pokémon Presents.
The August 2021 trailer showing the Grand Underground, Super Contest Shows and character customisation.
October 2021 trailer introducing Team Galactic, the Gym Leaders and the lakes.
The Japanese promotional video released alongside the August 2021 details trailer.
Nintendo’s Japanese overview trailer, released in November 2021 ahead of launch.
Trivia & facts
- Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the first core-series Pokémon games not developed by Game Freak; ILCA led development, with Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda co-directing.
- They are the only core-series Pokémon games built in the Unity engine.
- With 40 Boxes holding 1,200 Pokémon, they offer more storage than any other core-series game.
- They are the first core games to make the Hall of Origin legitimately reachable: in the DS originals the Azure Flute was never officially distributed.
- The DS Sounds Key Item, handed over at Valor Lakefront after the Hall of Fame, swaps the soundtrack for the original Nintendo DS music.
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The Dialga & Palkia Edition. The Nintendo Switch Lite Dialga & Palkia Edition was modelled on the Dialga and Palkia edition of the Nintendo DS Lite from the original games’ era.
Further trivia
- The unchosen starters can later be caught in the wild, and every Gym Leader hands over five copies of their TM because TMs are single-use again.
- Several Trainer classes were renamed: Belle & Pa became Ranchers, Fisherman became Fisher and Socialite became Madame.
- The remakes arrived fifteen years after the originals’ Japanese launch in September 2006.
Legacy
What came after
- Reveal in the Pokémon 25th-anniversary Pokémon Presents – 26 February 2021. Announced for Nintendo Switch with ILCA as developer and a late-2021 window, in the same presentation that unveiled Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
- Release date and box art revealed – 26 May 2021. Confirmed the 19 November 2021 launch.
- Pokémon Presents feature – 18 August 2021. Showed character customisation, the Grand Underground, Ball Capsule stickers, the Union Room, Super Contest Shows and Pokémon following the player.
- Trailer: Pokétch moves and Poffins – 28 September 2021. Covered Hidden Moves used through the Pokétch, Poffins and more Trainers and Gym Leaders.
- Trailer: Team Galactic and the lake trio – 26 October 2021. Featured more Gym Leaders, Team Galactic’s members and Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf.
- Overview trailer and Nintendo Switch Lite Dialga & Palkia Edition – 5 November 2021. A final overview trailer arrived the same day as the themed Switch Lite, which was sold without the games.
- Version 1.1.0 day-one update – 11 November 2021. Added online play and the post-game content ahead of launch.
- Pokémon GO celebration event – 16 to 21 November 2021. A two-part event themed on each version, with Sinnoh starters in hats inspired by Lucas and Dawn.
- Worldwide launch – 19 November 2021. Released on Nintendo Switch as two versions and a Double Pack.
- Pokémon Evolutions: The Rival – 2 December 2021. The Sinnoh episode of the web series, starring Barry and tied to the games’ story.
- Version 1.1.2 and 1.1.3 updates – 2 and 22 December 2021. Bug-fix updates closing progress-blocking problems and duplication and menu exploits.
- Lucas and Dialga join Pokémon Masters EX – 13 January 2022. The Diamond and Pearl hero arrives as a playable sync pair with Dialga.
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus released – 28 January 2022. Its save data links with BDSP in both directions: a finished Legends: Arceus save later unlocks the Azure Flute in the remakes.
- Manaphy Egg Mystery Gift closes – 21 February 2022. Last day to claim the early-purchase Manaphy Egg.
- Version 1.2.0 – 22 February 2022. Eight-player Union Room and the Colosseum for custom-rule battles.
- Brilliant Stars TCG expansion – 25 February 2022. Arceus VSTAR plus Barry, Cynthia’s Ambition and other Sinnoh Supporters.
- Shaymin distribution (Oak’s Letter) – 27 February to 27 March 2022. Announced in the Pokémon Day Pokémon Presents.
- Version 1.3.0 and the Arceus event – 16 March 2022 (15 March in the Americas). Azure Flute for Legends: Arceus players and Global Wonder Station online trading; the final game update.
- Darkrai distribution (Member Card) – 1 to 30 April 2022. The last Mystery Gift event for the games.
- Pokémon HOME 2.0.0 – 18 May 2022. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl connect to Pokémon HOME, and through it to Sword and Shield and Legends: Arceus.
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet released – 18 November 2022. Generation IX takes over as the active core game.
- Pokémon HOME 3.0.0 – 30 May 2023. Connected Scarlet and Violet to HOME, and so to Pokémon from the remakes.
- Nintendo Switch 2 launch – 5 June 2025. The games run on Switch 2 through backward compatibility, though some players reported crashes.
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A released – 16 October 2025. The next Legends game arrives on Switch and Switch 2.
- Switch 2 compatibility fix – January 2026. A Switch 2 system update resolved the reported issues, and Nintendo’s compatibility list now says the games behave as they do on Switch.
Where to play Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl today
In October 2026 Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remain Nintendo Switch games, released as separate versions and a Double Pack, and they also play on Nintendo Switch 2 through backward compatibility. Early crash reports on the newer console were resolved by a Switch 2 system update in January 2026. Online trading at the Global Wonder Station and other internet play need a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership, Pokémon HOME still moves Pokémon in and out, and the Mew, Jirachi and Arceus save-data bonuses remain available.
How Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl was made
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were developed by ILCA, making them the first core-series Pokémon games not developed directly by Game Freak. Yuichi Ueda directed at ILCA, while Junichi Masuda, director of the 2006 originals, co-directed for Game Freak and is also credited as writer; the producers include Akira Kinashi, Toyokazu Nonaka, Takanori Sowa, Kenji Endo and Shunsuke Kohori, and the music is credited to Shota Kageyama and Masuda. The remakes run on the Unity engine, the only core-series Pokémon games to do so. They were sold as faithful recreations of Diamond and Pearl: the overworld uses small, chibi-proportioned characters seen from above, keeping the feel of the 2D originals, a look that divided fans when the games were unveiled at the 25th-anniversary Pokémon Presents on 26 February 2021, while battles use fully proportioned models. Legends: Arceus was announced in the same presentation, and the two releases were spaced ten weeks apart, on 19 November 2021 and 28 January 2022, and linked by save-data bonuses in both directions.
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl in other media
The two title screens:
Sales & reviews
Sales figures
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl sold more than six million copies worldwide in their first week. In Japan, Famitsu counted about 1.39 million physical copies in the first three days, more than Sword & Shield managed over the same period and the second-biggest Switch launch there after Animal Crossing: New Horizons; in the UK the two versions took the top two places on the boxed chart in launch week, the biggest Switch launch of 2021.
By the end of March 2022 the games had sold 14.65 million copies, and 15.06 million by 31 December 2022, the latest lifetime figure published for the pair.
- 15.06mworldwide, December 2022
- 6m+worldwide in the first week
- 1.39mJapan, first three days
- No. 1 & 2UK boxed chart, launch week
Review scores
The remakes landed in the low to mid 70s on the review aggregators, with scores ranging from 6/10 to Famitsu’s 34/40. Some of the verdicts:
- Rebekah Valentine of IGN gave it 8/10: “Like the themes of its story, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are solid and enduring”.
- John Carson of Game Informer (8.5/10): “Catching, training, and trading Pokémon remains a blast, and Sinnoh is a great region to explore”.
- GameSpot’s Steve Watts gave it 7/10, calling it “comfortably nostalgic, with just enough modern tweaks to smooth over the rough edges”.
- Nintendo Life’s Jordan Middler was less impressed, at 6/10, and Eurogamer’s Chris Tapsell felt the games had been remade in the wrong places.
Critics agreed that BDSP recreates Diamond and Pearl with great care, and opinion turned on whether that care was a strength or a missed chance. IGN and Game Informer welcomed a loyal, enjoyable return to Sinnoh, while others felt it followed the 2006 games so closely that it left out the improvements Platinum had made, an omission several outlets criticised. The chibi overworld was divisive: GameSpot liked its charm, whereas Nintendo Life felt the look had changed for the worse. The Grand Underground and its Hideaways were widely praised as the most meaningful addition, and the quality-of-life changes went down well. Difficulty was a common complaint: Destructoid felt the always-on Exp. Share turned routine Trainer battles into a chore, and GameSpot took issue with how the challenge was paced around the Elite Four. Even so, most critics agreed that the core loop of catching, training and trading remained enjoyable.
Awards and honours:
Media & artwork
Further reading
Other Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl links on the site, plus the games and series around it: