This post-game content was short, but entirely new, and allowed you to catch Deoxys. However, the most important aspect of ORAS was the Delta Episode. Gyms should be spectacular and challenging, and in BDSP they were neither. I know that’s nothing to do with the puzzles, but my Luxray dodging a 100 percent accurate move or shaking off a burn made me roll my eyes. If anything, gyms feel lazy because of the friendship mechanics that kept my Pokemon in the battle for much longer than they should have been.
![pokemon adventures volume 1 sample pokemon adventures volume 1 sample](https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/6378-1/70F/FBF/E5/{70FFBFE5-9BB0-41FD-89B4-575B919F492A}Img400.jpg)
Maybe I’m more cynical seven years later, but nothing in BDSP came close to recreating that feeling. 2D puzzles have their charm, but when I first stepped onto the crunchy 3D ice in Sootopolis - and first fell through the floor to encounter the waterfalls beneath - I was in awe. The best part was the updated gym puzzles. I had some disposable income of my own through after-school jobs at this point, so I didn’t max out the clock, but I came pretty darn close. What I’m saying is, the changes in ORAS were revolutionary to teenage me. My idea of a quiet night in was beating the Pokemon League a couple of times with a solo Pokemon to grind levels on five new egg hatches via Exp. It’s safe to say that I completed both Pokedexes and maxed all my favourite monsters to level 100. I didn’t have access to many games when I was a kid, so I maxed out the 999-hour clock in both Pokemon Silver and Pokemon Sapphire from playing the same save file until time stood still - and then played some more. ORAS was the first fully-3D remake (including in-battle sprites), and built on the originals in every possible way. Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, on the other hand, blew my tiny little teenage mind. I suppose it’s good that the Gen 4 remakes added them to the older games, but it’s hardly revolutionary. But these quality of life improvements can’t be attributed to BDSP, as Sun & Moon introduced them first. Related: Ranking All 63 Pokemon Not in Gen 8Īt the time ORAS were released, TMs were still single-use and HMs could only be used if a Pokemon knew the move. I liked Gen 3 much more than Gen 4 (too much water my arse), so that’s already a point in its favour, but this doesn’t just come down to personal preference. But the lack of meaningful changes only made me nostalgic for the best Pokemon remakes, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS. Like I’m saying, my experience with BDSP was nice. In a lot of ways, the remasters felt a little half-baked. Much like our reviewer, Cian Maher, I would have preferred more additions from Platinum, not least the spawn changes in those mid-game routes that are seemingly constant waves of Geodude and Ponyta. Playing through Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl was an enjoyable experience, even if it did have its fair share of bugs and was far too easy to Nuzlocke (until Cynthia, at least).