Pokémon Platinum vs. Brilliant Diamond: Which game should you get?

I remember playing Pokémon Diamond as a child and utterly enjoyed it. I can safely say the Gen IV release was among the best in the series, and when Platinum came along, it made the game even better. Being the first remake of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Platinum was an almost perfect solution to most of the problems that were in the original game.

So, when I heard that Game Freak would be releasing yet another remake of the iconic Gen IV game, I couldn’t wait to see what additional enhancements would come with it. Like many other players, I had high expectations that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl would maintain the enhancements made in Platinum and even improve on them.

But was this the case? Was Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl a far better remake than Platinum? Having played both Platinum and Brilliant Diamond, I wrote this article to provide answers to these questions by comparing both remakes based on my experience to give you a final verdict. So, if you were wondering whether you should get Pokémon Brilliant Diamond or just stick to Platinum, keep reading to get your answer.

Pokémon Platinum vs. Brilliant Diamond – How They Compare

First, here is a quick summary of the variations between the two games that we will discuss in detail later in the game:

Features	Platinum	Brilliant Diamond
Visual Art Style	Retro art style 2D characters and sprites	Chibi art style 3D characters and sprites
Updates and Enhancements	Included an expanded Pokedex Rearranged the order of the gyms and updated the puzzles Gym leaders had new team members.	Introduced Grand Underground Reverted to the original order of gyms and puzzles Gym leaders’ Pokémon had new movesets.
Storyline	An expanded storyline New characters Introduced battle frontier and Distortion world	The same storyline as Pokémon Diamond No new characters Doesn’t have the battle frontier or distortion world.

What are the differences between Pokémon Platinum and Brilliant Diamond?

As I mentioned above, both Pokémon Platinum and Brilliant Diamond are remakes of the original Pokémon Diamond. While I expected that there would be some differences between the two given the updates and enhancement, I was shocked by how glaring and significant the differences were.

The following is my comparison of the two games, and the differences I felt were worth noting:

Visual Art Style

Although this may not be a significant difference that will greatly affect your experience playing the game, I felt it was worth mentioning first to get it out of the way. The 3D approach in Brilliant Diamond is undoubtedly a step up from the 2D artwork and sprites we were used to in the earlier releases including Platinum.

While this may be strictly based on personal preference, I can’t say I was a fan of the Chibi art style, Game Freak chose to go with, in the recent remake. Not only do I find the distorted forms of the characters unrealistic, but I also felt that the art style was not consistent with Sinnoh and the storyline of the game.

What’s more, while the vibrant colors in Brilliant Diamond, make the landscape look slightly better than Platinum’s, I felt there were certain areas where the colors were too harsh, like on the snowscapes of Sinnoh.

So, I’d have to say that Platinum’s art style was preferable and more realistic and in line with the story and the region it was based on, despite Brilliant Diamond looking more vibrant. But this doesn’t have to be an issue especially, if the aesthetic isn’t a concern for you when playing the game.

Updates and Enhancements

Since both Platinum and Brilliant Diamond are meant to be remakes of the original Gen IV game, you’d expect that they would present significant improvements. But while Platinum took the best parts of Diamond and Pearl and made it better by resolving most of the issues they had, Brilliant Diamond wasn’t so different from the original.

Of course, since Game Freak intended for Brilliant Diamond to be a faithful remake of Pokémon Diamond, it isn’t too surprising that it’s not based on Pokémon Platinum. But I at least expected it to maintain the updates and enhancements Platinum introduced to the Gen IV game series. Instead, I was disappointed to find that most of the enhancements in Platinum did not make it to Brilliant Diamond. To fully understand this, let’s take a step back and look at the issues Pokémon Diamond presented.

One of the biggest issues with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl was the lack of adequate Fire Type Pokémon. This made it hard to build a proper team to face the Elite Four. The Gym leader’s teams also featured Pokémon who didn’t belong to their respective typing for that reason. But Platinum fixed this issue by introducing a wider Pokedex. Brilliant Diamond also tried by introducing Grand Underground, where players could catch some Fire types, but I didn’t feel this solution was as effective as Platinum’s.

I also felt that the order of the gyms and the puzzles you had to beat were slightly improved in Platinum. For example, Hearthome Gym which was the fifth in Diamond and Pearl, was made the third in Platinum. Additionally, unlike in Diamond, where you had to take a brief math quiz to get to Fatina, I much preferred the maze Platinum introduced, where players had to navigate it in the dark to get to Fatina. Was it slightly more challenging? Sure! But it beat having to do Maths in a game I’m supposed to enjoy. Sadly, all of these changes did not show up in Brilliant Diamond. The remake restored the original order of the gyms and the puzzles that were in Diamond.

What I can say I appreciated though is that both Platinum and Brilliant Diamond did a great job at making the game more fast-paced and introducing fresh challenges. Platinum did this by changing the Gym leader’s teams. Even though Brilliant Diamond restored their original teams like in Diamond, it presented an even better challenge than Platinum, by giving each team’s Pokémon new movesets. I mean Cynthia’s team had near-perfect IVs and EVs, making her team difficult to beat.

Still, I would have to say that I preferred most of Platinum’s enhancements and updates much better than Brilliant Diamond, which mostly felt like playing the original Diamond with some slight perks.

Storyline

Both Brilliant Diamond and Platinum follow the same main plot. They’re both set in the Sinnoh region, and the aim of the game is similar. That is to become the Champion after filling the Pokedex, defeating the Gym leaders and the evil organization Team Galactica, catching the Legendary Pokémon (although the story may differ slightly here between the two versions), and finally defeating the Elite Four.

But it is worth noting that Platinum offered a more expanded story. It gave more background on Team Galactica. Some of the best characters like Cyrus, Dawn, and Cynthia got more screen time, and new characters like Looker were introduced. In addition to that, there were also new locations like the Battle Frontier that made the post-game in Platinum much better and more challenging, as well as the Distortion World. In Brilliant Diamond, none of this was reflected. The game reverted to the old storyline except for the Grand Underground.

So, I would have to go with Platinum as having the more evolved storyline compared to Brilliant Diamond.

Final Verdict: So, Which is better? – Pokémon Platinum or Brilliant Diamond

To sum it up, it is without a doubt that Pokémon Platinum is a better choice compared to Brilliant Diamond. It has a better storyline, better updates, and enhancements that solved the issues in Diamond and Pearl more effectively, plus I personally prefer the art style. Another bonus is you don’t have to choose between Diagla and Palkia, since they are both available in this version.

But that’s not to say that Brilliant Diamond is a bad game. Far from it. Being a remake of the most iconic generation to be released in the Pokémon game series, this remake is also great. The only problem is that being a remake, you’d expect a revolutionary improvement from the original. But Brilliant Diamond is almost the same as Pokémon Diamond, the same with some slight changes.

So, considering this, if you had to choose between Brilliant Diamond and Platinum, I would advise you to get Platinum. It’s much better than Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl in every conceivable way. Unless of course you’ve already played Platinum and want Brilliant Diamond for nostalgic reasons. But if you are looking for a perfect remake of Pokémon Diamond, it was already released over a decade ago.

FAQ Section

Which is more popular Pokémon Platinum or Diamond?

Pokémon Platinum is more popular than Pokémon Diamond and its remake, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond. Platinum solves most of the problems in Diamond, whereas Brilliant Diamond is a faithful remake of the original with a slightly fresh coat of paint.

Is Pokémon Platinum more successful than Pokémon Diamond?

According to VGChartz, as of 9^th May 2023, Pokémon Platinum has sold 7.6 million copies while Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shinning Pearl have a combined total sales of 14.92 million. Since it’s not clear what percentage of the sales Brilliant Diamond accounts for, it is possible that both games did equally well, or one could have done better than the other. But considering Pokémon Diamond and Pearl have combined sales of 17.67 million, even without considering what percentage Diamond accounts for, it is safe to say that Pokémon Diamond was the most successful of the three.

How many hours does it take to finish Pokémon Platinum and Diamond?

For Pokémon Platinum, it takes about 35 hours if you focus on the main objectives, and 235 hours if you want to explore every aspect of the game. Pokémon Diamond takes approximately 40 hours to get through the main objectives and 262 hours to fully complete the game. As for Brilliant Diamond, you’ll need about 26 hours to achieve the main objectives but about 113 hours to achieve 100% completion.

Which game is longer Pokémon Platinum or Diamond?

Considering how long it would take you to fully complete the game, it would seem Pokémon Diamond would be the longest game, closely followed by Pokémon Platinum, and finally Pokémon Brilliant Diamond would be the shortest game to complete.

Can you replace Pokémon Platinum with Diamond?

Given the key variations between Pokémon Platinum and Pokémon Diamond and Brilliant Diamond, you may not get the exact experience of playing one over the other. You can, however, trade games with a willing player. You can also transfer or trade Pokémon between Diamond, Platinum, and Brilliant Diamond.

Is Pokémon Platinum and Diamond the same story?

Yes, Platinum and Brilliant Diamond, follow the same main plot as Pokémon Diamond. Being that they are remakes of the original, Platinum and Brilliant Diamond are set in the same region, and have the same characters and objectives, but with a few added elements. For example, Platinum has an expanded story and added characters, with new locations like the Battle Frontier and Distortion World. Brilliant Diamond also introduces new locations like Grand Underground as well as updates to the graphics and visual style.

Which one has a better game Pokémon Platinum or Diamond?

Considering Brilliant Diamond is a faithful remake of Pokémon Diamond, with some slight tweaks, there isn’t much of a difference between the two. As such, most players still believe that Pokémon Platinum is a better game compared to both Diamond and Brilliant Diamond. Platinum takes the best parts of Diamond and fixes most of the issues it has, something Brilliant Diamond didn’t do too well.

Is Pokémon Platinum harder than Pokémon Diamond?

It depends on who you ask, but most players seem to believe that Pokémon Diamond is harder to beat compared to Platinum, despite the latter having more challenging battles.

Should I play Pokémon Platinum before or after Pokémon Diamond?

Given that Pokémon Platinum is considered the superior title, there would be no need to play Pokémon Diamond, or Brilliant Diamond for that matter (seeing as it’s no different from the original). But if you really must play both, then the best advice would be to start with Diamond, since if you played Platinum first you wouldn’t be able to enjoy Diamond with all the issues it had.