The original 4th gen Sinnoh titles are my second favourite in the series (right behind Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald) so when it was finally announced that they were getting remakes I have to admit I was ecstatic, especially considering the quality and scale of some previous Pokémon remakes (looking at you HeartGold and SoulSilver). However, while I made sure not to set my hopes too high, I do find myself being rather disappointed in some regards.
On the whole though, I had a blast. Obviously I did, if the game is literally remaking a classic from my childhood, its going to be good. And it was, I powered through this game much quicker than I expected, it was so nostalgic seeing these locations and characters reimagined in HD on the Switch. The visuals, the style (I actually really like the chibi look of the characters) the gameplay and the music have all been updated in flashy HD and it does work for me.
However, there are some problems. For one, this game is super easy, especially compared to the originals. Things like the XP share just make things feel redundant. Even though you can turn them off, the fact that they are there sort of dampens the experience. Plus, the art style and mechanics don't mesh well with other things like, for example, the running animations of certain Pokémon in the overworld. Probably a nitpick, but it just looks goofy and offputting. Not to mention the fact that nothing new has really been added, unlike previous remakes, so it does begin to look like a lazy, nostalgia manipulating cashgrab.
Therefore, I can quite confidently say that the next time I play through SInnoh, I'm going to want to do it on my DS through Platinum. Sure, its a good 15 years older than these brand spanking new games, but I can also quite confidently say that this isn't just nostalgia speaking, rather my want for a more genuine product that isn't just a quick cashgrab for Nintendo.
Overall rating: 6/10
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