Nintendo Switch 2 logo

    Pokémon Shining Pearl: Unleash Your Trainers Potential!

    Gameplay and Features

    • Classic Pokémon Adventure: Players embark on a journey to become the Pokémon League Champion by catching, training, and battling Pokémon. The story involves thwarting the villainous Team Galactic and encountering the Legendary Pokémon Palkia.
    • Starter Pokémon: Players choose one of three starter Pokémon—Turtwig (Grass-type), Chimchar (Fire-type), or Piplup (Water-type).
    • Grand Underground: Using the Explorer Kit, players can explore the Grand Underground to dig up fossils, treasure, and create Secret Bases. Unique areas called Pokémon Hideaways allow players to find rare Pokémon.
    • Super Contest Shows: Players can participate in contests where they showcase their Pokémon's performance skills in categories like Coolness or Cuteness. Features include dancing mini-games and customizable effects using Capsule Decorations.
    • Post-Game Content: After defeating the Elite Four, players gain access to Ramanas Park, where they can catch Legendary Pokémon exclusive to their version.

    Version Exclusives

    Like other paired Pokémon games, Shining Pearl has exclusive Pokémon that differentiate it from its counterpart, Brilliant Diamond. Key exclusives include:

    • Legendary Pokémon: Lugia, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.
    • Fossils: The Armor Fossil (Shieldon) is exclusive to Shining Pearl.
    • Other Pokémon: Includes Weedle, Sandshrew, Vulpix, Magmar, Slowpoke, Pinsir, and more.

    Visuals and Development

    • The game retains a faithful recreation of the original Pokémon Pearl, featuring updated chibi-style graphics and a top-down perspective reminiscent of classic games.
    • Developed by ILCA instead of Game Freak, with Junichi Masuda (the original director) serving as co-director alongside Yuichi Ueda.

    Connection to Other Games

    While Shining Pearl shares its setting with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which explores Sinnoh's ancient past, there is no direct gameplay connection between the two titles beyond their shared lore.

    This remake offers both nostalgia for fans of the original games and modernized features for new players.