27 hours and 49 minutes of the most underwhelming Pokémon adventure I've ever had.
Early reactions to these Sinnoh remakes were mixed, so I thought I'd make my playthrough more interesting for myself by FINALLY committing to a Nuzlocke. I had never completed one, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity!
With minimal effort and no grinding, I had absolutely zero casualties until Cynthia, and I only lost two Pokémon in that championship battle. It wasn't just the easiest Pokémon game I've played, it also was the most boring.
If I were a big Gen IV fan, this would have been a huge disappointment. Instead, it was merely forgettable. I had completely forgotten that I hadn't actually finished it until after I 100%ed Legends Arceus. Coming back to complete the final hour or two of Shining Pearl after the surprisingly fresh experience of Arceus emphasized how dated and uninspired this release was. A real shame, as the previous Pokémon remakes (FRLG, HGSS, ORAS) were all vast improvements on their originals. This felt like it only exists due to an obligation to keep doing a remake every few years.
Here's hoping the positive response to Arceus means we never get a weak entry like this again.
Early reactions to these Sinnoh remakes were mixed, so I thought I'd make my playthrough more interesting for myself by FINALLY committing to a Nuzlocke. I had never completed one, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity!
With minimal effort and no grinding, I had absolutely zero casualties until Cynthia, and I only lost two Pokémon in that championship battle. It wasn't just the easiest Pokémon game I've played, it also was the most boring.
If I were a big Gen IV fan, this would have been a huge disappointment. Instead, it was merely forgettable. I had completely forgotten that I hadn't actually finished it until after I 100%ed Legends Arceus. Coming back to complete the final hour or two of Shining Pearl after the surprisingly fresh experience of Arceus emphasized how dated and uninspired this release was. A real shame, as the previous Pokémon remakes (FRLG, HGSS, ORAS) were all vast improvements on their originals. This felt like it only exists due to an obligation to keep doing a remake every few years.
Here's hoping the positive response to Arceus means we never get a weak entry like this again.