Pokemon Shining Pearl (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.3.0 Update

Pokémon Shining Pearl Experience a nostalgic journey through the Sinnoh region and relive the storyline of Pokémon Pearl Version freshly with this game now available on the Nintendo Switch system! Discover the familiar terrain of Sinnoh, a region known for its natural beauty and the mighty Mount Coronet at its center, steeped in legends that have been passed down through generations. During 2021 remakes of the 2006 Nintendo DS role-playing video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The games are part of the eighth generation of the Pokémon video game series and were developed by ILCA and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. The games were released on 19 November 2021. They were announced as part of the 25th anniversary event, alongside Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay of Shining Pearl is similar to the original Diamond and Pearl games, comparable to previous remakes such as Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The games are presented in a top-down isometric third-person perspective, though with a distinct visual style.

Start your adventure by choosing Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup as your first partner Pokémon and embark on a quest to become the Pokémon League Champion. Along the way, encounter the enigmatic Team Galactic organization and even come face-to-face with the Legendary Pokémon Palkia.

EXPLORE THE GRAND UNDERGROUND, CONNECT WITH FRIENDS, AND FIND RARE POKEMON

Use the Explorer Kit you’ll receive during your adventure to visit the Grand Underground! Here, dig up Pokémon Fossils and valuable treasure, including statues for your very own Secret Base. You can also visit places called Pokémon Hideaways, where you can find Pokémon that live in a variety of different environments—there are some Pokémon that can only be found in these Pokémon Hideaways. Embark on a Grand Underground adventure with other players through the local* or online communication** of your Nintendo Switch system!

PUT ON A PERFORMANCE WITH POKEMON IN SUPER CONTEST SHOWS

Super Contest Shows are popular events in the Sinnoh region, each put on by four performers and their partner Pokémon, who work together to dance and show off their performance skills. You can prepare your Pokémon for your grand performance by giving them snacks, called Poffins, and teaching them impressive moves. Using Capsule Decoration, you can place Stickers to customize the effects that appear when your Pokémon comes out of its Poké Ball™ for battles or Super Contest Shows. Choose a category like coolness, cuteness, or cleverness, and then tap along to the beat and put on a show!

DEVELOPMENT AND RELEASE

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were developed by ILCA; as such, they are the first main-series Pokémon games to have a different company as the lead developer instead of Game Freak. They were directed by Yuichi Ueda from ILCA and Junichi Masuda from Game Freak, the director of the original games. Possible development on remakes of Diamond and Pearl had been leaked on 15 January 2021, when a “diamond pearl” subdomain of the Pokémon website was registered and published. Shortly after, the domain was taken offline.

On 26 February 2021, the day of the Pokémon 25th Anniversary Pokémon Presents presentation, several leakers claimed that the upcoming livestream would announce remakes of Diamond and Pearl, titled Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, alongside an action role-playing game also set in the Sinnoh region, later revealed to be Pokémon Legends: Arceus. During the Pokémon Presents, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were announced for the Nintendo Switch with a tentative late 2021 release date.

On 26 May 2021, a release date of 19 November 2021 was announced along with a reveal of the games box art. During the reveal of the Nintendo Switch OLED model on 6 July 2021, footage displaying improved visuals for the games was shown. A Pokémon Presents presentation on 18 August 2021 showed new features including character customization, the return of The Underground which is now called The Grand Underground, Poké Ball decorations (now renamed Stickers rather than Seals), the Union Room, Super Contest Shows, and Pokémon being able to follow the player. It was revealed that a Pokémon egg of the Mythical Pokémon Manaphy would be available from Mystery Gift as an early purchase bonus until February 21, 2022.

On 28 September 2021, on the 15th anniversary of the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, a new trailer was released showcasing the Pokétch with Hidden Moves, Poffins, Pokémon party following the player in Hearthome City’s Amity Square, STAT trainers Cheryl and Riley, and Eterna City Gym Leader Gardenia. On 26 October, another trailer was released featuring Snowpoint City Gym Leader Candice and Sunyshore City Gym Leader Volkner.

Team Galactic Commanders Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and Team Galactic Boss Cyrus; and the three Legendary Lake Pokémon Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie. Moreover, it was announced that the outfits of the protagonists Lucas and Dawn from Pokémon Platinum would be available from Mystery Gift as an early purchase bonus until February 21, 2022. An overview trailer summarizing the main features of the games was released on 5 November 2021 on the official Japanese Nintendo YouTube channel.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have been described as having a “litany of glitches”, with numerous glitches discovered within weeks after release. This includes the ability to walk through walls to catch the Mythical Pokémon Shaymin, access the location for the Darkrai event location early, and speedrun the game in 23 minutes, as well as an exploit to duplicate multiple Pokémon at a time along with their held items. Several of these glitches were fixed in version 1.1.2 released on December 1, 2021.