Pokemon Shining Pearl

Mechanics

In Pokemon Shining Pearlwe observe the action from a top-down view. We start the game in the hero's hometown. The actual adventure begins at the moment when we get the first Poke Ball and Pokemon. Then there's nothing left for us but to set off on a long journey.

As we travel through Sinnoh, we primarily complete quests to move the story forward and a variety of side missions, as well as numerous battles with both wild Pokémon and other trainers. When we manage to defeat a wild Pokémon and we have a free Poke Ball in reserve, there's nothing stopping us from trying to catch it and use it in the next battles. It's not easy, however, as success is determined by the number of life points of the caught Pokémon and the strength of the Poke Ball you have. Also worth noting is the Poketch watch, which not only displays the date and time, but also monitors the health of our Pokémon, as well as having a built-in navigation, calculator and pedometer.

Fights take place in turn-based mode, in separate arenas, and their progress is presented from a variety of "cinematic" shots. Each Pokemon has its own strengths and weaknesses, so the key to success is to deploy a Pokemon with a natural advantage over another creature. In addition, you need to skilfully use the abilities of the monsters you own. By winning duels, our Pokémon gain experience points and advance to the next level; then their statistics increase, and so does their combat potential. In addition, most of them evolve into their higher form after exceeding a certain level.

In between tasks and duels we can spend time on the Pokemon Contests, in which our pets take part in various competitions. In the Visual Competition we dress up our Pokemon, trying to make it as beautiful as possible, in the Dance Competition we press certain buttons to the rhythm of music, and our Pokemon shows off its dancing skills, while in the Acting Competition our pets must perform complicated moves and tricks.

The biggest change over the original is the addition of the Grand Underground, a large underground realm where you can encounter free-running Pokémon and dig for treasure. The most dedicated fans will spend a few extra hours there to find rare creatures needed in battles.

Game modes

Pokemon Shining Pearl allows you to play in single player or multiplayer mode.

Technical aspects

Compared to the original, Pokemon Shining Pearl stands out due to its completely new graphics. The graphics is 3D and eye-catching with vivid colours and cartoon style.