Developer ILCA has released a patch for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, fixing the soft-locking issues and more.
Ver. 1.1.2 is available now, and is noted in the rather vague patch notes as fixing “some issues that would prevent the game from progressing under certain circumstances.” In addition “Some issues have also been fixed for more pleasant gameplay.” It seems likely the issues that would prevent progress were the previously reported softlocking issues.
Fans had discovered the puzzle in Snowpoint City Gym- the seventh Gym in the game out of eight- could have players softlocked. This was done via alternating between free and tile-based movement (via the analogue stick and d-pad), to get into a position that should be impossible. Players were only truly trapped if they saved their game at that point.
These exploits could also allow players to bypass the Gym’s puzzle. Other glitches included being able to enter out of bounds areas to complete the game with minimal badges, move around in cutscenes, and access unreleased events and the Mythical Pokemon Shaymin. Players could also reportedly use exploits via the menu to clone items and Pokemon.
Judging by the comments and quote retweets on the official tweet [1, 2] it seems there are a few players annoyed the “useful features” have been patched out of the game. There are also a sizable, if not larger, group who are aggravated that fans would be annoyed the game was fixed. Regardless, many are also grateful the issues and cheats have been resolved.
Nonetheless, is this a sign that elements of Pokemon’s formula are frustrating? Is waiting for events or trying to find someone to trade a rare Pokemon with a relic of the past? Sound off in the comments below!
In earlier news, it was announced the games had become Japan’s second biggest Nintendo Switch launch. It had sold 1.396 million units in its first three days on sale.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are available on Nintendo Switch. In case you missed it, you can find our review here.