New Pokémon Snap Review - Revenge Of The Wildlife Photography Simulator

Ask, and ye shall receive, even if it takes twenty-one years. When Nintendo confirmed the fan rumors and announced the Bandai-Namco developed New Pokémon Snap, I found myself genuinely excited for a new Pokémon title for the first time in years.

The original Pokémon Snap, released in 1999, was a novel and well-executed concept for the N64, combining the concept of a theme park-like Pokémon safari/wildlife simulator with an interactive point-and-shoot photography challenge. Light puzzle solving kept the on-rails game from feeling repetitive, and Pidgeot-eyed players were rewarded with surprising and charming Easter eggs. Pokémon Snap’s only shortcoming was its length – you could plough through the game and unlock all of its secrets in the span of a weekend. It was my hope that this new reboot/sequel could provide a fresh take on the winning concept. Let’s evaluate its performance.

Don’t Just Sit There, Throw Something!

Right off the bat, New Pokémon Snap eases you in with a lengthy tutorial section that introduces players old and new to the game’s unique mechanics and scoring system. You’re now able to scan your environments, Metroid-style, which can aid in discovering critters, lead to your unlocking new ways to play, and open up alternate pathways. Rather than tossing Pester Balls at Pokémon, you get their attention by flinging Flufffruit, which some creatures will walk up and munch on. You will also have the ability to play a little tune that may make some Pokémon dance. By photographing the rare Crystabloom plants seen on each of the Lental region’s islands, you’ll unlock Illumina Orbs, which can be flung at Pokémon to grant them a lustrous, nearly radioactive glow. You can also toss Illumina Orbs at Crystabloom plants to temporarily illuminate the environment and possibly trigger unique Pokémon actions.

By combining the many ways of interacting with Pokémon and your environment, New Pokémon Snap provides a lot more interactivity than its precursor, and Pokémon fans should get a kick out of the many well-animated sequences that heavily feature fan-favorite Pokémon interacting with one another, with you, and with the environment. The pre-rendered cut-scenes are also beautifully executed, and the excellent music is appropriately relaxing and engaging.

There’s a lot to love, but also a lot to grind through…

However, while the animation quality is sound, in terms of lighting and textures, New Pokémon Snap does pale in comparison to recent titles. There’s a lack of depth and shadows in the lighting engine, most obvious in the Night levels and in areas such as the caverns, where the game’s many lighting elements should be bouncing in more complex and involved ways. In addition, background elements seem light on textures, giving the game an outdated cartoon-y look.

Moreover, New Pokémon Snap features a good amount of grinding – that is, you are gated at several instances by having to replay levels with only minor changes each time. The grind wouldn’t have been so notable if it weren’t for the comical amount of menu screens you have to sift through between runs. In addition to loading screens, you’ve gotta choose your photos and get them appraised by Professor Mirror, which takes a few minutes. The game also throws a lot of badges and trophies at you for that little serotonin boost, and you’ll be forced to wade through the game’s ‘story’ – essentially a mini-visual novel where four largely interchangeable side characters theorize about the ancient mysteries at the heart of the Lental region.

Thankfully, once you reach a certain point in the game, you won’t need to grind as much and will be able to explore to your heart’s content. You’ll also eventually get to unlock a Turbo function, which will help your vehicle, the NEO-ONE, zoom through levels and not only speed up your runs, but allow you to see new interactions. In the endgame, you’ll also be gifted with a Burst Shot option for your camera, so if you’re struggling to get that perfectly timed shot, worry not. Soldier on and you shall be rewarded for your patience.

Natural Wonders Abound in This Wildlife Survey

There’s no shortage of levels in New Pokémon Snap. You’ll go through beaches, volcanoes, reefs (both above and below water), a frozen tundra, a jungle, caverns, an enchanted highland forest, ancient ruins, and a desert. You can also photograph the friendly Pokémon around your campgrounds.

The absolute coolest thing about New Pokémon Snap is how each of the game’s levels evolves as you play them. Each of the areas has a “level” that increases the more points you acquire (through taking good photos). Pokémon that run away from you on Level 1 may start to warm up to you more and more during subsequent Level 2 runs, then finally pose and show off in front of you once you hit Level 3. You may just glimpse a rare Pokémon on Level 2 and through careful interaction with the environment and other Pokémon find a way to draw it in for a close-up later on. Over many patient playthroughs you will unlock alternate pathways and get to see a plethora of new environments and critters.

At any time, you can also choose to temporarily ‘level down’ and experience the area as originally presented. Once you have all of the tools available for your use, this is helpful for unlocking new interactions and fulfilling your companions’ photo requests (side-quests). Going back and forth between each area’s Levels and their Day and Night cycles is the only way you’ll be able to get all 1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star, and 4-Star photos for each of the Pokémon, thus filling out your Photodex.

An improvement on the original… but not all will love it

New Pokémon Snap also features an album mode where you can edit your saved photos, adding frames and stickers and fine-tuning aspects such as the exposure, contrast, brightness, etc. It’s fun to mess around with, and you’ll unlock more filters by hitting milestones during your playthrough.  There are also online leaderboards, where you can share photos and compare your scores with players around the globe.

In spite of all of its new additions and the added replay value provided by the decent amount of levels and their many variations, New Pokémon Snap is a short game. Its campaign can be beaten in a weekend. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of side missions and hidden Pokémon to draw out and photograph, and for those seeking a challenge, this game’s got you covered with some tough side-quests, and completing your Photodex will take a quick shutter finger and a lot of patience. Hardcore Pokémaniacs who find value in going the extra mile and seeing all the game has to offer will get the most out of this experience.

I’m happy to report that New Pokémon Snap improves upon the original game in nearly every respect. It’s filled with well-animated interactions between Pokemon, a wide variety of evolving environments, and over 200 Pokémon to add to your Photodex. Despite all of its quality-of-life improvements, its relaxing vibe, and decent presentation, however, it’s more of an evolution of the concept than a revolution, and soundly geared to younger audiences. I imagine that because of its simple gameplay, it’s not going to satisfy everyone.

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7/10

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Highlights

(+) A plethora of environments and variations of said environments, coupled with over 200 Pokémon and many dozens of unique inveractions, provide a good amount of replay value

(+) Alternate pathways and multiple ways to interact with Pokémon and the environment

(+) Photo editing mode and online features round out the package

(+/-) Decent animation, models, music, and cut-scenes enhance subpar lighting and textures

(+/-) “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” game design philosophy

(-) There is some grinding involved

(-) The game can be beaten in a weekend

What I’ve Played

• Cleared the campaign and unlocked all areas, levels, and level variations

• Played for 14 hours (2 post-game hours)

• Total Photodex score of over 1,400,000

• Registered over 180/200 Pokémon in the Photodex

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