Gotta Snap'em All: New Pokemon Snap Review
Like most kids who grew up in the 1990s, Pokémon has been a huge part of my life. I’ve grown up with the franchise, experienced it at the height of its popularity and all that came with it – from the anime, to the card game and of course, the video games. As a matter of fact, the very first video game I ever played was Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64. So, when we learned last year that we would be getting a sequel to that game after twenty years, I was beyond excited. And now that the game is finally here, I can say that my expectations were not only met, but exceeded.
Nintendo 64: Pokemon Snap
Like the first game, New Pokémon Snap focuses on your character going on a guided tour of various tropical environments filled with Pokémon that you can take pictures of. The game puts you in a vehicle known as the NEO-ONE, and has you automatically moving through these wonderfully rendered environments. New Pokémon Snap presents more structure than the original in the form of an engaging story mode, set in the brand new Lental Region of the Pokémon world. Here, Professor Mirror and his assistant Rita will teach you everything you need to know about photography as you work together to unravel the mystery of the Illumina Phenomenon, a strange occurrence that makes Pokémon of the Lental Region glow and sometimes grow to huge sizes! The mystery of the story kept me just as engaged as the mystery of the region – wondering what places I’d be taken to next and what Pokémon I would find there.
Some of you reading may be asking “I don’t get it, it’s a game where you photograph pictures of Pokémon, how is that fun?” And the simple answer to that is escapism. Pokémon has been something I’ve loved from a very young age, and to see them up close and personal with modern day graphics is truly wonderful to behold. For the original game, the novelty came in simply seeing Pokémon in 3D for the first time. But New Pokémon Snap takes full advantage of the Nintendo Switch’s hardware to render both the Pokémon and the world they live in in detail unseen before. It’s been no secret that people (myself included) were dissatisfied with the graphical fidelity of the latest Pokémon games, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. So, to see Bandai Namco produce such a stellar looking game provides me with hope that the rest of the franchise can look this good someday.
Twenty years is a long time to go without another game. Thankfully, Bandai Namco didn’t just improve the game graphically, they also added several more features to expand the game’s breadth of content. In addition to the more robust story mode, the game’s photo system has also been improved. All of your Pokémon photos are stored within the game’s Photoset, which you can view at any time, to see your photos as well as close ups of the Pokémon models themselves. The Photodex operates on a star-based system, from one to four-star pictures for each Pokémon in the game. This greatly expands replay value as you try to get a great shot for each rank for every Pokémon! It’s a wonderful addition that adds more surprises that weren’t present in the original game, and allows you to keep more than one picture of a Pokémon at a time.
Diamond Photodex : New Pokemon Snap by Quo speedrums
Gameplay is also extended thanks to another new feature: Research Levels. Every course in the game operates on a Research Level, which increases the more photos you take there. As your research level increases, things about the course will change – alternate paths will open up more or different Pokémon will appear. Once again, this greatly improves replay value and makes the world feel that much more alive. The more time you spend among the Pokémon, the more comfortable they are with you and the more possibilities for new photo opportunities.
Illuminated Pokemon: Xerneas
At the center of the story mode are the Illumina Pokémon, massive, glowing special Pokémon that you hunt down through a course and have to perform special actions to be able to photograph them. Previously, the only Pokémon encounter like this was Mew on the final track of the original Pokémon Snap. Increasing the number of “special” Pokémon was a natural, yet brilliant choice on Bandai Namco’s part.
Another improvement to Pokemon Snap, thanks to the advances we’ve made in social media (specifically Instagram), is photo editing. Separate from your Photodex is your Photo Album, where you can keep shots that you like and alter them with filters, stickers and other frames. After that, you can share them online with people to compare cool or funny pictures with. The addition of an online element as well as filters ensures that there will be a ton of fun combinations and takes that other photographers may have missed. You can see all sorts of ridiculous trends and goofy things, like the crazed phenomenon of people taking pictures of Pokémon butts. It all adds to the communal feel of New Pokémon Snap – a wholesome, if sometimes ridiculous, journey that we are all taking together.
Finally, another improvement Bandai Namco has made in New Pokémon Snap is its audio. Fans have criticized the brand for reusing assets, including the cries of the Pokémon – most of which have gone unchanged since the Game Boy era. New Pokémon Snap uses all new sound effects for the Pokémon, making them sound much more natural and even believable at times, more so than the anime which took to the creatures just saying their names. For the first time in what feels like ages, we also have actual voice acting! Professor Mirror, Rita, and every other human character in the game have fully voiced dialogue, something that felt sorely absent from Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. The voice acting makes the game feel that much more alive, and it finally feels like the franchise is getting the quality-of-life improvements it needs – in a spinoff title! Another commendable improvement is the game’s soundtrack, which boasts a host of chill, relaxing music to cruise through the game with. It really does help to sell the comforting, relaxing atmosphere the game has going for it.
With all that said, the game does have some small issues. Midway through the game, starting a new area may not feel as exciting as it once did, simply due to that area’s low Research Level. At Level 1, Pokémon are sparsely placed, and it can be jarring to jump from a densely populated map that you’ve been playing on for a while to a new one. This issue is remedied quickly, as you rank up to Level 2 usually within one playthrough of a new route, but I still feel it’s worth mentioning. Additionally, the Illumina Pokémon challenges aren’t always clear in what you have to do to achieve them, often only giving you hints several minutes into the stage, when you’ve lost valuable time. This of course adds to the replayability, but it can be frustrating at first. Overall, these two concerns are minor to what I consider to be an otherwise flawless return to form in New Pokémon Snap.
While I don’t believe annualizing this series like Call of Duty or Battlefield would be a good idea, I hope we don’t have to wait another two decades to get another one of these games. It’s been a truly charming, lovely experience that I’ve cherished from beginning to end. New Pokémon Snap is a new Pokémon classic that I believe every fan of the franchise owes it to themselves to own and play. Say cheese!
-Score-
Gameplay: 5/5
New Pokémon Snap recreates the immersive, escapist experience of being a photographer in the Pokémon world, with all the benefits of modern gaming, and several great new twists to keep you engaged.
Graphics: 5/5
New Pokémon Snap is the best the Pokémon franchise has ever looked, period. Game Freak and the other studios that work on any future projects in this universe will have to measure up to the fine work that Bandai Namco has done in rendering these characters.
Difficulty: 1/5
New Pokémon Snap is designed for anyone and everyone to be able to pick up and play. The controls and gameplay mechanics are simple, and easy to understand. Any difficulty faced in this game is due entirely to player error (i.e., not reacting fast enough to get a good picture) or the game not explicitly telling you what to do in the case of the Illumina Pokémon. This game is here to help you relax, not to challenge you.
Replayability: 5/5
New Pokémon Snap’s Research Levels, Photodex Rating System and alternate routes within each course provide a fantastic amount of replayability. Even now, after playing for over twenty hours, I can safely say that there are definitely things I have yet to experience. The relaxed atmosphere and cozy nature of the game will make it an easy title to return to whenever I feel the need to relax.
