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New Pokémon Snap Review


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857031456_NewPokemonSnapboxart.jpg.0375d86eddd0650b2577d214770f6210.jpgAn unusual photography-themed spin-off of an incredibly popular game franchise is made and just a short 22 years later, it gets a sequel. Based on the gameplay mechanics of this new Switch game though, you'd never think two decades have passed. New Pokémon Snap is very much a love letter to fans of the first game, one that largely transports the same experience of the N64 game into a modern console with just a handful of new features. Pokémon shutterbugs probably wouldn't ask for anything more, though.
 
New Pokémon Snap takes place in the Lental region. You play as a child—as always—ready to assist Professor Mirror with his research in cataloging photos of Pokémon in their natural habitats and potentially solving the mystery of Illumina Pokémon. There's barely a reason to pay attention to the story of most mainline Pokémon games, much less a spin-off like this, and you're really not missing much if you fast-track through all of the story scenes. The game does feature some voice acted cutscenes though, so there's a decent degree of presentation and flair at work here.
 
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Like the original Snap, your goal is not to catch or train Pokémon but to capture photos of them. Your character rides in a fancy bubble car that automatically moves forward. You have 360-degrees of movement to look around and snap photos while Pokémon are in view—at the end of the level the professor grades you on your photography skills based on things like the size of the Pokémon in the photo (pictures taken from up close score better than ones from far away), whether the creature is facing the camera, how they're posing, etc. Since you have such limited windows of opportunity to snap a pic, you have to be quick on the draw and ready to capture just the right moment as the car moves you through the level.
 
You also have a few ways of interacting with the Pokémon to try to get a better shot. You can once again throw fruit at Pokémon to draw their attention (and the game makes special mention that these are fluffruit that do not actually hurt the Pokémon, though it still doesn't feel great to beam Pichu in the head), as well as play music or throw special lumina orbs to draw out the luminous effect that Professor Mirror is looking for. These options give a nice degree of control to the player without totally inundating you with things to keep track of while you're in a level. A major theme of the game is taking the time to experiment and see what happens, and these interactive elements are perfect for just that.
 
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New Pokémon Snap has an unusual mix of being both a very relaxing game and yet also quite a frantic one. The whole premise is chill and soothing—it's like being on an easygoing, low-energy amusement park ride. At the same time though, you'll be whipping the camera around to find the perfect shot of any Pokémon in sight, oftentimes just missing something interesting so you know you'll have to replay the stage to see it again. The game's no cakewalk if you're trying to grab the perfect shot, and there's a surprising degree of dexterity required for what is essentially a rail-shooter. In the end though, this is the kind of game you play at your own pace and can just enjoy while taking a leisurely cruise through Pokémon-packed environments.
 
This game also takes advantage of the Switch's motion controls. They're optional and are actually off by default, but when you want to quickly snap to the perfect angle for a shot you may want to turn them on. It's a little tricky at first, but you can also adjust the sensitivity to find the right sweet spot for yourself (you can also adjust the sensitivity of the camera's movement with the control sticks, which you definitely should do).
 
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Not surprisingly, this game is really all about replay value. Just getting through the main story does take a good bit of time, around eight to ten hours, but that'll only be scratching the surface of New Pokémon Snap's content. Each Pokémon actually has four possible poses to capture, some of which require inventive use of your fruits and orbs to get the Pokémon to move or act in a certain way, so there's plenty of variety to every Pokémon you encounter. The game will also throw little optional side quests at you, and by increasing your research level you can replay levels in slightly different ways. You can also share photos online—or save them to your Switch system and post on social media like any other Switch screenshot—so there's an extra incentive to take interesting photos and show off a bit. If you dig into it and don't mind the inherently repetitive nature of the game you can easily spend a lot of time here.
 
The game's presentation is pretty charming—the art style is somewhat limited by Pokémon's familiar style which is colorful but not super detailed, but New Pokémon Snap still looks great, and it's just fun to see these Pokémon wandering around in crisp HD environments. The soundtrack is solid as well. As you might expect it has a pretty chill, relaxing vibe which is a natural fit for the gameplay and helps you get in the zone for snapping photos and also just zone out while playing.
 
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New Pokémon Snap is essentially a continuation of everything players enjoyed about the N64 original—it's a quirky spin-off that is far more charming than you might initially expect. It's fun to see Pokémon from this other angle, one that allows you to just live in their world for a bit, and the gameplay is still engaging enough to keep you invested, especially if you're the type to chase high scores. Still, New Pokémon Snap requires a certain casual, patient approach that doesn't mind a healthy dose of repetition, but if you're on-board with it this is another endearing Pokémon photography adventure.
 
Rating: 8 out of 10 Snaps
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Would've posted this in the gallery thread, but since I haven't been to all areas I wanted to avoid spoilers.

 

Quests. Should. Clear. If. You. Complete. Them.

I HATE getting an awesome, or rare, shot only to have it then be a quest and I gotta do it again. Also, it seems like if I don't swap my picture to one requested in the Quest, it doens't count as clearing it. I'm NOT getting rid of a 4500 point, super adorable shot, so I can clear a quest with a 1200 point shot that will replace the one in my Dex. I don't know if this is a bug, or maybe my photo isn't actually meeting the requirements? (I doubt it, as the Professor the legit same thing re: pose that the Quest requested, but the score was 600 points lower so I kept it as is and it didn't clear). It's hella frustrating. I've disliked the "unlock a thing to unlock it" part of games. If I already did it, just unlock it and complete it in one go please.

 

After a session out, why is there no "Return to Map" option? Why must I always return to the Camp? Even if the Professor has no news to share, I gotta go through 2 loading screens for zero reason.

 

Why can't I change Skill Level when I select Retry? Basically the same complaint as above.

 

Maybe this is unlocked postgame, but there needs to be a "xx/##" for how many Pokemon you've took a photo of for an area. I replayed a stage a dozen times grinding to get to Skill 3, only to find Skill 2 was the max. I was CONVINVED I was missing a big secret route and a ton of Pokemon. But nope, just hit few more poses and maxed it. It was a relief, but kind of a pain.

 

How the hell does scoring work? Magikarp for example is in multiple stages. Okay. So if his 1 and 2 star poses are in two different stages, do I get the points I've already earned for those in a new stage? Or do I need to submit a 1 star and 2 star photo, get it assessed, and then get my points? Back to my previous point. I did multiple runs of "okay, only submit 1-stars this time", "only submit 2-stars this time" because I had no idea what I was getting/missing points for. Again, this is because I thought the stage still had a whole 3 Skill section which made me think I was missing out on a TON, but there doesn't seem to be a clear explanation on what you're getting exp for.

 

Holy shit the default sensitivity settings suck.

 

Also, the game is super adorable and incredible, and I play it for hours everyday. Thank you.

Edited by EH_STEVE
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9 minutes ago, EH_STEVE said:

Would've posted this in the gallery thread, but since I haven't been to all areas I wanted to avoid spoilers.

 

Quests. Should. Clear. If. You. Complete. Them.

I HATE getting an awesome, or rare, shot only to have 

 

How the hell does scoring work? Magikarp for example is in multiple stages. Okay. So if his 1 and 2 star poses are in two different stages, do I get the points I've already earned for those in a new stage? Or do I need to submit a 1 star and 2 star photo, get it assessed, and then get my points? Back to my previous point. I did multiple runs of "okay, only submit 1-stars this time", "only submit 2-stars this time" because I had no idea what I was getting/missing points for. Again, this is because I thought the stage still had a whole 3 Skill section which made me think I was missing out on a TON, but there doesn't seem to be a clear explanation on what you're getting exp for.

 

Holy shit the default sensitivity settings suck.

 

I wish scoring and levels were better balanced.  Reaching new levels for a level and not seeing a difference is annoying.  While some pokemon are static in a sense as always being there, some pokemon and what you need to bring them out aren't always there.  Boss levels are bad about that.  Score requirements and whats available to get scored on don't match often.

 

Seen 201 of the pokemon....havent used a guide yet.  Maxed a couple of the levels in search of better poses.

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1 minute ago, Art_de_Cat said:

 

I wish scoring and levels were better balanced.  Reaching new levels for a level and not seeing a difference is annoying.  While some pokemon are static in a sense as always being there, some pokemon and what you need to bring them out aren't always there.  Boss levels are bad about that.  Score requirements and whats available to get scored on don't match often.

 

Seen 201 of the pokemon....havent used a guide yet.  Maxed a couple of the levels in search of better poses.

I've got 2 or 3 maxed levels. No guide yet. But I play a level about 3-4 times each skill level.

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  • 1 month later...

Late to the party, but was given this as a recent birthday present, and loved it. Just experiencing the first level the first time reignited that childhood passion for Pokemon what wore out in part from all the mainline series discourse. A grand reminder of how good Pokemon can still be when a company is given the time to not only make but polish a game. This has a beautiful engine all around.

 

I found this was grindy as hell compared to the N64 original, but I mean in a good way; giving you your money’s worth. They give you a number of reasons to replay each level (day and night versions) with each new thing you get, it’s overwhelming at first. Each stage has its own exp/level up system too, and so you’ll encounter different Pokemon patterns when you get to level 2 of a stage, and so on.

 

I like too how a good chunk of the levels feel like recreations of the stages from the original game, with the exception of there being no power plant stage for the electric Pokemon, but there's new stages to make up for it, like a snow region of the ice types and such. Right now I'm at the ruins before I can access the "final boss" (Xerneas), though found out you can also find other legendaries off the beaten path post-game like Suicune, Lugia, Ho-oh, Celebi, Jirachi, Diancie, Manaphy... Even finding Mew again if you follow the right steps.

 

Not only does this blow the original Snap out of the water, but the amount of respect given to this long awaited sequel is quite evident (I wasn't sure if it would live up to the hype after over 20 years in the making but it did), and it deserves support from you or anyone that still likes the spirit of Pokemon. Would probably give this an 8.5/10 or so myself.

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