Summary
When it comes to sightseeing in thePokemonfranchise,Pokemon Snapwas one of the first chances players had to experience the series' unique world. The Nintendo 64 game saw players taking the roll of Todd Snap - the photographer working with Professor Oak to photograph the titular creatures found on Pokemon Island. No humans live on the island and the location hosts many different biomes. This makes it so 63 different creatures call the island home inPokemon Snap, all awaiting Todd to record what they do in their habitats.
The game that results from merging photography withPokemoncomes with a completely different atmosphere to what fans typically expect from the deep and engaging turn-based gameplay and creature collection. Fans ofPokemon Snapwould instead be slowly taken through locations such as a beach covered in foliage or an abandoned electrical tunnel. The Pokemon act naturally in these environments, in a way that not many games have captured since.
Why Pokemon Snap is Still Special 25 Years Later
Pokemon Snaphas the unique design element of featuring the pocket monsters in the wild exclusively, meaning that the developers had to be mindful of how the critters were represented. This gave players tons of ways to see these new creatures in a new light. Players could capture fantastic candid moments, such as creatures calling each other to gather around food, or even helping thethree legendary birds fromPokemon RedandBluehatch out of their eggs.
Figuring out the best way tofind and photograph all of the Pokemon inPokemon Snapwas part of its appeal. As Todd was aiming to record what creatures lived on Pokemon Island and how they were thriving, players could report to Professor Oak to be graded on how well they’ve captured the critters in question, eventually unlocking items and even up to seven levels. However, as linear as the game seems, making progress depends on specific goals that aren’t so predictable.
Using items like the Pester Ball could help Pokemon get into specific vantage points for score milestones. Creating specific circumstances could lead to the discovery of a “sign” to lead players to the final course. What may seem like glistening rocks may actually be a Mewtwo constellation that will help players find Mew inPokemon Snap. There are manyintricate details to the originalPokemon Snapthat the sequel didn’t fully capture.
Newer Pokemon Games Could Take Notes from Pokemon Snap’s Details
Even though it’s great to have a secondPokemon Snapgame in the world after more than 20 years,New Pokemon Snapdrops the ballin quite a few ways. It focuses a bit too strongly on the Illumina Orb mechanic; the newer game holds the player’s hands a bit more and takes away the challenge of figuring things out naturally to keep the game easygoing. However, despite this, many of the critters are fun to encounter in the wild just as its predecessor proved could be done, and it sets a great example forPokemon’s recent open-world-like direction.
Games such asPokemon ScarletandVioletas well asPokemon Legends Arceusmove away from random and uncertain encounters to allow players to find creatures as they are out in the open much likePokemon Snapdoes. However, only one of these games helps take advantage of the pocket monsters' personalities and habitats,and that would beLegends Arceus.Pokemon ScarletandVioletjust let creatures run around the overworld as they please.Pokemon Snapproves that making the world come alive with scenes like encountering Pokemon like Vileplume buried in the ground asleep or throwing a distraction item at a singing Jigglypuff would make the world around it feel all the more real. More dynamic behavior in wild Pokemon would be a welcome change that people have desired for quite some time, likely because it had its place in the series as far back as Generation 1 thanks toSnap.
New Pokémon Snap
WHERE TO PLAY
This new game brings the gameplay of the 1999Pokémon Snapgame for the Nintendo 64™ system to life on the Nintendo Switch system with unknown islands to discover and different Pokémon to see! Photograph lively wild Pokémon in their natural habitats as you research and explore unknown islands. Hop in your trusty travel pod, the NEO-ONE, and journey through a variety of environments such as beaches, jungles, and deserts to capture previously-unseen Pokémon behaviors. You can even play a melody or toss Pokémon a delicious fluffruit to catch their attention. Photos you take can also be used to fill out your very own Pokémon Photodex! Your photos are scored based on the Pokémon’s poses, how large they appear, how directly they’re facing you, and other factors. You may even snap a four star-worthy photo if you catch rare Pokémon behaviors. These scores can be shared via in-game rankings* so you can compare your shots with other Pokémon photographers around the world. In the Lental region, Pokémon and vegetation have sometimes been seen to glow. Meet Professor Mirror and work with him to uncover the mystery of the Illumina phenomenon. Your photos and observations may be key to learning about this strange occurrence.
