New Pokemon Snap Review – What A Wonderful Pokemon World

It’s no secret that for many, the N64 was a great console and time for Pokemon fans. We had the first true 3D game via Pokemon Stadium, we had “Hey You, Pikachu!” where we could play with our own Pikachu and interact with it. Pokemon Puzzle League was a nice hit as well. Then, there was Pokemon Snap. A game that had us take the role of Todd (no relation) as he took pictures of Pokemon for Professor Oak. It was a game that really resonated with fans and thus, they BEGGED for a sequel to be released. And now, 20 years later, New Pokemon Snap is here to give fans that request…and go beyond anything they expected.

Game Name: New Pokemon Snap
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Developer(s): BANDAI NAMCO Studios
Release Date: April 30, 2021
Price: $59.99

Ok, yes, New Pokemon Snap isn’t exactly “story-heavy,” per see, but for those who want a fresh view on the game without revealing some of the Pokemon that are in the game, you might want to turn away. Else, read on…

Still here? Good, then let’s get to the best parts about the game…the world in general.

In New Pokemon Snap, you’ll be a new research assistant to Professor Mirror in the Lental Region. Here, there are islands that are filled to the brim with Pokemon, and playing as a news photographer, it’s your job to go and capture various shots of these Pokemon to fill up your own Photodex. You’ll meet a nice set of characters along the way, including the most important entry…

The world of New Pokemon Snap is the highlight in many ways. Each location in Lental has its own feel, texture, and design that make it unique to the others. Yes, they follow the “tropes” of having each island be its own biome via grasslands, deserts, beaches, snow areas, volcanoes, and oceans. Still, there is a surprise or two along the way, including getting to take pictures of the Pokemon around Professor Mirror’s lab! And you’ll be surprised by just how much life there is within these areas and how you can be in awe of it all.

A great example was in the jungle area. I had adjusted my position to go and snap some pictures, and when I turned around, I noticed a Beautifly is just looking at me with its big bug eyes. I couldn’t help but smile. Not just because it happened, but because of how beautiful this Pokemon looked as it just gazed at me. This is an experience you’re NOT going to get with the main Pokemon line of titles. And to be clear, even in handheld mode, the game graphics are crisp and beautiful. There are occasional little hiccups, but nothing that will drag the experience down for you or others.

Now, let’s talk about the Pokemon. Because as you likely know, there are over 200+ Pokemon in this game ranging from common, to uncommon, to legendary, to ones you might be surprised made it in at all. New Pokemon Snap does a great job in spacing out how many Pokemon inhabit a single area and which ones show up during a playthrough.

By that, I mean the gameplay runs are divided into “research levels.” The pictures of Pokemon you take earn you points, and those points will add up to new research levels. The higher the levels, the more Pokemon show up AND the different interactions you’ll see from the Pokemon themselves. It’s a simple yet elegant way to get you to go back and play the levels multiple times, which you’ll honestly do anyway to see what Pokemon show up and how they go about their lives.

Because I can’t stress this enough, this is a LIVING Pokemon world in this game. It’s not like Pokemon Sword and Shield in the Wild Area where Pokemon are just there. In New Pokemon Snap, they interact with you and other Pokemon depending on the time of day, what you do with them, and what other Pokemon they see.

For example, in a later level called Shiver Snowfields, if you do the Nighttime version of the level, you’ll find a pack of Mightyena going after every Pokemon that moves. They’re trying to eat, and every Pokemon is on the menu. In the jungle level, you’ll find a massive spider-web, and as you level up, you’ll find an Ariados sleeping comfortably in that web…as a pair of Bounsweet’s struggle helplessly to get out of that net.  Or, as in the case below, knocking a Weavile out of a tree and getting it stuck in the snow. Fun, huh?

But that’s just the start of it all. You’ll see a flock of Swanna soaring through the air, a bunch of Mantine doing flips as they come out of the water, a FREAKING WAILLORD emerging from the depths to block your path, and more. The team behind the game went all out to make this truly FEEL like an alive Pokemon world, and they totally succeeded. I was literally in awe of this game as I went through new levels and started calling out Pokemon one after another as I was shocked and happy to see them there.

Now, as for the photo-taking (which is the point of the game, obviously), the controls are simple enough to understand, and you can even tailor the settings to fit your preferred “camera-shooting style.” You can adjust the sensitivity of the Joy-Cons, increase the shutter speed, and more. Just like a real camera. There are SOME issues, like shooting a picture of a Pokemon, but because of the reticle, it says it’s a picture of another Pokemon in the shot, but you can learn to make sure that doesn’t happen too often.

Not unlike the original Pokemon Snap, you have a bunch of things to help you get the best camera shot from 1-Star to 4-Star. There’s a fruit that you can toss at Pokemon to get various reactions. A Scan function that can open up new routes, tease Pokemon that are around you, and get Pokemon to look at you. A melody function that’ll get certain Pokemon to react, and more. Finally, there’s the Illumina Orbs.

These are one of the defining new features of the game. Because in the Lental Region, there are legends of giant glowing Pokemon called Illumina Pokemon, and it’s your job to help Professor Mirror find these Pokemon and then take the best pictures possible of them. There are 5 of these in total, and they act like “boss fights,” and they get really clever with which of these Pokemon represent each region.

I’d be foolish not to mention the online features as well. While basic, it’s honestly a thrill to go and place your pictures online. You can see what others have done and even give them “Sweet Medals” if you like them, and they’ll give you some in return if they like your pictures. It’s an extra motivator for going and getting the best shots possible.

Plus, you’ll be able to get frames and add-ons so you can design your pictures to be more fun, silly, dramatic, and more.

Sadly, this where the praises stop because there are some issues with the game that bring it down a little. The keyword here: little.

First and foremost, while it’s a great task and mission to get pictures of each Pokemon from 1-star to 4-star levels, how the game determines which can be incredibly arbitrary…and frustrating.

An example is when you line up a perfect Pokemon shot without any fluff or gimmicks, and you only get a 1-star shot…yet then you take another Pokemon’s picture while it’s obstructed by grass or trees or isn’t even looking at the camera. Suddenly you have a 3-star or even 4-star shot. That has happened to me multiple times, and I still don’t understand it. And I’ve had to take photography classes, so I’m well versed in what makes a “great shot.”

Second, a good/bad addition is that of “Requests.” Professor Mirror’s team will have you go and try to take specific pictures of Pokemon and their interactions to help “clear things up” and give you new mini-missions in the level. On the surface, that’s fine. However, some of these requests are INCREDIBLY specific, and if you do one thing wrong, you’re going to miss it and have to do the level again from the start. One time I was asked to take a picture of a sleeping Pokemon, and yet no matter what I did…it didn’t work. True, some of these are a great way to get higher-star pictures, but the work that goes into it will be a turnoff for some.

Third, the game is great with giving players “alternate paths” to open up the levels even more and reveal new Pokemon. And when it comes naturally…it’s thrilling. BUT, there are levels out there that require VERY SPECIFIC ways to get to those alternate areas; some are so specific it’s mind-numbing. Such as hitting two specific Pokemon with Illumina Orbs so that they can knock you off a tree branch at a specific time.

Finally, as you might expect, after a while, doing levels can be a bit repetitive, and getting the scores necessary to advance to higher research levels can be a chore because you only get points for new pictures of a ranking or a better version of a picture you’ve taken. So after a while, when you have no new regions to explore, you’re going to find yourself looking at guides to see what you’ve missed and how to get more original content from the game.

This is potentially a big thing going forward as this would be an EASY game to add DLC for via just adding in new islands.

In the end, New Pokemon Snap is everything fans of this IP could have hoped for and more. It’s a lush and vibrant Pokemon world full of your favorite Pocket Monsters. It has depth via its many biomes, Pokemon personalities, and ways you can interact with them. And you’ll be in awe as you go and witness all the Pokemon as they appear before you.

There are flaws, as noted, but it doesn’t weigh down the experience too much, especially during the opening hours of the gameplay. And even if you beat it all, you’ll likely want to put it down and then start all over again in a few months because this game is that good.