New Pokemon Snap

Genre: First-Person On-Rails Shooter / Misc.

Players: 1, Online Leaderboards, Online Content Sharing

.

Review:

New Pokemon Snap, released on the Nintendo Switch in 2021, is the long-awaited sequel to the Nintendo 64 classic from 1999, and much like its predecessor, this family-friendly game has you exploring areas where Pokemon live in the wild, trying to get the best photographs of these creatures in their natural habitat.

Much like the original game, New Pokemon Snap defies being placed neatly into a genre. It is technically a First-Person On-Rails Shooter, but describing it as such doesn’t quite do this game justice. In each of the game’s locations, players progress automatically at a leisurely pace, and along the way they will be doing a lot of shooting, but of course that shooting is with a camera rather than a gun, and that puts a different spin on the gameplay and allows for a unique take on the genre.

Success in New Pokemon Snap means taking the best photos, and this is determined by numerous factors. Players will rack up scores for each type of Pokemon they capture on their camera, with up to four photos for each Pokemon (players can keep more than just four photos, but only four will be scored). Players will be allowed one photo for each of four star ratings, with each rating being for a different rarity of pose or activity – capture a Pokemon doing something more unique or uncommon and you’ll get a higher star rating. Furthermore, each of these photos gets a point rating based on numerous factors – how big the Pokemon is in the frame, how centered in the frame it is, whether it’s facing the direction of the camera, and so on.

However, there’s more to this game than simply having good aim and good timing. Players will also have multiple ways to interact with the Pokemon and the environment – they can toss food to entice Pokemon to move to a better spot or give a different kind of reaction, they can use a “scan” button to look for clues or even prompt some Pokemon to “say cheese”, as well as other methods of interaction that players gradually obtain as they work their way through the game. In a way, this works out to be something of a Puzzle game – trying to figure out just which of your tools to use in various situations and how to use them to prompt the different types of Pokemon to respond in unique ways, or even how to encourage new Pokemon to come out of hiding.

Something else that seems like a new element to this game is that while the Pokemon’s movement and actions are still scripted, there’s more variations to that script – I was delighted to find that repeated runs through each location occasionally found Pokemon in different spots that made for new photograph opportunities. Apparently this is based on the player’s level that grows as their cumulative score in a particular time and location increases.

Ah yes, that’s another new element in this game – the developers have gotten the most out of each location by having different things going on at different times of day, with Pokemon behaving differently during the day or night, or even entirely new Pokemon coming out that weren’t present at a different time.

One of the other things that has changed here is the option for players to use either traditional gamepad controls or gyroscopic motion controls. The motion control support here is good, but frankly I found the controls for camera movement to be too stiff and slow, even after adjusting them in the options. This is probably one of my biggest complaints about the game.

The other complaint almost doesn’t deserve mention, but I know some people will be put off by it – the “on rails” nature of this game. Players may find themselves frustrated with the inability to stay rooted in one spot to get the perfect picture, or even go off and explore the game’s beautiful locales. However, the natural response to this complaint is the same as it was in the original game – if you could do that, this would be a completely different sort of game. Instead of having the freedom to stop and go as you please, this game gives players the challenge of getting the perfect shot in the limited time they have available. However, I will add one caveat here – this explanation doesn’t make it sting any less when you have to restart an entire level because you couldn’t quite get the shot you wanted.

That’s not to say that New Pokemon Snap is stuck in the past – this game has, at least in a small way, opened up possibilities with new online features, such as the ability to share your photos with other players online, to give other players “Sweet! Medals” for photos you like, and see online rankings of players with the best scores. While it’s not quite the multiplayer experience some may have dreamed of (just imagine if they made a full-fledged Pokemon photo competition!), it is nevertheless a nice addition that gives you another outlet for your photographic creativity.

I’ve gone on this long without talking about one of this game’s more noteworthy advances over its predecessor, and the one that will likely turn the most heads – the presentation. Simply put, New Pokemon Snap is an absolutely gorgeous game. The game features lush, colorful, detailed environments full of life, with great lighting and shadow effects, fantastic-looking water, and other great visual effects like bioluminescence at night. And then of course there’s the Pokemon themselves – beautifully detailed, and lovingly animated, this game is not only a great showcase for the wonderful personality invested in all of these creatures, it’s a great showcase for the Nintendo Switch overall. I did notice a little bit of slowdown and pop-in in a few places, as well as a little clipping here and there, but it always was so brief and subtle I can’t imagine this will affect the experience of players who aren’t specifically looking for it. Overall, New Pokemon Snap is one of the best-looking games on the Nintendo Switch, and it truly does justice to the magical world of these creatures in ways that some other Pokemon games may have fallen short.

The sound here is very good too, though not without a few minor complaints. The camera and environment noises are all fantastic, truly giving you the sense of taking photos out in the wild, and the Pokemon noises are good… but uneven. Pikachu is overflowing with personality thanks to the franchise veteran voice actress Ikue Ohtani, but other Pokemon seem to make more generic grunts and animal noises rather than anything distinct. The voice acting for the human characters is uneven too, albeit in a different way – during cutscenes, characters are well-acted with distinct (though somewhat generic) character archetypes. However, outside of these cutscenes, this voice acting is reduced to brief snippets to accompany written dialogue. None of this outright wrecks the ambiance and immersion of the game, but it nevertheless feels disappointingly incomplete.

At the very least I can say that this game’s soundtrack is excellent, with some great, chill themes that make good use of acoustic guitar and other string instruments. This goes very well with this game’s lighthearted nature, and overall gives things a very relaxed feel. For good examples, check out Welcome to L.E.N.S.!, Route 10, Route 11, Route 14, Route 24, Route 25, and Route 26… yeah, suffice it to say, I really like this game’s mellow soundtrack, and it has quickly become one of my favorites so far this year.

In the end, Pokemon Snap is more than just a great sequel to a beloved cult classic, it’s a wonderful showpiece on the Nintendo Switch, a brilliantly original game that plays like nothing else out there (other than the first game, of course), a wonderful realization of the Pokemon world, and just an overall excellent game that challenges players in a way that blends skill, ingenuity, and puzzle-solving while still remaining extremely accessible. If you’re looking for something fast-paced and action-packed, you may find this slower, more relaxed game to be not quite your speed. Also, if what you want is a game that allows for free-roaming exploration, you will walk away from this disappointed. But if going on a colorful, inventive, imaginative photo safari appeals to you, then this game will not disappoint.

tl;dr – New Pokemon Snap is just about everything fans could want from a sequel to the N64 classic, and improves on the original in numerous ways while still remaining faithful to its formula. This is a beautiful family-friendly On-Rails First-Person Shooter that has you snapping photos of Pokemon, testing your skill with the lens and your ingenuity with other tools at your disposal to capture the best pictures. Its lack of exploration and laid-back nature may not be for everyone, and there are areas where it could still be improved further, but overall this is a marvelous experience that every Pokemon fan will likely want to have.

Grade: A

.

This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Winner:

Game of the Year: Silver Award (Second Place) – I don’t think anyone expected, after all these years, for Nintendo and developer Bandai Namco to revive the beloved cult classic Pokemon Snap with a sequel. However, far more than a sequel, this is a game that delivers on the promise of the classic game in the modern day, with truly great visuals and music to accompany the superb camera puzzle gameplay.

However, what is perhaps most impressive about New Pokemon Snap is the way this game gives players the feeling of exploring the world of Pokemon, seeing its creatures in their natural habitat. For a franchise that so often wants to transport you into its world, New Pokemon Snap may be the first time a Pokemon game has truly delivered on that goal.

Best Misc. Game – Part wildlife sim, part On-Rails First-Person Shooter, New Pokemon Snap isn’t quite like any other game out there… well, except its predecessor back on the Nintendo 64. As it happens, New Pokemon Snap is a spectacular sequel, with gorgeous graphics, beautiful music, and great camera-based puzzle gameplay that combines to make for a wonderful experience that truly delivers a sequel worthy of the cult classic.

Runner-Up: Best Game for Kids and Casual Players, Most Underrated, Best Music, Best Graphics, Best Puzzle Game

.

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Lee, Andy Miller, Stov, u/wonderponder, Ilya Zverev, Eli Goodman, and KC. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}