Review: NEW POKÉMON SNAP Is Fun When You Get Past the Grind
Over a week ago, Nintendo released New Pokémon Snap. Fans were extremely hyped for the game and have been enjoying it since its release. The game is a sequel to Pokémon Snap which released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64. You can grab your copy from the eShop or your favorite game store for $59.99. Nintendo was kind enough to provide me with a copy, and I wanted to share my thoughts.
Travel to the islands that make up the Lental region. In this region, some of the Pokémon and vegetation will appear to have a special glow. Research these Pokémon alongside Professor Mirror as you explore dense jungles, vast deserts, and more! Your observations of Pokémon thriving in the wild may help unravel the truth behind the Illumina phenomenon. The Pokémon pictures you take will be used to build your very own Pokémon Photodex!
I loved playing Pokémon Snap back in the day, and I was pumped for New Pokémon Snap to release. As soon as I could, I was loading the game up and trying to snap pictures of Pokémon like I did as a kid. The game is extremely simple and even my pre-school daughter had fun playing the game. The premise and gameplay are very simple, but that’s exactly what I wanted.
However, there’s a big problem that I have with New Pokémon Snap. The game has a story mode where you help Professor Mirror and his pals do their research by taking these pictures. This isn’t a problem per se, but the way that it slows the game down is. You’re constantly having conversations and cutscenes pop up, and they even greatly limit the areas you can go to. You have to play an area repeatedly before it lets you move on, and it really drags. There have been times when I went through and only took a couple of pictures because I was so uninspired by running the exact same track for the 10th time in a row. Then, you get to the second area, and in my opinion, it’s terrible. There’s so much foliage that it’s nigh impossible to get good pictures of Pokémon for the first half of the level. Your vision is constantly obscured by leaves and branches which create a beautiful environment that makes photography a thing of nightmares. I understand them slowing things down as they introduce mechanics like the fluffruit, but then you have to reach certain expedition levels on top of that which can take longer depending on your photography skills.
Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s talk about the good things about New Pokémon Snap. For starters, I think the game looks great. It has a style similar to the Let’s Go titles, but improved. It’s also a lot of fun to see the Pokémon out in the wild for you to take pictures of. You see Pokémon in habitats and not just simply walking around tall grass like in the core games. It’s just fun. I also enjoy the fact that the stages have different Pokémon depending on if you go during the day or night and depending on the level of the stage. These are great things, especially when you have to play each level several times in order to progress.
I also like the Illumina Balls and the fluffruit that you can throw to interact with the Pokémon. These tools help you manipulate the Pokémon to create more interesting photos. It’s also fun how NPCs can request certain photos. The requests are sometimes very vague, but they provide a fun little set of side quests to help guide your photography when you’re running the same course for the 20th time.
Overall, New Pokémon Snap is fun as long as you can get through the extremely grindy start. The world is pretty, and it’s fun to watch the Pokémon. I personally love watching Grookey and Pichu play in the first stage. What’s been your favorite part of New Pokémon Snap?
