Incline New Pokemon Snap

[Ventidius]

I played the crap out of the original Pokemon Snap back when it came out in '99, and I was just a wee lad. It was pretty mind blowing to see all those mons I was used to seeing in Gameboy Color graphics in 3D at the time. I waited for Nintendo to announce a sequel for years until I finally figured it just wasn't going to happen.

Thus, when New Pokemon Snap was announced back in 2020, I set aside my usual jaded skepticism for this sort of thing, and allowed myself to get hyped. Despite that, and the fact that I ended up Day-1-purchasing it, I was still a bit wary of the possibility that I had been blinded by nostalgia, and that not only would the game not deliver, but even the design style of the original would fail to age as well as I expected.

I'm glad to see that this wasn't the case at all. I've been playing it today and I'm having a blast. It's perhaps too early to tell whether the content itself will live up to the Metroidvania-ish levels of the original, sure, but the basic mechanical foundation is definitely rock solid. I like all of the iterations on the system and basic gameplay loop I have seen so far, and the moment-to-moment gameplay itself is fluid and engaging.

For the most part, the game also looks great. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the ultra-cutesy art style that the franchise has been moving towards over the years - Pokemon has arguably always been cutesy, but it has definitely gotten moreso over the decades - but at least in this case it seems to mostly be limited to the character models. The environments and the mons themselves look about as well as one would expect, and the whole thing has a very wholesome atmosphere.

Anyhow, here is the trailer:

 

[Jenkem]

Game is great, I've waited twenty years for this. It almost seems like the 4th or 5th game in a series in how much more is in it and how they've iterated on a lot of things.

Game is very calm and relaxing. Comfy game full of SOUL.

 

[Jenkem]

where else would it be?

 

[GewuerzKahn]

This game is more fun, as it should be.

Some On-Rail Shooter like Time Crisis or Ghost Squad would be great on the Switch.

 

[Frank Capicoli]

Looks interesting. Is this on Nintendo Switch only?

It will probably be emulatable shortly if it isn't already.

 

[Tse Tse Fly]

Have never played any Pokemon game, which ones do you recommend that are available via emulation?

 

[Ventidius]

Have been playing it for around 7 hours. Some feedback:

1) Mechanically-speaking, this game is mostly a strict improvement over the original. The enhancements include:

-The day-night cycle: Now you can visit the same levels during the day and the night. The changes in mon behavior and presence are logical if you are familiar with the way they were portrayed and implemented in some of the regular games, while also being significant enough to increase the dynamicity and replayability of the areas.

-The research levels for the areas: The points that you score with your pics in an area now serve as an abstraction of how well you have explored it, by contributing to the Research Level value attached to said area. Once an area has gone from, say Research Level 1 to 2, the composition and behavior of the Pokemon in it will change. Apart from the day-night cycle, this is another element that adds a new dimension to levels, keeping them fresh and making them more replayable.

-The Illumina Pokemon: Some of the areas now have a kind of "boss encounter" that - at least so far for me - consists of a single special Pokemon (most likely predetermined, at it has so far been a relatively high-profile mon) that has the "illumina" quality, which as the name indicates, makes it luminous. Thankfully, not in a ridiculous "have you come seeking the light?" kind of way. In a way, these "illumina" sections remind me of the Mew level in OG Snap, which was sort of like the "final boss" of that game.

-The scan system: There is now a scanner that can be used to examine points of interest and highlight Pokemon for a while. I guess it could be considered a bit of a handhold-y feature since now you don't always have to "eyeball it" in order to find something, but it does add some new ways of interacting with the environment that weren't there in the first game. I think it does more good than harm in the net, personally, as the highlighting feature doesn't IMO have as much impact as the interaction one.

-The request system: You have a list of requests in this game that you can look up and keep track of. They are missions/quests of a sort where you are supposed get some kind of tricky shot by causing a special interaction or just getting the timing/angle right. There are a lot of these requests and they really do a good job of keeping areas fresh, like so many other of the mechanics. Some of them are genuinely fun to try your hand at and the mechanic generally gives a good sense of how much effort they put in cramming all sorts of scripted little events and interactions in the game. In fact, I'd say the request system alone refutes the already absurd claim that the game was a lazy cash-in.

In general, a lot of the mechanics seem to be geared towards making the most of the levels and keeping them varied, dynamic and worth coming back to. In that sense, I think they remain very much in keeping with the design ethos of the original game while also introducing more depth to the foundation the latter established. Apart from that, some of the better elements from that foundation - like the hidden and optional routes - have been maintained.

2) The visuals are definitely worth noting. The environments are very pleasing and immersive both at the level of graphics (textures, settings) and that of art direction (the arrangements of the flora, landmarks, etc). There are definitely some impressive vistas to be had in the game, and the game also makes sure to keep the biomes varied. I don't think I'm really that far into the game, but I've already seen jungle, desert, beach, seafaring, and seafloor areas. From a look at the level select map and my experience with OG Snap I can also tell there will be a volcano level.

So far, the most impressive one and the one I've simply liked the most has been the seafloor level. In general, there have been plenty of levels with water and the game really shines with the aquatic environments, generally. This is probably in part a way to compensate for the fact that properly showing Water-type mons in water areas was one of the weakest points of the original, no doubt due to the graphical limitations of early 3D when it came to rendering water.

The mons themselves look good. They are still very much the same Pokemon designs we'd expect, no real attempt to make them more "realistic" or edgy, as even the promo material should show. Then again, I doubt anyone expected or wanted that to begin with. That said, the models themselves do have a certain naturality and impact that I haven't really seen in any Pokemon game before, not even the 3D ones. Probably the one I liked the most in this regard was Sharpedo.

The visuals, music, pacing, and structure of the game are overall very well done and they contribute to a very atmospheric experience with a rather wholesome vibe. The game does feel very tonally distinct from the original, so don't come into it expecting that 90s feel that the latter had in spades. That's fine, and it is what keeps the original irreplaceable, however, I do think New Snap does scratch the nostalgia itch nicely. The fundamental design style is uncompromisingly faithful to the original one's, rail-shooter trappings and all, and that definitely bleeds into the overall feel of the game. Like the original, this one is also a very relaxing and exploration-centric game.

This is decidedly a very niche kind of game, but I can definitely recommend it to those who, like me, enjoyed the original and who feel that its design style has aged well. At least as long as you don't come into it expecting a pure nostalgia trip.

 

[Jenkem]

It will probably be emulatable shortly if it isn't already.

emulated versions are unable to save the photos and present them to the professor so you can't progress.

try not being a thief.

 

[Frank Capicoli]

emulated versions are unable to save the photos and present them to the professor so you can't progress.

shortly

try not being a thief.

Just dump the rom yourself from your completely legally bought copy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[deuxhero]

Have been playing it for around 7 hours.

Have you beaten it? One of the weaknesses of the original is how short it is.

 

[Ventidius]

Have been playing it for around 7 hours.

Have you beaten it? One of the weaknesses of the original is how short it is.

Nope, not yet. I have seen six levels so far, and there's probably more. It already seems like it's going to be longer than the original, at least. In part, that's because a few of the mechanics allow the game to get more gameplay out of each area.

EDIT: In terms of progress according to mons: I have registered 83 Pokemon so far, and there are supposed to be around 271, at least according to what I've read.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

is this the dark souls of pokemon video games?

 

[Jenkem]

It's a LOT longer than the original, just in terms of normal story progression (yes, this one has a story) and "beating the game." And then there is more of a reason to keep playing beyond it like leveling up areas by getting better scores, which leads to more mons, more behavior, etc. as mentioned before.. Another thing that I don't think has been mentioned is that each Pokemon has four different photos (1 star - 4 star) and each one is a different behavior or action it performs. So if you want to ausitically fill your entire photodex you need 4 pictures of each mon in various states of play (stuff like just standing, eating, jumping around, doing something special, etc.) and on top of that your photos are ranked bronze/silver/gold/platinum depending on how many points they are worth.. those perfectionist completionist type w/ the touch of the 'tism will be at it for a while...

also I'm having a lot more fun editing the photos and the online stuff than I thought I would... looking at other people's edits/photos etc. there's even a leaderboard for total photodex points lol

 

[lightbane]

I'm surprised this was not considered "japanese enough" to be moved. For being a game about photography, it seems to be quite well-made judging from answers here.

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

 

[Ventidius]

So, I finally finished this. Took me around 11 hours in all, which apparently is within the ballpark for critical path runs. I did revisit some of the courses quite a bit in order to get certain pics or mons that I wanted, especially my favorite ones like the Lental Seafloor. However, I did not seek to clear requests autistically or explore every nook and cranny of the levels, as I figured that sort of thing would be better left for 'post-game' play, especially considering that advancing the story grants you some nifty tools like the speed boost.

In fact, one thing I like about the game is that you get the feeling that there is still plenty to do even after you complete the campaign. One thing that seems very interesting is hunting for legendary mons, as they seem to be harder to come by than in the original game despite being greater in number (there are ten now). There are 11 areas in total (plus nighttime, Illumina, and Research Level-related variants), and apparently a total of 214 Pokemon, so there is definitely plenty of gameplay to be squeezed out of it.

Anyway, definitely a fun experience and the length and amount of content seem to be just about right for the kind of game that it is. Having finished the campaign I can also add that the game stands as a strict upgrade over the original not only in terms of mechanics, but also of content. Of course, there are still a few things that I miss from the original and that I thought were better there, but in the net, this game is an exercise in successful iteration. So yeah, I stand by my previous assessment.

 

[Jenkem]

completing the game means completing your photodex with platinum stars

 

[PulsatingBrain]

I ruined Pokemon Snap for myself as a kid by assuming too much about it. All I really knew was "Pokemon photography game" and my mind went into fucking overdrive. I was imagining travelling through the wilderness, hunting pokemon, setting lures and stuff to set up perfect shots. I basically though it would be just like the anime, except you'd take the role of a photographer rather than a trainer. When I finally saw footage and it was like rail shooter I was heartbroken

 

[Jenkem]

New Pokémon Snap has just received its first major update, introducing new areas, new Pokémon, and other features to help fix the quality-of-life issues present in the game. The major content update is completely free and can be downloaded with anyone who owns the game right now. Among the three new areas and 20 Pokémon that players can venture out and capture, the biggest change comes to menu navigation, where you’ll now be able to jump back into a research-level to retry without needing to return to the main menu first.

Other small changes included are the ability to go directly to a camp without having photos assessed by Professor Mirror, and now you can save images directly onto your Nintendo Switch console from the photo editing suite menu.

Full Patch notes for New Pokémon Snap Patch 2.0.0
New areas

• Sacred Side Path
• Mightywide River
• Barren Badlands

20 new Pokémon species

Additional content

• Titles
• Profile icons
• Photo filters
• Stickers
• Frames
• Search options for Other Players’ Photos have changed
• Improvements to the overall gameplay experience