Very soon,New Pokemon Snapis going to be released, bringing about the fulfillment of a twenty-year old dream that seemed impossible. Taking place in the new Lental region,New Pokemon Snapis primed to givePokemonfans the dream they’ve always had of really hanging out with some wild Pokemon in gorgeous HD.
Indeed, part of the newPokemonspinoff’s appeal is what it can afford simply by being a modern release on the Nintendo Switch, as the run-based gameplay loop ofPokemon Snapis perfectly suited to the handheld console. Players can finally feel like they’re really taking their cameras out on a safari to observe Pokemon, and it wouldn’t be a surprise ifgyro aiming is added toNew Snap. Overall, the game looks very promising, but there are some pertinent questions that fans are still trying to figure out.
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Number of Pokemon
The most pressing question on every fan’s mind is a simple one: is their favorite Pokemon inNew Pokemon Snap? Failing that, just how many are there going to be? It hasbeen confirmed that over 200 Pokemonwill be present in the game, alongside regional forms, gender variants, and other different sorts of forms included. That’s a fair chunk of Pokemon, though with 898 distinct Pokemon in existence, that’s going to cut a lot of people’s favorites.
It’s certainly better than the originalSnapfeaturing 63 out of the original 151 Pokemon. There’s also the matter oflegendary Pokemon, something the originalPokemon Snapdidn’t shy away from throwing in the player’s path. There won’t be many of them, but it will be interesting to see how they factor into the plot and gameplay.
The End Goal
Speaking of which, the originalPokemon Snaphad a fairly simple plot, but it worked with what the game was and encouraged players to go back through past levels. After finding a secret route to Professor Oak’s field base, he reveals to the player that he isinvestigating the “Pokemon signs”, six Pokemon-shaped pieces of the environment that, when examined together, reveal constellations that point to the location of Mew. Right now, it is known that players will be investigating the Illumina phenomenon, but there could also be another scavenger hunt for Pokemon signs like in the first game. It’s not entirely clear where the plot is headed right now, but players should be eager to find it.
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Secret Routes
Part of the firstPokemon Snap’s appeal was how replaying levels were encouraged and rewarded. Not only were there Pokemon signs in the endgame (and the difficulty of getting a good picture ofMewduring the final level), players had to discover a secret route to get access to those signs. Throughout the game, players are awarded special accessories for reaching certain cumulative goals, and these items can be used to discover secrets in prior levels.
One of the most memorable moments in the original game was when players used a Pester Ball on a certain Electrode at the end of the Cave course to blow up a wall andfind the Valley course. Some sort of area-based replayability has already been confirmed forNew Pokemon Snap, and eager fans are waiting to see just what that might be.
Photo Editing
New Pokemon Snapis adding one new feature that could put it high above the original: Re-Snap, a photo-editing mode. This finally putsPokemon Snapon par with the plentiful games that game after it sporting photo modes of their own. Re-Snap allows the player to change parameters like zoom, blur, and brightness, as well as add photographic filters, photo frames, and stickers. These edited photos can then be saved to a personal photo album separate from thePhotodex.
The photos can even be uploaded online to share with other players, who in turn can upvote them. The question is, where are the limits? This is a photography game, and some features, such as day and night versions of levels and behavior-changing Illumina orbs, exist forthe sake of taking better photographs. Photo editing and sharing are arguable just as important, so hopefully there will be plenty of options for players to choose from when using Re-Snap.
The Illumina Phenomenon
And of course, the matter of the Illumina phenomenon is still outstanding. InNew Pokemon Snap’s plot, playersgo to the Lental Regionto help Professor Mirror and his assistant Rita in investigating the mysterious Illumina phenomenon that’s affecting Pokemon in this untouched paradise. While the phenomenon does cause Pokemon’s behavior to change, a trait that apparently extends to making sleepy or depressed Pokemon become cheerful and alert, it does not seem to be troublesome.
The phenomenon even affects plant life, making it unclear how exactly it works or spreads. Adding one more mystery to the table is the presence of Illumina orbs, an accessory that the player probably unlocks later in the game. How, exactly, can this phenomenon be distilled down to a handheld object?
These mysteries and more will take center stage onceNew Pokemon Snapcomes out. It has a massive amount of appeal as both a casual photography game, a chance to see and interact with Pokemon in a non-competitive space, and a mystery game full of secrets and fun things to uncover. Even more questions are outstanding, like whetherProfessor Mirror’s voice lines can match Professor Oak’s. Regardless, there is hope thatNew Pokemon Snapwill be the modern upgrade to the original that fans have always wanted, and they’ll be able to take up their camera once more very soon.
New Pokemon Snapis releasing for Nintendo Switch on April 30th, 2021.
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