New Pokemon Snap

New Pokémon Snap is an on-rails first-person photography game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. It is a sequel to the 1999 Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap. Announced in June 2020, it was released on April 30, 2021. Players explore an archipelago in an autopilot hovercraft and photograph Pokémon in order to conduct research about their ecology. Gameplay in New Pokémon Snap is similar to its Nintendo 64 predecessor; courses consist of on-rails photography sessions, new courses are unlocked as players progress, items awarded to the player allow for real-time interaction with the environment, and photographs are able to be saved for later viewing.

The laboratory of Pokémon researcher Professor Mirror acts as a space for players to review their research on wild Pokémon and their habitats, manage their photo album, customize their account, and interact with online features. The lab also functions as a hub for course selection and serves as another photography course the player can unlock. In New Pokémon Snap, the player’s avatar is a Pokémon photographer who travels to the Laboratory of Ecological and Natural Sciences (L.E.N.S.) in the Lental region to help the research studies of Professor Mirror and his assistants Rita and Phil. 

Taking photographs adds information to a compendium called a Photodex, which contains entries for more than 200 different Pokémon. While working on the Photodex, the player also investigates the Illumina phenomenon, where Pokémon and plants exhibit a strange luminescence. For each research expedition, the player travels in the NEO-ONE hovercraft to safely photograph Pokémon in their natural environments, including jungles, deserts and beaches. Each photo the player takes is graded by Professor Mirror on a scale of one to four stars based on how rare the current activity of the Pokémon is. 

Each photo is also given a score taking into account things like shot composition, how close the Pokémon is, and whether they are facing the camera or not. Players can decide to save those photos to the Photodex, which can hold up to four photos of each Pokémon (one at each rating). As players take higher-quality photos, they earn Expedition Points that go toward improving the Research Level of each area in the Lental region. Achieving higher research levels will open up more levels to explore in that area.

To get better pictures, the player is encouraged to use various tools to coax out rarely-seen Pokémon reactions on camera. To lure Pokémon out, players can use a fruit called a fluffruit, or play a melody that can get some Pokémon to dance. They can also throw an item called an Illumina Orb to cause Pokémon to glow. The orbs serve to not only help the player take pictures at night, but also potentially change a Pokémon’s behavior. Depending on the Pokémon, the Illumina orb can help wake up sleeping creatures, or even sometimes cheer them up. 

Players can find hidden Pokémon in the area by using their camera to scan for them. After Professor Mirror grades the player’s photographs, players can retouch their photos using the Re-Snap feature. This 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 be saved to a personal photo album separate from the Photodex. Players can upload their photos online to share with other players, who in turn can help get their favourite photos be featured in-game by liking them, known as giving Sweet! Medals.