All New Pokemon Snap Coming To Switch
This is the biggest snap since Tony Stark pulled a switcheroo on Thanos. We have confirmation of a new Pokemon Snap game.
The new game is called, appropriately enough, New Pokemon Snap. The website promises that players will "explore deserts, jungles, and more as you photograph fan-favorite Pokemon and discover never-before-seen Pokemon expressions and behaviors." This news is a camera flash in the darkness for fans of the original who had, in many cases, given up hope of ever getting a sequel.
Especially for younger fans who didn't grow up with the original, it might not be clear why this is such exciting news. Pokemon Snap came out in 1999 and almost instantly shot to cult classic status among Pokemon fans. Unfortunately, aside from a Wii U port in 2017, that seemed like the end of the story for this strange little title — until now.
Wikipedia describes the original game as "a first-person rail shooter" which is... technically true, if a bit tongue-in-cheek. You're shooting with a camera instead of a gun, and your goal is to take the best possible pictures of various Pokemon. Professor Oak rates your pictures on things like the size of the 'mon, whether it's centered in the frame, and whether it's doing something interesting. You're still trying to catch 'em all, only this time you're catching them on film.
Pokemon Snap was as much a puzzle game as a rail shooter, since you eventually had to use apples and pester balls to flush out your subjects and get them to do what you want. From catching Electrode mid-explosion to making Meowth dance, fans had hours of fun trying to take the best, funniest, or most ridiculous pictures they could get of their favorite monsters.
The original Pokemon Snap was developed by HAL Laboratories, which hasn't worked with Nintendo in quite some time. The new game is reportedly being developed by Bandai Namco, which seems like the obvious choice for an anime-inspired video game like New Pokemon Snap. After all, that's kind of its whole schtick. While some of Bandai's games have met with mixed reviews, if the devs stick to the formula set down in the original game and just give fans more of what they want, New Pokemon Snap will be on track (pun absolutely intended) for success.
What we can already say for sure is that the graphics look gorgeous and the monsters are adorable. The trailer takes us through a few different locations and gives some examples of Pokemon behavior in-game, and it certainly looks like we're in for a treat.
New Pokemon Snap is, so far, a Nintendo Switch exclusive (and likely to stay that way given how possessive Nintendo is of the Pokemon IP). No release date has been announced yet.