The Pokémon Company reached into its back pocket during its Pokémon Presents, pulling out a beloved favourite from 1999. New Pokémon Snap has been revealed to be in development for the Nintendo Switch.
The short 16-minute presentation shed some light on current titles such as Pokémon GO and Pokémon Sword & Shield. It was here that we were treated to new game announcements like Pokémon Smile and Pokémon Café Mix. However, the reveal of New Pokémon Snap caught the internet by storm.
That’s right, Trainers—#PokemonSnapIsBack! #NewPokemonSnap is an all-new adventure inspired by the classic Nintendo 64 game.
Grab your camera, and get ready to photograph Pokémon while exploring beautiful islands on Nintendo Switch! https://t.co/7lqjl7saf0 pic.twitter.com/p6oJgmwZ8d
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) June 17, 2020
A successor to the cult hit from the N64 era has been revealed. Pokémon Snap works off a fairly simple premise of placing players in exotic locations and having them take photos of Pokémon in their natural habitats. At the time, Pokémon Snap never rose to the popularity of the mainline games. However, over the past two decades, it built quite a vocal fanbase.
There wasn’t too much information given regarding New Pokémon Snap. However, based on a description from Nintendo, it appears the game will be sticking to its roots.
“Travel to unknown islands with beautiful scenery like lush jungles and sandy beaches. The Pokémon pictures you take there will be used to build your very own Pokémon Photodex! This brand-new game brings the gameplay of the 1999 Pokémon Snap game for the Nintendo 64 system to life on the Nintendo Switch system with unknown islands to discover and different Pokémon to see!
Photograph lively wild Pokémon in their natural habitats as you research and explore unknown islands. Journey through a variety of environments such as beaches and jungles to capture previously-unseen Pokémon behaviors. The photos you take can also be used to fill out your very own Pokémon Photodex!”
Fixer what did you think of the Pokemon Snap News…. pic.twitter.com/pjv4rq6opo
— MC Fixer (@MCFixer) June 17, 2020
Based on the trailer, players will continue travelling through the various locations using the Zero-One buggy. Just as cameras have come a long way since 1999, the roster of Pokémon has also expanded. The trailer features fan-favourites like Pikachu and Blastoise, but also incorporates new Pokémon. The trailer includes those seen in Pokémon Sword & Shield, including Scorbunny.
A large part of what made Pokémon Snap special to many players was seeing the original 151 interact and “live” together in a shared ecosystem. A lot of time has passed and one can’t help but wonder how The Pokémon Company will plan to expand on this aspect. We’ll likely be seeing many species and different “types” co-exist in surprising ways.
The simple mechanic of throwing apples to attract or stun a pocket monster is briefly shown as Pikachu munches down on one. New Pokémon Snap will likely incorporate new accessories and lures.
The replayability of Pokémon Snap often hinged on gaining access to new accessories, baiting hidden Pokémon out. It will be interesting to see if the new game will double down on this. Uncovering these secrets in each level played a large part in adding an air of mystery to Snap‘s gameplay.
Wanted Pokemon Snap 2 for years. I’m not crying, shut up
— ToeJam & Earl (@toejamandearl) June 17, 2020
Bandai Namco is leading the development of New Pokémon Snap. Unfortunately, the release date is not set. Now, if only we had Blockbuster around to print out our New Pokemon Snap pictures.
In case you are itching to have more Pokémon in your life right now. Pokémon Sword & Shield’s Isle of Armor DLC is out today. The Pokémon Presents presentation also revealed that a Max Raid event for the mythical Pokémon Zeraora will run from June 17 to June 28.
