New Pokemon Snap has a release date, and it’s not too far away: the successor to the beloved Nintendo 64 photography game comes to Switch on April 30 this year.
Like its predecessor, New Pokemon Snap has you photographing wild Pokemon rather than capturing and battling them. Taking place in new Lental region, it sees you helping Professor Mirror and the Laboratory of Ecology and Natural Sciences (L.E.N.S) by documenting Pokemon and their behaviours in their natural habitat, and trying to understand a strange phenomena that sometimes causes Pokemon to glow.
In practice, that means venturing out in a special pod (the “NEO-ONE”), taking photos of any Pokemon you see and figuring out how to make the more elusive creature appear. It’s a rail shooter, in essence, but one where you shoot with a camera rather than a gun. Professor Mirror will assess the photos you take based on various criteria, and as you expand your Photodex, some Pokemon may start to show new behaviours when you return to their environments.
There’ll be over 200 Pokemon to photograph in New Pokemon Snap spanning all eight generations of the main-series games, some of which can be seen in the new trailer above. Assuming it follows the same precedent as the original Pokemon Snap, there’ll be a few legendary Pokemon with particularly difficult conditions to meet in order to get them to appear for long enough to take a snap—though, understandably, we haven’t seen any footage of them in trailers just yet.
From the game’s official website:
Get ready for New Pokémon Snap, an all-new adventure for Nintendo Switch inspired by the classic Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap.
Explore beaches, jungles, deserts, and more as you photograph over 200 Pokémon and investigate the mysterious Illumina phenomenon in New Pokémon Snap.
Explore the beautiful Lental region
Welcome to the Lental region, whose islands hold everything from dense jungles to vast deserts.
Throughout this archipelago, you’ll photograph untouched nature and plenty of wild Pokémon that thrive in Lental’s natural expanses.
Investigate the mysterious Illumina phenomenon
Pokémon and vegetation in Lental have sometimes been seen to glow. This is known as the Illumina phenomenon, which is unique to the Lental region in New Pokémon Snap.
At the request of Lental’s own Professor Mirror, you’ll venture from island to island on an ecological survey, floating safely along in your trusty pod, the NEO-ONE, as you photograph Lental Pokémon and their habitats to uncover the truth behind the Illumina phenomenon.
Build your own Pokemon Photodex
Professor Mirror will evaluate your photos. Your scores will be based on your subjects’ poses, how large they appear, how directly they’re facing you, and their placement within the frame.
As you take photos and keep researching, you may get to see Pokémon look and behave in different ways than before.
Take lots of photos, get them evaluated, and keep the best shots to build your own Photodex in New Pokémon Snap!
New Pokemon Snap launches April 30 for Nintendo Switch. It’s available to pre-order from the Nintendo Switch eShop now, for AUD $79.95 / NZD $89.95.