It may have taken more than 20 years, but Pokémon fans were finally treated to a new Pokémon Snap game last year, aptly called, well... New Pokémon Snap. Those who checked it out for themselves will already know that the game follows in the footsteps of the N64 original, expanding upon the ideas found in the series' first title with bigger areas to explore, new tricks to try, and more.
Following the N64 original's release, we've often felt that new Nintendo hardware could have been perfect for a new title – the 3DS and its actual cameras? The Wii U with its GamePad and TV setup? – but it was the Switch that ended up getting the nod. In an interview with Famitsu, The Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara reveals that discussions did indeed take place with the release of "every new generation of consoles". Thanks to Nintendo Everything for the translations:
"With the release of every new generation of consoles, be it the GameCube or Wii, we discussed making a sequel. Taking photos has become something we do every day and its novelty isn’t what it once was, so it was a difficult concept to design a game around. There was a lot of debate about how the gimmick would work, which made it difficult to start development.
This game was the fruits of many years of trial and error. We finally found a concept that made sense on Nintendo Switch and made it."
In the same interview, the game's director Haruki Suzaki mentioned that after such a long time away, it was considered whether or not Pokémon Snap's core concept should be changed. Thankfully for fans wanting more of the same, it was decided that the original game's concept should return:
"It’s been more than 20 years since the Nintendo 64 release of Pokemon Snap and the problem we faced was whether or not we should change the game’s core concept. It was a great opportunity for us; reflecting on the game proved to have a big influence on development. The more I heard about what happened during development of the last game, the more it reaffirmed our decision to stick with the original game’s concept. From there, it was finding things within the core concept we could expand on to better suit today’s market."
Have you played New Pokémon Snap on Switch? Did you enjoy your time with it? Let us know in the comments below, and feel free to check out our full guide to the game if you need a bit of help tracking down some of the more elusive pics.
[source famitsu.com, via nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 18
I am glad they just kept the original concept, I believe that's all fans of the original game really wanted anyway. Just bigger and better.
If we don't get another Pokemon Snap game for further 20 years then I'm at least glad that they knocked it out of the park with NPS.
But I really do hope we see a sequel in a few years time.
As an aside, they did update New Pokémon Snap with a couple more levels once. I wonder if that was just a one time thing, or if they plan on updating the game again.
This was actually one of my favourite games of the last few years. I don't think I was expecting much but the amount of effort that clearly went into it was incredible, there were so many easter eggs.
I ended up getting over 200 hours of playtime out of it, which I realise is more than most people but finding every path, pokemon and secret was hella fun.
The Wii U was the perfect console to try a new Pokemon Snap game with the gamepad controller. Of course that would have required playing the game virtually entirely on the TV and using the gamepad screen for the camera view. I know that many were hesitant for doing games like this since a large portion of gamers played games solely on the gamepad (or at least wanted the option) similar to a handheld. But I really enjoyed when games made use of both the TV screen and the gamepad screen. Like Lego City Undercover where the chief popped up on the gamepad screen as your communicator.
I'm still mad they skipped the Wiiu. The only console that will ever be absolutely perfect for Pokemon Snap
This is another "I need to buy this, but haven't gotten around to it," game.
@Handy_Man I think there might be more levels added in the future. It seems strange to introduce the shrinking concept but then only use it in one level. However it has been a long time since the last update
@GamerGrandpa I mostly played on the gamepad due to other family members using the TV, but I think a Pokémon snap game would have worked with just the gamepad.
Personally, they didn’t follow the original concept enough - I just could not get into it, no matter how hard I tried. In my opinion, this and Yoshi’s Crafted World just have so much unnecessary faff that take all the fun out of what could be fun games, despite loving both Snap 64 & Yoshi’s Woolly World.
Two most disappointing games I own on Switch imo.
I loved this game. I don’t really see myself going back to it, but i thought it was a great sequel even if it wasn’t that fundamentally different
I miss Pokemon Snap's anime sounds on N64...
A concept took this long that was ultimately just the same thing as the original?
It was a decent game imo. Just a direct sequel with a lot of improvements, but no innovations. Not worth the full price, but that is the Pokemon tax.
This is the most slap dash game design ever. They found it difficult? Pokemon company only rests on their laurels, not innovative in the least.
I was sort of hoping that they would keep the original concept but another part of me wanted something like free roaming but with a time limit instead of on-rail.
The game turned out quite well, even if I miss the evolutions. Somehow the original game managed to surprise and reward better even though it had less Pokémon and areas to explore.
I followed the hype cycle for this game closely and really wanted to like it, but I only ended up playing through a couple stages. Some of my friends logged many hours in it so I understand there's depth there, but finding hidden paths and Pokemon animations just didn't feel that rewarding to me.
Hopefully Legends Arceus doesn't turn out the same way, since it's borrowing a "research goals" kind of mechanic from GO and Snap. And de-emphasizing trainer battles in favor of more exploration and collection. The trainer and gym battles always felt like the core gameplay loop of the series to me.
@Harmonie exactly my confusion.... I got images of a weird endless tea ceremony at the tot of those nintendo Kyoto offices,.. with a sensei saying 'your time will come', fifteen years in a row and then 'the time is now, follow our tradition'
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