Nintendo has given us the chance to go on the safari of our dreams in New Pokémon Snap. With this long-awaited sequel to a classic N64 game, we are finally able, via the Switch, to ride along and snap pictures of our favorite pocket monsters as they go about their daily lives at home or on the go. It is meant to be a relaxing and somewhat Zen experience. You don’t have to worry about battles, types, stats, moves, or even catching any Pokémon here. And there are a ton of Pokémon to snap in this game, which feeds into the old Pokémon trapping of needing to catch, or in this case snap, them all.
Aside from the traditional Pokémon populating the various courses you will ride through, there are 10 Legendary and Mythical Pokémon that you may not even realize are in the game, let alone know how or where to find them. Most of these are best attempted after you have completed the main game since some can’t be found until you’ve hit research level three. Those will be pointed out as we go along. Others are nearly impossible to miss if you play normally. If you’re ready, load up some film, orbs, and fruit and get ready to snap a pic of all Legendary Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap.
Further reading:
Lugia
Lugia is one of the more difficult Legendary Pokémon to get a photo of, but certainly not the hardest. Right off the bat, you’ll have to come back for this one after beating the game and reaching research level three. Once you are at that level, go to the Lentil Seafloor map and use the alternate route you can access at the beginning of the track. You unlock this path by hitting the Clawitzer with an orb to make him break the wall on the left side.
Keep riding along until you see the Lanturn, then toss an Illumina orb at it to make it sink. A swarm of water types, including a Wailord if you haven’t spotted one of those yet, will rise up and cover your view for a moment. When you can see again, the Lanturn will be farther out with a Frillish. It’s a tough shot, but you need to hit him with one more Illumina orb to let him escape the Frillish and lead you to a secret cave. Scan it to unlock it as a path for the future. Inside will be the sleeping Lugia, which you can disturb by tossing Illumina orbs to get some more unique shots.
Ho-Oh
This big old bird is going to be found in the Fireflow Volcano stage, which is unfortunately about as much we can say about this Pokémon. Ho-Oh is unique among this list for not having a set trigger or location in the stage but instead appearing seemingly at random. Your best bet is to keep your camera trained on the sky, such as right near the start of the stage on the right side, and to look between a pair of rocky pillars. Aside from there, which we’ve seen people have some good luck with, all you can do is keep your finger ready, keep your camera trained on the sky, and ho(-oh)pe.
Shaymin
Odds are you will find Shaymin naturally as the first Legendary you come across while playing New Pokémon Snap. In fact, you have three times the odds of finding this one compared to the others since it actually shows up in two stages plus the daytime version of one of those stages. One option is to go to the Florio Nature Park during the night and continue on until you hit the field of flowers right at the end of the stage. There will be a Crystabloom hidden on the right-hand side, under the flowers you need to hit with an Illumina orb. This will draw out Shaymin. After you manage this, you will also find Shaymin near Grookey and Pichu during the daytime variant of this stage.
The other spot is the first Illumina spot you unlock where Meganium is. Shaymin is hard to spot here, but if you look back and to the left, you can get a picture of it behind the cliffs.
Mew
Arguably the most popular of the Mythical Pokémon, Mew isn’t particularly camera shy. Make your way through Founja Jungle during the night and instantly turn around once you have control. Two Morelull will be looking back at you, and if you are able to use the Melody quick enough, they will begin to dance. After a second a purple orb will appear that you need to hit with a Fluffruit to make Mew appear. Once you capture his image here, Mew will also show up at the start of this same stage during the day.
Celebi
Celebi, with one possible exception we will get to at the end, might be the least hidden Mythical Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap. Technically, you could miss it, but odds are that you already have this one cataloged. If not, all you need to do is revisit Elsewhere Forest and follow the main path. Don’t take any turns or alternate paths, and eventually Celebi will fly right at you. It’s almost impossible to miss, so take some good shots.
Suicune
Coming off such an easy one, Suicune is no doubt the most difficult to snap. In fact, you’ll need to do a good bit of prep work to get the chance to glimpse this Legendary. Step one is to go into the daytime version of Shiver Snowfields and instantly look to your left. Find the Alolan Sandslash and take its picture. Continue on until Sandslash appears again on a cliff to the left, although it is very hidden, and get another pic. Finally, Sandslash will show up one last time by a wall of snow that the Swinub is climbing. He will dig through the snow and open up an alternate path you can scan and take. From there, just finish off the stage.
The next step is to go back to the same stage, Shiver Snowfields, only at night. Use the alternate path and look for the Crabominable attacking a tree near an Abomasnow. Hit the Crabominable with an Illumina orb, which will cause a chain reaction resulting in a Froslass appearing. Get a picture of it, and it will lead you to an additional secret area in this stage. Go through the cave and look to the right to see a Jynx on top of an Avalugg. It’s another tough shot, but you need to hit the Jynx with an Illumina orb to finally make Suicune appear and run across the water.
Diancie
Now we head to Outway Cave, but only after hitting research level three. Choose the alternate path when the time comes to go into the cave full of crystals and two Carbinks with a Mawile. Tag each of these three Pokémon with an Illumina orb to make Diancie pop out from the right side of the area, also opening up another path to take for your trouble.
Manaphy
After finishing the game and unlocking the Maricopa Reef stage, travel through it during the night. You’ll want to use the alternate path here and find the spot with tons of Lapras — you can’t miss it — and get your Illumina orbs ready. You need to hit all of them with an orb, including the ones way in the back that can be really tricky to tag. If you manage to hit them all, two will stop side by side. Use your melody, and Manaphy will pop up out of the water between them, giving you just enough time to snap his picture if you’re quick on the draw.
Jirachi
Another easy one, Jirachi, lives in the Ruins of Remembrance, which you can access after beating the game. Just start up the stage, and he basically flies right in front of you, begging to be snapped, with a few Eldegoss in tow. Nothing difficult or tricky here, so just beat the game and hit this stage up to add Jirachi to your collection.
Xerneas
Finally, we have what is essentially the final boss of New Pokémon Snap, if you consider this game to have bosses, that is. As such, he’s not hidden at all. Just go through the Ruins of Remembrance and hit the Illumina spot to see this dazzling creature and complete your initial journey. If you upgrade your research level to two and three, you can go back to see it strike some new poses for better shots.
