New Pokémon Snap was first revealed by Nintendo last year, although the company remained quiet for several months following the initial announcement. Over the past few weeks, however, we’ve learned a lot more about the upcoming Pokémon game — thanks to a new trailer and various announcements from Nintendo.
Nintendo is going big with the Pokémon Snap reboot, and there’s a lot of great content packed into this fun spin-off game. From trailers and gameplay to pre-order bonuses and multiplayer, here’s everything we know about New Pokémon Snap.
Further reading
- The best N64 games of all time
- New Pokémon Snap gets trailer and April release date
- Pokemon Sword and Shield differences explained
New Pokémon Snap info at a glance
- Release Date: April 30, 2021
- Price: $59.99
- Consoles: Nintendo Switch
- Developer: Bandai Namco Studios
- Publisher: Nintendo
Release date
Nintendo has finally announced an official release date of April 30 for New Pokémon Snap. It’s a fitting year for the game to launch, as 2021 marks Pokémon’s 25th anniversary. And while Pokémon Snap might not have the same massive audience as Sword & Shield, there’s no denying the strange spin-off’s appeal.
Which consoles is New Pokémon Snap launching on?
New Pokémon Snap is only confirmed for a Nintendo Switch release. Seeing as Nintendo doesn’t like to release Pokémon titles on consoles outside its own, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see the game ported to Xbox Series X or PS5. There’s also no word on a 3DS or Wii U version.
New Pokémon Snap trailers
There are currently two trailers available for New Pokémon Snap — an announcement trailer and a release date reveal trailer. The announcement trailer was released last June, giving fans a sneak peek of the Pokémon-snapping action and a quick tour of the game’s locales.
The release date reveal trailer offered much the same — revealing a few more Pokémon not seen in the first trailer — and even showing off a few gameplay mechanics. It’s still short — clocking in at just over one and a half minutes — but is more than enough to get fans excited for the upcoming title.
Gameplay
New Pokémon Snap follows the same formula as the original 1999 game. You’ll step into the role of a young photographer, tasked with snapping incredible pictures of Pokémon in your region and investigating the Illumina phenomenon that causes certain Pokémon to glow. Each level is on rails, meaning the game will automatically move you through each stage — think of it as a slow-moving theme park ride. Along the way, you can use various items to encourage Pokémon to move closer to your camera and interact with one another.
At the end of each level, Professor Mirror — not Professor Oak — will rate your photos and give you a final grade. Pictures that put Pokémon front and center tend to earn a higher grade, although you’ll still earn great scores for shots with multiple Pokémon. However, if you can get them to interact with their environment or each other in creative ways, you’re bound to pull in the best grade from Professor Mirror.
New Pokémon Snap is an interesting take on the original, as it’s part remake, part reimagining. Many of the same mechanics make a return, but the game takes place in a new region — called the Lental region — with new characters. There will also be more Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap than there were in the original, as Nintendo said more than 200 will make an appearance. Best of all, the game will include unlockable areas for each map. Earn high enough marks from Professor Mirror and he’ll give you access to new parts of each stage, giving you a tangible reason to come back and keep playing.
The announcement of the new Lental region has led to speculation that we’ll also see new Pokémon make an appearance. While it’s yet to be confirmed by Nintendo, it’d be strange to head to a completely new section of the Pokémon universe and not see a few new faces.
Multiplayer
Nintendo recently updated New Pokémon Snap‘s product page, adding a tag for online play. While that’s led to plenty of speculation from fans, Nintendo is yet to announce what those features will be. Even stranger, the game is still listed as a single-player title without any mention of multiplayer.
The most likely reason for the online play tag is a leaderboards feature, letting you compare your scores with friends around the world. Nintendo is a bit behind the times when it comes to multiplayer, so this simple inclusion seems like the most likely explanation. As great as it’d be to see New Pokémon Snap become a co-op experience, there’s currently no reason to believe Nintendo has added that functionality.
DLC plans
No DLC has been announced for New Pokémon Snap. However, we wouldn’t be surprised to see an announcement in the future. Although the game features more than 200 Pokémon, there are plenty more that could be added through downloadable content. Sword & Shield saw huge sales with its expansions, so it would only make sense for Nintendo to continue the trend with its latest Pokémon game.
Pre-order bonuses
New Pokémon Snap is only available in one version that retails for $59.99. There are also currently no pre-order bonuses, so feel free to wait to pick up the title after you read a few reviews. It’s available for pre-order at most major retailers along with the official Nintendo eShop. The file size clocks in at a respectable 6.8GB, meaning you won’t need to clear too much storage space to join in on the picture-taking fun.
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