Bibliographic Information

Title: New Pokémon Snap

Developer: Bandai Namco Studios

Release Date: April 30, 2021

UPC: 045496596866

Genre

First-person on-rails shooter

Format

Video Game

Available Platforms

Nintendo Switch

Mode

Single-player

ESRB Rating

E – Everyone

Awards or Honors

None as of the date of this post.

Game Summary

Players choose one of a handful of avatars to play as in New Pokémon Snap before being dropped onto an island in the Lental region. Here they encounter Professor Mirror and his assistant Rita at the Laboratory of Ecological and Natural Sciences (L.E.N.S.). The Professor and Rita enlist the player’s help as a photographer to capture images of Pokémon in their native habitats. Players are sent on expeditions in a transporter on rails, where they take photos as they speed along the route. Back at the lab, each photograph is rated by Professor Mirror according to a series of criteria, and research data is gathered. As the photographs get better and more complex, and a player gains valuable field experience, more Pokémon habitats are unlocked and different tools and enticements are given for coaxing the creatures into more favorable research conditions. The goal is to fill a player’s Photodex with a variety of photos of each Pokémon in each region (at morning and at night), helping to complete Professor Mirror’s research.

Developer Background

Bandai Namco Studios was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Koto, Japan, with divisions in Malaysia and Singapore. They are best known for their work on the Pac-Man series, later entries of the Super Smash Bros. series, Wii Sports Club, and spin-offs from the Pokémon franchise. In addition to video game development, the company is a strong advocate of video game preservation and has created an impressive archive of master arts, promotional pamphlets, source code, and design documentation for hundreds of video games (Bandai Namco Studios, 2024).

Critical Evaluation

Actual photos I took during gameplay:
(click on photo to enlarge)

This was my first experience with an “on-rails” shooter game, and it took some time to understand what I could and could not control as the game forced me along a set route during each expedition. After my initial disorientation, it was fun to enjoy what felt like a virtual safari, spotting Pokémon in various surprising spots.

After my first set of photos was evaluated by Professor Mirror, it became clear that each expedition would need to be repeated several times in order to improve the photos and achieve higher research levels (and thus receive more tools for getting the Pokémon to behave more favorably for photos). This is a “shooter” game, but because of the repetitious nature of the on-rails expeditions, it also becomes a kind of memory game as you anticipate which Pokémon were seen where and when.

New Pokémon Snap includes plenty of in-game assistance, which was helpful for this newbie. It also unlocks various regions and tools at a good pace for staying encouraged and interested.

Creative Use for a Library Program

It would be fairly easy to replicate the idea of New Pokémon Snap in a library setting. Staff could create a kind of scavenger hunt or “safari” where teens search the building and grounds, taking photos of the different items indicated on a list. You could play individually or in teams, then come back together to share photos and give points or recognition for different qualities, like most creative photo or best composition and more.

Speed Round Talk

The Lental region awaits you as you join Professor Mirror in researching the islands’ various Pokémon there. You’ll cruise through their native habitats on exciting expeditions, snapping photos and gathering data on the magnificent creatures in New Pokémon Snap.

My avatar and the header to my Photodex page:

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

I cannot imagine any potential challenge issues with this game.

Reason for Inclusion

As one of the most recent additions to the Pokémon universe, New Pokémon Snap gives teens a new way to play with the creatures they’ve probably come to know well throughout childhood. It makes sense to include it in a collection for today’s teens to keep up with this well-loved franchise.