ComicBook.com's Games of the Year: New Pokemon Snap
When the original Pokémon Snap was released in 1999 it was largely an anomaly, a game that was a spinoff to a juggernaut of a franchise but which removed most of the appeal and the gameplay assets of the original titles. You weren't catching and raising these Pokemon and you weren't fighting others to "be the best," instead you were taking photos of them; that's it. The game was a spinoff that probably shouldn't have worked, but it did and became a fan-favorite for a generation of Pokémon trainers. So when Nintendo finally, 22 years later, released New Pokémon Snap there was perhaps an assumption that lightning couldn't strike twice, that the distance between the titles was a sign that the first game only worked because of when it was released and our collective nostalgia. What New Pokémon Snap proved though is that this is a corner of the franchise that is a perfect encapsulation of everything fans love about the entire series.
Structurally New Pokémon Snap is the same as its predecessor. The player moves through a predetermined path in an environment to capture photos of the little pocket monsters in their natural habitat. Variety is the spice of life though and not only does New Pokémon Snap actually give us choices in movement, it allows players the chance to alter the environment and decide what time of day they'll visit the various ecosystems. This ends up making for a refreshing experience no matter what you pick, and some levels have as many as six different versions of the map to explore and multiple paths to choose from. This takes New Pokémon Snap to new heights of replayability, making almost every trip feel fresh; not to mention each level is so stuffed with Pokémon you have to replay them all regardless to even see everything.
New Pokémon Snap is mostly the same as its predecessor when considering gameplay, they're so close in fact that it's clear Nintendo realized what a winning formula this was anyway. Where the changes come from though is reflective not only in the advances of Pokémon as a franchise but also in how we, in reality, know wildlife behaves and is being photographed for study. Fruit and the Pokéflute make a return which players can use to interact with Pokémon but the addition of the Illumina orb brings the game to a new level. Specific Pokémon and places in the maps can take on new appearances and become even more photogenic when these are used, making for better pictures than you ever could have dreamed about in the first game.
We must also contend with the way that New Pokémon Snap cements itself as a game of its own time like the original. Pokémon Snap in 1999 was keen to send you to Blockbuster to print out your photos, but New Pokémon Snap knows that you've already practiced touching up photos on Instagram and gives you the toolset to do the same thing here. Borders, filters, stickers, and an expanded saving ability give players a near limitless opportunity to play with their own nature photography, all from the comfort of their living or literally anywhere -- this is a Nintendo Switch exclusive after all.
Speaking of opportunity, there are more Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap than there were in the entire franchise at the time of the original game's release. Pokémon Snap '99 arrived 18 months before the release of Pokémon Silver and Gold, meaning it came out in a world with just 151 Pokémon and, of those, only 63 of them appeared in the game. New Pokémon Snap has arrived when there are almost 900 Pokémon and the breadth of types that are available are fully on display.
While the original Pokémon Snap was content to name its levels after simple locations, New Pokémon Snap adds a flair of personality to its levels. It's Fireflow Volcano and Elsewhere Forest this time around instead of just "Volcano" and "Forest," and this commitment to personality is another mark of improvement not only for the game but for where Pokémon as a series has gone since the original. The interaction between you as a cameraman and the Pokémon has never been more tactile as a player as it is in New Pokémon Snap, and seeing the way that they live their lives makes you appreciate them more as living things than sending them into battle ever has.
Where New Pokémon Snap really succeeds not only as a game but as a game of the year is two-fold: It takes a game that hasn't been touched in 20 years and shows how it can be updated, expanded on, and made better to great success, and it cements itself as being a product of its era in only the best ways. In a time when the Pokémon franchise is bigger and more popular than it has ever been, New Pokémon Snap is a celebration of all things that fans love about Pokémon and it's a clear contender for one of the best titles of the year if only because of how unique and accessible it is.