I received a copy of this game to facilitate this review.
Our family has been a Pokemon family for years now. Shane and I play Pokemon Go every day, and Shane and Zac play SO many different Pokemon video games- even games from before they were born!
When New Pokemon Snap was announced last year, Shane was SO excited to tell me about it. Shane knew immediately how perfect it would be for the whole family- and he was right!
This game has something for everyone- the Pokedex collector, the photographer, the quest completer, and even the social media fan. Read on to find out what we all thought about New Pokemon Snap!
About the game:
Explore lush scenery on unknown islands to snap photos of Pokémon in their natural habitats
Seek out and take in-game photographs of Pokémon in their native environments in the New Pokémon Snap game, only for the Nintendo Switch system! Snap photos from the NEO-ONE as you encounter and research lively wild Pokémon. You might see unexpected expressions or behaviors—Pokémon patrolling their territory, playing, or lurking in out-of-the-way spots.
Investigate the mysterious Illumina phenomenon
Travel to the islands that make up the Lental region. In this region, some of the Pokémon and vegetation will appear to have a special glow. Research these Pokémon alongside Professor Mirror as you explore dense jungles, vast deserts, and more! Your observations of Pokémon thriving in the wild may help unravel the truth behind the Illumina phenomenon. The Pokémon pictures you take will be used to build your very own Pokémon Photodex!
Save, edit, and share your favorite Pokémon photos
Save photos to your personal in-game album to edit and adjust them. When you complete a course, you can adjust the brightness, blur, zoom and other aspects of your photo in Re-Snap mode. Then, add stickers, frames, and filters to add a personal touch. Share your favorite photos with family and friends in-game. You can also see what kinds of photos everyone else is taking. See something you like? Award a Sweet! medal.
We recently took turns trying out the game, and here’s what everyone had to say about it:
Zac’s Thoughts {7 years old}
I like how there are different star ratings for the pictures. I like how if you get to higher levels, you unlock night time and the Pokemon act in a strange way and you can unlock new areas. My favorite thing to do in the game is find new Pokemon in the wild. My favorite Pokemon that I’ve found so far is Charmander, because they’re in a group and they look like they’re waving to each other.
My thoughts on gameplay for a seven year old: Zac loves this game, and really loves exploring the different areas! He hasn’t dabbled in the Lentalk requests much, but has had a lot of fun with the photo editing!
There is a little bit of reading in the tutorial as well as some when new areas are unlocked, but Zac is a fluent reader so there are no issues for us. If your child needs help reading, be prepared to help them get it set up- but once they actually begin the game they’ll be able to do just about everything on their own, with just a bit of dialogue between levels sometimes.
Shane’s Thoughts {11 years old}
New Pokemon Snap is pretty and fun. My favorite thing to do in the game is take photos and try to get four star photos, and I am trying to collect all the Pokemon in my Photodex. I want to get four star photos of every Pokemon. It’s a nice, calm way to pass the time.
My thoughts on gameplay for an 11 year old: While everyone in our house plays Pokemon in some capacity, Shane is definitely our resident Pokemon Expert. New Pokemon Snap is unlike any Pokemon game he’s played before, and allows him to see the Pokemon he’s so familiar with in brand new ways.
My Thoughts {Mom}
New Pokemon Snap is SO much fun. One of my favorite things to do, ever, is photograph animals- and this is basically a virtual way to do that with creatures I’ll definitely never see at a zoo! Trying to get the perfect shot is so much fun, even with virtual subjects, and the game has a lot of replayability because it adds in new Pokemon and they interact in different ways.
Using all the tools at your disposal- Illumina Orbs, Fluffruit, music, scans, and turbo mode will help you see as many Pokemon partaking in as many activities as possible. Unlocking more levels gives you new experiences, and I’m SO close to beating the game!
I love Pokemon, and seeing them “in the wild” makes me love them even more. Whether I’m watching a group of Piplup slide on their bellies or seeing Pokemon being chased by a Tyrantrum at a volcano, it’s really cool seeing these critters come to life- and catching photos of it all.
I haven’t done much with the photo editing or sharing yet- I’m still trying to see new Pokemon and fill up my Photodex. But I love that even when I’m done with that, I still have a reason to take more photos- so I can share them!
My only note? LenTalk requests, which are the photographs that the Professor, Todd, and the other kids ask you to take, can be really hard to figure out sometimes. There’s not a whole lot of direction and after reading up on the requests online, I’ve learned that many of the requests require multiple steps done precisely right without any guidance. That said, fan guides are available online that can walk you through the requirements so if you’re like me and you like completing requests, they’re totally doable with some assistance from the internet!
Buy It: You can find New Pokemon Snap at major retailers on online at {affiliate link} Amazon. You can also download a digital copy from the Nintendo eShop. Note that a Nintendo Switch Online membership is required for uploading photos to the internet.
What’s your favorite Pokemon?
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