Pros
- Brief but fun for what it offers.
- Finding ways to make new Pokémon appear was great.
- Areas are short, but going back to better your score lies the real value.
- Cool variety in area locales.

Cons
- Number of Pokémon is lacking.
- The secret final area was disappointing.

"What if a rail shooter, but instead of killing things you're taking pictures of them" is honestly a great idea for video games, and I do kind of wish there were more franchises that went for that idea than just the two Pokemon Snap games. This one definitely isn't perfect, although it's considerably less obtuse than the sequel; most of the special photos don't have really insane requirements and the difficulty therein is mostly down to arcing your throw correctly or getting the timing right.

Or getting things appropriately centered, which feels more difficult than it sounds. Sometimes something will feel vaguely off center and Oak will tell you it's fine, and other times you're pretty sure you got that bastard right in the middle and he'll be like UHH NO IT'S A PIXEL OR TWO OFF YOU DON'T GET YOUR BONUS. I don't think you actually know anything about photography, Professor. What about the rule of thirds, huh. I also feel like the controls feel a touch janky but that's probably down to playing on a Switch Pro controller instead of an original N64 controller. I don't remember it feeling that bad when I played it as a kid. A lot of the other jank is part of the charm, though, I think. I think I like the sequel a little better but there really is something about the original that has that nostalgic Gen 1 charm.

Anyway, with the prevalence of photo modes in other games in pretty much every franchise it feels like this series will just be a singular series rather than something that influences anything else, even if I think that's kind of a shame. I think there's a difference between getting to take selfies with the boss and being, like, an actual wildlife photographer bonking animals on the head with apples or playing music to get them to dance so you can take a picture of them. I think I'd rather do that with a Rathalos instead of slaughtering it and chopping bits off its corpse for clothes. Where's my Monster Hunter Snap, huh, Capcom?

Man you would think a game where you take photos of pokemon would sound boring but it's honestly one of those charming and unique games that leaves you wanting more.

The hidden paths the secret evolutions the unique events. This game gives you around 5 hrs of content that feels like 10 never once do the levels feel lifeless or dull or the designs lack in any way.

The music is also something that really gives the game life I think this is one of those games only for fans but it's a blast to play regardless

The Game Nobody Was Asking For, Now Beloved
See, the Pokemon Company of the late 90’s was a lot smarter than people give them credit for. This era of Pokemon games for consoles were defined primarily by NOT giving fans what they wanted. Instead we got bizarro experiments like Hey You Pikachu, Pokemon Stadium, Pokemon Puzzle League and Pokemon Snap, games that decidedly did not realize the potential of a full 3D Pokemon RPG that everyone was clamoring for (and something that wouldn’t happen for many years) but instead teased the rabid fanbase with ideas of what could be, working them up into a frenzy. I remember being kind of baffled and underwhelmed by Pokemon Snap back in 99’ but as time has gone by, my appreciation for it has only grown. I really like the idea of this on-rails photography game where instead of making Pokemon battle one another, you are simply observing them in their native environment. Well, and throwing a bunch of junk at them. Not the most responsible thing to be teaching kids perhaps?

One of my favorite N64 games.
A genius concept with a brilliant execution.
It lets me throw mustard gas at Pokémon while being encouraged by the Gilf agenda.
Espurr isn't in this game, so the devs better sleep with one eye open. I know this game pre-dates him, but that's no excuse.

Pokémon Snap was one of the reasons I loved Pokémon as a kid.

It was nothing like I've ever seen from a game before. Most games I played were centered around actions like jumping, fighting, racing, hitting a ball, jumping, just like, a lot of jumping. Pokémon itself was centered around fighting other pocket monsters; whether it be turned based fighting in the mainline series or in jaw dropping 3D with Pokémon Stadium, my contextual actions were always to fight.

Pokémon Snap was different. Pokémon Snap instead gave you a camera, with the goal to take pictures of Pokémon for a high score. The concept, especially from an established series like Pokémon, was strange, and yet, at a young age I was deeply fascinated by it.

Even now, I'm still fascinated by the concept. It's fairly rare within the gaming industry, especially the AAA space, to have a game with a unique, non-violent mechanic as the focus. I'm not sure if Matthewmatosis actually once said this or not, but I recall him once arguing that Pokémon Snap didn't entirely count towards his definition of non-violent due to actions like the fruit and the pester ball that hit and bothered Pokémon. To me, these actions aren't necessarily meant to harm. I view them as tools to cause a reaction within the environment, a contextual interaction of sorts. This plays into the level design, where you're often trying to gain a reaction from a Pokémon by leading them towards a specific area, knocking them into water or lava, creating new scenarios for the perfect snapshot. This interactivity would also serve as a lock and key gate to progress within the game, some areas only becoming available after you've solved how to reach the next location, giving Pokémon Snap a small sense of interconnectivity and immersion. The game also asks you to snapshot new Pokémon to reach a new goal, which encourages the player to scrounge the landscape for new Pokémon to snap.

Pokémon Snap is incredibly immediate. You jump right in with a small tutorial, and already you're zooming down a pathway, barreling towards the finish. Areas are fairly short, with longer levels still only taking a few minutes to complete. The pacing is to the point, never wasting a moment of your time. This was done by the designers to have players be able to replay levels to gain a better score, and it's something they understood well.

What I love about Pokémon Snap is it's capacity to fill the screen with wordless story and character. As you ride along your to set destination, much like a theme park ride you're greeted with characters running amok to your sides, playing out their little bits with one another. A group of Pidgeys harassing a Meowth and absolutely demolishing him in a tornado attack, Jigglypuffs getting chased by Koffings, a Magmar setting ablaze a Charmander and changing him into a Charmeleon, all these simple interactions bring about a sense of playfulness and tangibility you normally wouldn't get from your average Pokémon game.

I'm not actually sure I've seen the credits of Pokémon Snap until this recent playthrough. I distinctly remember not quite understanding what to do with Mew during her secret stage, and being confused as to how I was supposed to take a picture of her. I believe my sister may have been the one to actually beat the game, but I never recall asking her how she actually accomplished this. Technically speaking, I believe this is the first time I've ever actually beaten the game, and having replayed it, it's definitely cemented itself as my favorite Pokémon game.

There's nothing else quite like Pokémon Snap. No other game has embodied the raw addiction and gameplay loop that Pokémon Snap provides. Every other photo capturing game feels static and uninteresting in comparison. The simple act of exploring a set environment, interacting with it, and causing change to happen within that environment hasn't felt as immediate and as engaging as it does here.

Pokémon Snap rules. Now go play it.