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.
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.