What Pokemon Snap Needs To Succeed on the Nintendo Switch
The Pokemon Fandom had their collective minds blown this week with the announcement of a new Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo Switch. For those who weren't lucky enough to have sunk countless hours into the Nintendo 64 Version, let me catch you up. Pokemon Snap is a game where you are equipped with a camera and put into a slow-moving vehicle on a set path. The objective was to capture as many pictures of Pokemon as you could. You also had some other tools, various kinds of Pokeballs to influence the environment around you. Leading a Slowpoke to water with a treat would evolve him into a Slowbro, for example.
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Pokemon Snap is a uniquely original game for its time. But look back on it now, it also had its flaws. While everyone is extremely excited about the new Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo Switch, it's can't be the same thing from years past with better graphics. So, here is a list of changes and updates the game needs in order to make a splash on the Nintendo Switch.
Open World or Multiple Paths
The original Pokemon Snap was fun and it was one of a kind. But, there's lots of room for improvement, the biggest is to do away with its linearity. In 2020 there's no reason to sit on the same path as a passive observer and take pictures of short scripted events. The original Pokemon Snap did not have a lot of replay value once you beat it once. Even going back to the different stages once you had upgraded items didn't last long. Sadly, from the trailer it does look like this trend may be continuing. If that's the case, there need to be options for far more paths.
Night and Day or Seasonal Cycles
This piggybacks off the idea of replay-ability. Pokemon fans are natural explorers and avid collectors. They need a reason to look under every rock and in every nook and cranny. If there's a real-life sync'd night and day cycle, or seasonal cycle that affects when Pokemon show up, it gives them more reasons to play more often. Animal Crossing does the same thing with their own Fish and Bug collecting and players go crazy for it!
Shiny Pokemon
In the regular line Pokemon games, there is a very small, very rare chance to get a Pokemon with a color variation. For example, instead of a blue Wailmer, he could be pink instead! The chances of finding these 'Shiny Pokemon' is very slim. They're called Shiny because when summoned in battle they give off a shiny glean. Entire streams and play-throughs have been dedicated to hunting these rare and elusive versions. Encountering one is so rare only 1 in 4000 are shiny! In the regular games, these chances can be increased, but the inclusion of Shinies in Pokemon Snap of some sort would set certain Pokemon Fans into a craze.
Check out our Shiny Pokemon Guide for Pokemon Sword and Shield!
Expansions and DLC
In the original Pokemon Snap, you were graded for your photos. The higher your score, the more you unlock. This could be anything from new items to use to new areas to explore. Eventually, this would unlock the final level. A straight shot across space to capture a picture of the elusive mythical Pokemon, Mew. And once you had that...there wasn't really any reason to play. Ever again. We live in a digital age. A game like Pokemon Snap could receive new updates, expansions, or DLC every few months, and people would eat it up! Give us a reason to snap cute pictures of every Pokemon ever created!
Cross-Game Functionality
This is where Pokemon Snap can really shine. The Pokemon Company has been doing a fantastic job with their games and content recently. There are ways for different games to interact with one another and Pokemon Snap should be no different. Some kind of integration with Pokemon GO would be amazing. Unlike the Nintendo 64, we can take the Nintendo Switch on the go. It'll be very disappointing to see if there's no interactivity between Snap and a number of the other Pokemon titles currently available.
Expanded ItemsEquipment
This will once again increase play-ability. The original game gave you Pokemon treats to throw and lure creatures to you. You also Pester Balls which you could use to make certain events happen. I'd like to see more options and the ability to create 'loadout' before you headed out onto your adventures. Abilities and items are needed in order to capture certain Pokemon, it'd be so much fun to go hunting for a specific Pokemon and know I needed a certain kind of item or equipment. There would sometimes be disappointment seeing one kind and not having the right type of items available. But that's part of the challenge and the grind! Let players work for your Pokemon Selfies!
No release has yet been given for the Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo Switch. However, whenever it does drop you can be that the Nintendo and Pokemon worlds alike will be on fire with lit AF selfies of all our favorite pocket monsters!
