Developer: Hal Laboratory Publisher: Nintendo Released: June 30, 1999 Genre: Rail Shooter
The various Pokemon spinoffs that Nintendo and Game Freak have released over the years have been interesting to say the least. As someone who liked the Gameboy games I did not find Pokemon Stadium very interesting. Sure it was nice to see the Pokemon in 3d but it simply made me long for a full-fledged RPG in that style. The Mystery Dungeon games have been more fun than they have any right to be and continue to this day. But the one spinoff that I am shocked to say I like the most is Pokemon Snap. Who would have thought taking pictures of Pokemon instead of putting them in brutal death matches for your amusement would be so compelling?
I will admit my initial disappointment at the announcement of Pokemon Snap. Pokemon was the hottest property in the world at the time but I was not much of a handheld gamer. I hoped and prayed that Nintendo would announce a Pokemon RPG for the N64 but instead we got many, many spinoffs. Pokemon Snap seemed like the lamest idea in the world. But a weekend rental turned into a full on purchase off the strength of its gameplay. The only thing keeping Pokemon Snap from being truly excellent is its brevity.
As the name implies in Pokemon Snap you will assist Professor Oak in taking pictures of Pokemon in their natural habitat on Pokemon Island to assist in his research. You ride a motorized cart that follows a set path to take as many pictures of the Pokemon as possible. Essentially Pokemon Snap is a rail shooter except you shoot pictures instead of bullets.
The premise sounds simple and initially it is. As the Zero One moves along its track you can snap up to sixty pictures per level. The various Pokemon dot the environment and are oblivious to your presence. At first you can only snap pictures that are graded on three levels: size, pose, and technique. Size is self-explanatory. Pose is interesting; the more active the Pokemon the higher the grade. Technique refers to framing. There are various other bonuses you can get for each picture on top of those three such as taking pictures of grouped Pokemon or while they are performing special actions.
If that were all there is to the game it would grow old fast. The beauty of Pokemon Snap is the way in which it reveals the layers to its gameplay. As you cross certain thresholds Professor Oak will give you new items to assist in your activities. The first are apples. Apples can lure Pokemon out of hiding or guide them to specific areas. You can also use apples to stun them to better frame a shot or to better capture the faster Pokemon. The next are pester balls which have a variety of effects. The most useful is to wake up or annoy certain Pokemon.
Each new item gives incentive to revisit prior levels. The dash engine allows you to get close to certain Pokemon that are ordinarily at a distance. The Pokeflute will wake up, irritate or even cause the Pokemon to dance, offering a chance for a better pose. There are hidden depths to the game that are not immediately obvious. You can cause some Pokemon to evolve through particular actions. That Slowpoke on the river will evolve into a Slowbro if you lure it to the water with an apple, causing it to fish a Shellder with its tail and evolve. If you play the flute near the sleeping Jynxes in the Cave not only will they wake up but an Articuno will hatch from its egg. Every level is full of moments like these that give the game some longevity. There is even another goal once your album is near complete.
The only area Pokemon Snap unfortunately falls short in is its length. There are only six main areas with one secret. After you have gone through each one a few times it does become repetitive even though the new tools give you more options. The most egregious is its lacking Pokemon selection. There are only 63 of the 151 original generation one Pokemon in the game. Many Pokemon show up in every stage and while the game does its best to ration them out evenly but its lacking selection is noticeable quickly. For a game that is built upon new discoveries it is an absolute crime that it is deficient in this area. Pokemon Snap’s mechanics are fantastic as is. If the game had all 151 Pokemon it would be a near classic.
In Conclusion
Even though Pokemon Snap is a bit short it is still a ride well worth taking. Truly unique and altogether Pokemon Snap makes for a good afternoon of fun. To this day few if any games have tried to replicate its winning formula and it was practically begging for a sequel. Twenty years later that dream is finally coming true.
