‘New Pokémon Snap’ release date for Switch: Everything to know

Gotta catch’em all . . . on film! The long-awaited New Pokémon Snap finally has a release date, as well as a brand new trailer courtesy of Nintendo of America & The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel. Get ready to take pictures of all sorts of adorable creatures in a plethora of exotic locations!

This isn’t the first time Pokémon fans have had a chance to photograph their favorite battle monsters (hence the “New” in New Pokémon Snap). This time, however, they get to do it on the Nintendo Switch. And if you think that will translate into improved graphics & sound, as well as the promise of enhanced gameplay . . . you are correct.

Say cheese

The original Pokémon Snap was a Nintendo 64 game released in 1999. That’s technically a different century from our current one. Pokémon enthusiasts everywhere have been waiting for an updated entry into the Snap franchise for over twenty years – and it’s not like Pokémon’s popularity has decreased in the meantime. For some people, New Pokémon Snap has been a lifetime in the making.

The original Pokémon Snap was deceptively simple: you play as a photographer traveling around Pokémon Island, taking pictures of Pokémons. New Pokémon Snap seems to work under the same general idea. Your photos will be judged based on how the feisty creatures pose for them, as well as how large they appear, whether they are looking at the camera or not, and where they fall in the frame.

On the surface, New Pokémon Snap may seem simply like a cover version of the original game – and many fans would be satisfied with just a remastered release of Pokémon Snap, to be fair. But Nintendo promises a bigger scope in this new Snap installment. They better deliver, because they’ve had two decades to come up with cool ways to fill out our Pokémon Photodexes!

Say sequel

New Pokémon Snap is set in the Lental region, an area made up of Poké-ful islands. According to Nintendo’s press release, players are meant to investigate the “mysterious Illumina phenomenon” – a special glow surrounding certain Pokémon & vegetation. You’ll work with Professor Mirror (looks like Professor Oak, from the original Snap, was busy) as you explore jungles, deserts, and all other types of Poké-environments.

Professor Oak isn’t the only element of the original game that has been replaced in New Pokémon Snap. The Zero-One (a motorized, amphibious buggy) has been replaced by the aptly named Neo-One (an on-rails vehicle). You’ll also have access to new Poké-luring techniques, such as using the edible item “Fluffruit” to attract Lental Pokémon in the wild.

One of the most appealing aspects of New Pokémon Snap is its increased roster of over two hundred Poké-rascals to photograph. That is quite the jump from the original game’s paltry fifty-three Pokémon available to smile for the camera. Nintendo claims players will encounter “behaviors and expressions you’ve never seen before” when you research the wild Pokémon of the Lental archipelago.

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New Pokémon Snap is set to be released on April 30th, but you can already place a preorder for the game. Considering how most Switch-related items tend to go out of stock fairly quickly, it may not be a bad idea to preorder if you are a Pokémon enthusiast (or if you are into taking pictures of digital fantasy creatures).

The biggest question on all Poké-snappers minds is: will New Pokémon Snap offer the option to save your photos and take them to designated stores to be printed as stickers? That was one of the most rewarding features of the original Pokémon Snap – a feature that, sadly, didn’t make it into the Pokémon Snap 2007 Wii re-release.

All that said, whether you are able to bring your Pokémon Photodex into the material world or not, it certainly seems like New Pokémon Snap is shaping up to be one of the hottest Nintendo Switch games. Start practicing your photo-snapping techniques on your smartphone!