Grab a camera quickly, because New Pokémon Snap is coming soon to Nintendo Switch, with fans' long-time favorite adorable monsters. The game will visit a new region and a new professor who needs many necessary research pictures.

Inspired by the Nintendo 64 1999 game, New Pokémon Snap is a new spin on photo safari and investigation. Players will help the new Professor Mirror uncover the mysteries of this varied region, take amazing pictures and discover all the silly habits of Pokémon.

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The Story So Far

There is an all-new adventure to discover in New Pokémon Snap. Players will wander through the Lental Region, which is home to hundreds of Pokémon. The Lental region is a large group of islands with all sorts of explorable landscapes, from beautiful beaches to lush jungles.

In New Pokémon Snap, players meet Professor Mirror. He has been busy trying to understand some weird activities in Lental. He calls it the Illumina Phenomenon, and it causes plants and Pokémon to glow brightly at night. Professor Mirror needs help to figure out what’s causing the strange occurrence, so he recruits photographers.

As Professor Mirror’s photographers, players will hop on board the NEO-ONE pod, which will guide them through each landscape. Each photo taken will be evaluated by the Professor, just like the 1999 game.

Photos taken by players will be added to the Pokémon Photodex for a quick glimpse of how each Pokémon lives their lives. Because the Lental region is all natural, the Pokémon there live simple lifestyles. Players will see them sleeping, eating, battling and cooking their next meal.

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New Pokémon Snap Release Date

The Pokémon Company released a new trailer in January, indicating an April 30 release date. New Pokémon Snap is a Nintendo Switch exclusive, and Pokémon fanatics can pre-order the game right now on the Nintendo eShop.

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News to Know

There are almost always new Pokémon to find and catch, but things are different in New Pokémon Snap. Players won’t be catching the Pokémon, but taking photos from a distance -- much like scientists on a safari.

New Pokémon Snap got its concept from the 1999 game Pokémon Snap on the Nintendo 64 console. In that game developed by HAL Laboratory, players become Todd Snap, a renowned Pokémon photographer hired by Professor Oak to take pictures for his research. Similar to the upcoming game, each shot is reviewed and scored by the professor.

The original Pokémon Snap has been re-released several times. In 2007, the game was available on the Wii Virtual Console; then, it was re-released on the Wii U in 2017. Unfortunately, the original game is unavailable on the Nintendo Switch.

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Things are different in New Pokémon Snap because players will be exploring another region. Each game has a slightly different story and is always in a new region. In the mainline Pokémon titles, the locations have new Pokémon. Still, there is no word on any new Pokémon for New Pokémon Snap. However, the game’s website explains that there are over 200 Pokémon to find during the adventure.

Additionally, the 1999 Pokémon Snap didn’t have an overarching mystery to investigate. The Illumina Phenomena is making its first appearance in the franchise with New Pokémon Snap.

Picture judging is based on a series of factors. Pokémon poses, framing, and size will be important in getting the best ratings. Players will have to try multiple times to catch the pokemon performing special moves.

New Pokémon Snap is developed by Bandai Namco and published by Nintendo. It will be available for Nintendo Switch starting April 30.

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