After more than two decades of waiting, Pokémon fans are finally on the precipice of New Pokémon Snap's release. The game is one big homage to that iconic '90s original, a concept which now extends beyond the title's content itself. New Pokémon Snap is now recapturing the moment surrounding the N64 Pokémon Snap too, thanks to Nintendo and Fujifilm's upcoming partnership.

Fujifilm is best known for its line of boutique Polaroid-style cameras that have become quite popular. The brand also makes a small, Bluetooth printer -- the Fujifilm Instax Mini Link -- which connects to smartphones in order to print out Polaroids. Nintendo is collaborating with Fujifilm to re-release the Instax Mini Link with alongside a smartphone app that tethers to Nintendo Switch to print out screenshots with various Nintendo-related filters. While this will work across myriad Switch titles, it's positioned alongside New Snap in an analogous manner to the original Pokémon Snap and Blockbuster Video's printer kiosks.

RELATED: Palico VS Palamute: Who Is a Monster Hunter's Best Friend?

A picture taken of a Squirtle riding a Lapras in New Pokemon Snap

In 1999, enterprising Nintendo 64 owners could get their Pokémon Snap pictures printed as well, albeit in a much more complicated way. Blockbuster Video was equipped with kiosks that, for a small fee, allowed players to slot their Snap cartridge into the machine and print out a batch of in-game photos. At the time, this was a novelty. In 2021, it's a novelty stacked on top of another novelty. The concept of video rental stores is foreign enough today. But, the idea of bringing an N64 cart to that rental store and printing out Pokémon photos is even more arcane.

Regardless of how outdated the notion is, it's a clever chapter of Nintendo history that holds a nostalgic place in many fans' hearts. After all, this is such a natural extension of Pokémon Snap itself, and a rather fun keepsake from a much more analog time. Back then, the notion of taking screenshots, let alone printing them out, was an idea in the Nintendo space that was reserved for only the wackiest gimmicks, like the Game Boy Printer. That does speak to these Blockbuster kiosks being part of a lineage of various Nintendo kiosks actually, dating back to the Famicom Disk System Writer stations and the aforementioned Game Boy Printer, for example.

RELATED: Nintendo Switch: 5 Must Buy Indie Games

While this history is compelling to explore, it's downright exciting to see it contextualized for the modern era. Being able daisy-chain a Switch, smartphone, and Instax Mini Link together to emulate the analog experience is an elegant nod to the original Pokémon Snap. It's an expensive nod, too. Ultimately, at $100 for the printer and another $20 for the Polariods, this is much more expensive than the original $3 Blockbuster fee for a sheet of photos. But people aren't buying into this partnership for its utility per se, but instead to celebrate the cultural moment of the original Pokémon Snap and its rebirth in 2021.

After all, celebration is the theme underscored by New Pokémon Snap. Bandai Namco has a clear understanding of the Pokémon brand, as well as the modern trends that make the release even more poignant. Each time new information about the game has been revealed, from its visual fidelity to its feature set, New Pokémon Snap has become even more exciting. This is obviously a passion project that seeks to bring Pokémon to life, while also revivifying a concept that fans have longed for. Nothing about the title looks underbaked.

To the contrary, the richness of its detail seems like a phenomenal 25th anniversary celebration, particularly in a year when Pokémon's output is proving to be divisive. The entire community is rallied around New Pokémon Snap because it doesn't just pay lip service to its predecessor and its fans' nostalgia. The game pays its respects while modernizing its formula. The announcement of the Fujifilm collaboration is just testament to an attention to detail and appreciation for history that makes Bandai Namco's work even more special.

KEEP READING: After New Pokémon Snap, Pokkén Tournament Deserves a Sequel