Alongside yesterday’s 25th anniversary announcement, Nintendo has now dropped the New Pokémon Snap release date. The sequel to the beloved Nintendo 64 original marks the first time the photography-based Pokémon title will make an appearance on Nintendo’s Switch hardware and is now set for release later this year in April. Head below for more new details on the experience and to take a look at today’s trailer.
New Pokémon Snap release date + details
On the heels of yesterday’s new Pokémon card reprints and the life-size Poké Ball, Nintendo dropped a brand-new trailer for its upcoming on-rails Pokémon experience. Originally announced back in June of last year, we now have a better idea of what to expect from the upcoming New Pokémon Snap release.
The game takes place among the “many beautiful isles” of the Lental region – a new region filled with dense jungles, deserts, and brimming with Pokémon. The “untouched expanses of the Lental region” can be explored inside the new NEO-ONE on-rails vehicle in which players are “auto-driven across various paths on the island, freeing them up to focus on snapping the perfect shots.”
The goal here is to work alongside Professor Mirror and his assistant, Rita, on an ecological survey of the islands and their inhabitants. Sent out on various expeditions across the new region, players must study, take photographs, and learn the mysteries of the various Lental Pokémon, all while filling out their Pokémon Photodex with the highest-scoring shots.
Wild Pokémon are all around and have adapted to thrive in the various environments. They may be seen living in groups patrolling their territory, wandering serenely on their own, flying across the vast sky, or even playing with other Pokémon species.
Players can throw out fluffruit – a tasty fruit found in the Lental region – to draw out Pokémon and watch them eat. This can result in better poses, higher-scoring shots, and even trigger special contextual events.
However, something known as the Illumina phenomenon found all across the island is leaving certain Pokémon and vegetation with a special glow. The strange glowing aura is as of yet unexplained and something players are tasked with getting to the bottom of.
And it won’t be much longer before we all get a chance to find out what’s going on here, as the New Pokémon Snap release date is now slated for April 30, 2021. Pre-orders are now already live at Amazon and elsewhere.
9to5Toys‘ take
Well, the first major Pokémon gaming release of 2021 is now (hopefully) set in stone. As much as it would have been nice to see the game evolve away from the on-rails experience of yesteryear, there’s no denying the success of the original among those who appreciate that kind of thing. Here’s to hoping Nintendo has brought enough new features to the table to have it capture the hearts and minds of Photodex curators in 2021.
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