Pokemon Snap (N64) > Reviews (5)

Pokémon Snap is a game that was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999 – at a time where the Pokémon phenomenon was at its peak around the world. The game put you in the role of a young photographer, Todd Snap (who also makes a few appearances in the actual animated series also) and you are appointed by Professor Oak to take great photographs of Pokémon in their natural surroundings to go along with his scientific research and documentation.

You are given a special vehicle to travel around in, which moves automatically through the levels on a set path while you do your best to take photographs of the Pokémon around you. As well as your camera you also have other items and tools which you can use to make better photographs, some of these must be unlocked and these items are; an apple – which can be thrown to entice and attract Pokémon towards you, a pester ball – a special ball which can be thrown to ‘disturb’ Pokémon, encouraging them to pull certain poses or react in a certain way which an gain you extra points and a PokéFlute – a flute which can be used to play a tune to varying effects to depending on different Pokémon and in different levels.

There is a certain maximum amount of photographs that you can take each level and depending on a number of conditions you get ‘points’ for them when Professor Oak reviews them at the end of each level, the points system can include criteria such as; number of Pokémon, certain poses or situations, how close the Pokémon is and weather the photo is properly composed with the subject in the centre are just some of the things you will be given points for in the rating of your photographs.

After your first level you can use your success to advance to other levels of lots of different terrain and scenarios or you can actually use the items that you have unlocked to find ways into new areas yourself. You can travel to such areas as beaches, tunnels, caves, waterfalls, rivers, volcanoes and even more finding more and more Pokémon to photograph along the way, in beautiful, mysterious and scenic levels available in the game.

The game has a total of 63 different species of Pokémon across all of the levels out of the original 151 species in the series. It would have been nice to have had more Pokémon included in the game as well as more levels across the entirety of it, as it can be considered very short and an easy to complete game. But despite these small setbacks, Pokémon Snap is still a delightful game, which inherits some of the cute, cartoony and pleasant qualities of its origin of the animated series and it’s unconventional, unique gameplay style of virtual photography makes this game a old classic for the classic fad of Pokémon.