Nintendo announced today that the highly-anticipated follow-up to 1999’s Pokémon Snap, aptly titled New Pokémon Snap, will be released for the Switch on 30th April this year. Nintendo of America announced the release date via its Twitter account, along with a link to trailer and a handful of screenshots of the upcoming game.
Welcome to the Lental region, your destination for adventure in #NewPokemonSnap! Venture from island to island on an ecological survey, building your Pokémon Photodex as you observe wild Pokémon in their natural habitat. New Pokémon Snap arrives on 4/30!https://t.co/S8dzpbVhbc pic.twitter.com/OpQhY7V3O8
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 14, 2021
Players will venture into the brand-new Lental region of the Pokémon world, an archipelago which the official website describes as ‘hold[ing] everything from dense jungles to vast deserts’, at the behest of Professor Mirror. The good professor tasks you with taking photos of the indigenous Pokémon and investigating the mysterious Illumina phenomenon, which causes some of the local flora and fauna to glow.
Like the original game, it seems New Pokémon Snap will be an on-rails photo-’em-up, with your trust vehicle the NEO-ONE following a predetermined path through each area, leaving you to focus on observing your surroundings and setting up the perfect shot. It’ll also feature a similar rating system to the original, where the Professor will give your pics an evaluation based on numerous criteria like the pose, whether the ‘mon is facing you, and the like.
Prepare to see Pokéfriends living side by side again
A crucial difference lies in the scale of the game, though: while the original Pokémon Snap featured a handful of favourites from the original 151 critters from Pokémon Red and Blue, its successor promises over 200 Pokémon to see from numerous generations of the games.
After waiting for half a year since the last major announcement, fans are sure to be excited about this news. New Pokémon Snap opens for pre-orders today and will be released on Nintendo Switch on 30th April 2021.
