It finally happened — after decades of waiting, a brand new Pokemon Snap game is on the way.
The announcement came during last night’s Pokemon Presents broadcast, which highlighted a number of brand new Pokemon games coming to the Nintendo Switch. Though it only ran for 10 minutes, the broadcast had a lot to cover. You can check it out in full below.
Pokemon Smile
First up, we have Pokemon Smile, an app for mobile devices that encourages children to develop good dental hygiene habits. It does this by using your phone’s front camera to create an AR game in which your child must help battle back harmful bacteria by actually brushing their teeth. It’s kind of brilliant and we’re interested to see what kind of impact it makes. You can grab it right now on iOS and Android devices. Best of all? There are no in-app purchases. Everything you need is on-board.
But is it Pokemon Snap? No, it is not.
Pokemon Cafe Mix
Next, we got another game that isn’t Pokemon Snap – a new puzzle game called Pokemon Cafe Mix. Pokemon come to visit your cafe and place orders. You fill those orders by swirling a table of various little Pokemon faces around to get as many of the same kind to connect as you can. Once they connect, they disappear. It’s the same principle as a match-3 game, but you’re looking to string together massive combos. You can also hire Pokemon to join your staff, with each new member offering different stat buffs and special powers. It will be available on Nintendo Switch, as well as iOS and Android. It’s free-to-play but WILL contain microtransactions though, so be careful if you have kids who want to play.
And then, it happened.
New Pokemon Snap
The trailer for New Pokemon Snap featured only short glimpses of in-development gameplay, but it’s already clear that it retains so much of what fans loved about the original. The game remains an on-rails experience, slowly moving players through beautiful and detailed levels full of Pokemon going about their daily lives. Your goal as a nature photographer is to get the best and most dynamic photos of Pokemon behaviour in the wild. We see all sorts of blink-and-you’ll-miss it moments, like a Pidgeot swooping down out of the sky to snatch up a Magikarp in its claws. You are awarded a higher number of points the more action-packed the shot. It’s tranquil and addictive and we’re so glad it’s back.
Decades we’ve waited, gang. Decades. Nintendo promises more details soon, so keep your eyes peeled for future Nintendo Direct broadcasts.
Pokemon Go
Then, we got into Pokemon Go‘s latest updates, including the news that its popular, annual, Go Fest live events will be entirely digital this year and accessible to players around the world. Also coming? Megaevolutions. One of the game’s most requested new features is finally on the way later this year. It’s been a rough year for Pokemon Go — the covid-19 pandemic has removed much of the public’s ability to play the game, which relies on getting outside, being social and going for long treks. To help, developer Niantic has worked to pivot the entire game into one that still works remotely for raiding and catching new Pokes without having to leave the house. How easy will it be for the game to return to normal once the pandemic begins to ease? Time will tell.
Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass
Finally, we have the first of two expansions for Pokemon Sword and Shield, The Isle of Armour, arriving on Nintendo Switch today. If you’ve been itching to head back to the Galar region, now is the perfect time.
