While the central mystery of New Pokemon Snap may not have been resolved (nothing ever is), I like to think I learned a little something about myself and my Pokemon friends along the way. The central mystery of course being "what the fuck are these people talking about?" I gather there was something about a famous explorer, except maybe he didn't get everywhere. There are ruins in a lot of places and sometimes the Pokemon glow. That's fine I guess. I really wish there was actually something to do in the levels with the glowing Pokemon though, those were boring.

I'm surprised at how well this game captures the spirit of the original. There are Pokemon! Hey, take pictures of em! Oooo ahhh! You can throw shit at em and make em do stuff. They can sometimes mess with the course and open up new paths. There are natural puzzles aplenty; the game invites you to experiment and figure out how to manipulate the Pokemon into interesting behavior for high point shots. There's maybe something disturbing there, something Pavlovian, maybe even Slothropian, there, but in game it's a pleasant time. Don't think about it too hard.

The game is better than it has any right to be. Yes, the "story" or whatever is a snoozefest, and in fact ok sure the gameplay in general is a snoozefest. You just take pictures mostly. It's fun though! A chill time.