(Review originally posted on ggapp.io)
Played On: Nintendo Switch
New Pokemon Snap has been a title I've wanted ever since I played the Wii Virtual Console re-release of the Nintendo 64 game in elementary school. Sadly, I feel that the attempts to modernize the game to meet current commercial standards have robbed the game of a lot of the original's charm. The core mechanics of going through what effectively amounts to an on-rails shooter centered on environmental puzzles and experimentation is satisfying but the choice to gate progress around repetitive replays of the level to grind up course experience is such a baffling decision. It takes what should be fun, snappy arcade gameplay centered on environmental interactions and reduces it to JRPG style grinding where you take 100s of pictures of Pidgeot. I quit playing because of that and regret my purchase.
Played On: Nintendo Switch
New Pokemon Snap has been a title I've wanted ever since I played the Wii Virtual Console re-release of the Nintendo 64 game in elementary school. Sadly, I feel that the attempts to modernize the game to meet current commercial standards have robbed the game of a lot of the original's charm. The core mechanics of going through what effectively amounts to an on-rails shooter centered on environmental puzzles and experimentation is satisfying but the choice to gate progress around repetitive replays of the level to grind up course experience is such a baffling decision. It takes what should be fun, snappy arcade gameplay centered on environmental interactions and reduces it to JRPG style grinding where you take 100s of pictures of Pidgeot. I quit playing because of that and regret my purchase.