Pokemon Snap for Nintendo Switch Review (2021)

Say 'Cheese', baby! The beloved nineties classic Pokemon Snap was at long last released for Nintendo Switch on April 30th 2021. Originally played on the iconic N64 back in the day and having had low-key forays on various Wii consoles, the hype for Snap to be rebooted for the portable Switch has been... immense.

Allow me to take you back briefly in time, dear reader, and transport you to a world where the pop culture phenomenon that is Pokemon exploded like a Graveler with Self-Destruct on to the unsuspecting youth. 

Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow for the handheld Nintendo Game Boy were hotter than a pissed off Charizard and the franchise was producing more merchandise and spin-offs than a Ditto in a Day Care produces Eggs.

Pokemon Snap launched in Japan in 1999 with its Western release in 2000. Snap was a basic first person shooter game. Except you shot the Pokemon with a camera. Focusing on Todd Snap - an earnest young voyeur who made numerous cameos in the hit television spin off series. You, as Todd, travel around a small island by jeep taking photos of the denizen Pokemon, advancing through the game based on the quality of your photographs.

(A little bit like a less depressing version of instagram but with more Jurassic Park tendencies.)

The original Snap was a low-effort high result game that was as addictive as it was endearing and enjoyable. Despite being bound by the game's Jeep/One Way Rail system, there was still a level of on-the-ground immersion in the world of Pokemon never before experienced.

Getting to interact with the Pokemon that you previously only battled with now in a non-combat environment was a delight. Seeing your favourite critters up close in their habitat acting goofy or kawaii was a real mood lifter. And after the last year, it's fair to see the mood of the globe needs to be lifted!

Enter 2021 and the eye-melting stunningly pure graphics of the Switch. A game as treasured in the nostalgic hearts of nerds across the world as Snap always poses difficulties for reviewers. Are we praising it unfairly for Nostalgic Purposes? Or are we critiquing it too harshly for Nostalgic Purposes?

After 72 hours of straight playing I can honestly say that your precious childhood memories are safe! While the story has been lightly updated and new characters introduced, this game only benefits from the advanced technology. 

The region has been expanded upon, the PhotoDex now contains a greater variety of Pokemon from later games and not just the first 151 and the fluid game play allows for hours of your time to be frittered away on this whimsically wholesome game. Pester Balls are now Fluff Balls and the good old Jeep is a space age Neo One teleportational pod. Also, the tender friendship between Pichu and Grookey is the most healing salve for the soul out there.

My only quibbles with the game would be the ridiculously long loading lag between scenes; also the fact that there seems to be a fault in the camera recognition when deliberately snapping specific items or Pokemon and it logs as an un-recognisable/unusable in the PhotoDex. 

I'm sure you can imagine that there will be quite the online forum feeding frenzy later in the year the closer we get to the Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl re-boots, so for now, just sit back, forget your many crushing worries and enjoy the gentle Neo One ride through the opulent and verdant Lentil region.

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Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX Review

Alola, PokéNerds! Welcome to this week’s Straight Outta Kanto blog post. Straight Outta Kanto is Ireland’s number one spot for Nerd Culture, Nightmares and Nostalgia.

Answer me these questions three and find out what Pokémon you'll be...

You all know by now that here at Straight Outta Kanto we are hardcore GenWunners and devoted beyond reason to Game Freak, but even we've had trouble staying loyal of late. Lack lustre, incomplete feeling, rushed, half-hearted releases by Game Freak on Nintendo Switch have left us wondering whether there is any hope for the future of Pokémon!

And then along comes Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX - the first new Mystery Dungeon game in four years. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX is like that one last game-changing Full Restore you spam during those final crucial moments in your battle against the Pokémon Champion. There is hope!

Anyone familiar with the Mystery Dungeon spin-off series of the Pokémon games will consider the storyline to be fairly standard. You are a human who has been magically transported to the un-named Pokémon world to help save the day for various apocalyptic reasons.

You answer a quiz at the start of the game to determine what adorable Pokémon avatar you will embody for the course of the game. You also get to select your goofy but earnest Pokémon partner. You and said partner build a small base-camp and become stalwart members of the Pokémon community - helping out local neighbours and merchants by going on adventures, or, "explorations" in "dungeons" and generally saving the day.

You participate in these explorations for monetary/material rewards, add new members to your exploration team and advance through the Pokémon exploration ranks. There are addictive side-adventures to keep you occupied as well as the quests that further your progression through the main story line.

As I said, the story line is fairly basic and contains less plot-twists and content than previous Mystery Dungeon games - for example, the epic and heartbreaking Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness. That being said, it's still engaging and tear-jerking at times.

The endearing soundtrack and unique, charming, almost crayon drawing style of the animation gives a familiar game a refreshing face-lift. There is a huge amount of content and areas in the game - both as you play the main plot and post-game.

The "dungeons" are challenging and rewarding once completed but not soul-destroyingly grinding like in previous games. (They at least have the decency to leave most of the grinding misery for the post-game!) Increased battle functions and options make adding new team members and battling with them in the field more user friendly.

A more in-depth story to make the game feel less like a series of fun mini-games would be my main complaint. To be frank, this game is one of the few things that has kept me sane this last month during the Covid-19 lockdown here in Ireland.

Yes, the game contributes nothing majorly new to the Pokémon franchise, but playing it is like a comfortable and reliable encounter with an old friend. It definitely sucks you in and engages you for hours at a time so it's release during this turbulent time was ideal! It's also the best Pokémon release for Nintendo Switch.

4/5  PokéBalls.

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