Let’s take a look at an old classic in the Pokémon franchise!
Pokémon Snap is a classic spin-off game for the Nintendo 64. It’s an old classic that many early Pokémon fans remember fondly. However, what many fans don’t know is that it wasn’t always set to be a Pokémon game. So to celebrate twenty-one years since the original game’s release, let’s take a look back at what could have been, what came to be, and just what makes this game cult classic amongst Pokémon fans.
The Premise
Pokémon Snap is a first person rail shooter that was co-developed by HAL Laboratory and Pax Softnica and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. For many Pokémon, this was the first time they would be fully rendered in 3D with 63 potential Pokémon to spot in the game. Prior to this, the only other game with 3D models was Pocket Monsters Stadium, the incomplete “prequel” to Pokémon Stadium. It included 42 Pokémon available for battle. It would not be until the international release of Pokémon Stadium that all 151 Pokémon would be available in 3D. There is some between the Pokémon that appeared in Pocket Monsters Stadium and Pokémon Snap. Out of the 63 Pokémon that physically appear in Pokémon Snap, 20 of them had previously appeared in Pocket Monsters Stadium. Still this left 43 new Pokémon for players to find and view in 3D for the first time.
You play the game Todd Snap. You’ve been invited by the Professor Oak of Kanto to visit Pokémon Island and study its inhabitants. Your job is to study and photograph the Pokémon in their natural environment, since the island is untouched by humans. Todd has been specifically selected for this job due to his occupation as a professional photographer. As Professor Oak puts it, a trainer might not be able to resist catching the wild Pokémon, but a photographer would be able to study them and compile a report on them without disturbing them too much. Todd will be able to use his camera as well as a variety of other equipment like Pester Balls, ZERO-ONE, and the Pokéflute to help him snap photos of the Pokémon on the island.
Todd will venture through various courses on the island and take up to 60 photos per visit. At the end, they’ll select their best pictures to be rated by Professor Oak. Extra points will be given to unique poses such as a surfing Pikachu. In addition, while the player initially starts with a camera, they will unlock new tools as they progress that result in them having to re-explore earlier courses in order to progress further. There’s a total of six courses that can be explored plus a special bonus course at the end of the game. The first item Todd will acquire is an Apple which can be thrown to either stun or attract Pokémon. Later they will acquire Pester Balls which are able to knock out Pokémon or flush them out of hiding. The Poké-Flute is used in a variety of ways, such as awakening, irritating, or hatching Pokémon. It can also cause Pokémon to dance, and it can play three different songs, resulting in different dances from certain Pokémon. Additionally, players can obtain a Dash Engine for the Zero One, allowing the vehicle to accelerate and move faster than normal.
In addition, players could actually access their photos in real life to a degree. For a time, to celebrate the launch of the game, Pokémon Snap Sticker Stations were available at Blockbuster. Fans were able to print out stickers of pictures for three dollars. Interestingly, these booths were also actually compatible with Pokémon Stadium. In a feature exclusive only to the North American versions, likely due to this promotional deal with Blockbuster, fans could take pictures of rental and Transfer Pack Pokémon. Any of the game’s arenas could be selected for a backdrop and the photos were stored in an in-game album. Albeit not the same experience as Pokémon Snap, it certainly proved how popular the photography aspect of the game was, at least in North America.
The History
Pokémon Snap would release for the Nintendo 64 in Japan on March 21, 1999, in North America on June 30, 1999, in Australia on March 23, 2000, and in Europe on September 15, 2000. It was originally intended for the Nintendo 64DD but after the 64DD faced delays, the gay was released on the Nintendo 64 instead. However, what many fans don’t know is that Pokémon Snap was originally an entirely different game unrelated to the Pokémon franchise.
Pokémon Snap originally started as a non-Pokémon game called “Jack and the Beanstalk”. This game, named for the famous fairytale, was originally intended to be released on the Nintendo 64DD, like Pokémon Snap later would be. The game was developed in the Hal Offices and was called “Jack and Beans” by its development team, a name which appears in intro video and credits to Pokémon Snap, likely due to it laying the foundation for the production of the game. Jack and the Beanstalk was revealed in February 1995, but was never really seen or heard from again. It’s unclear why the game was cancelled and very little is known about what the game played like. There is some speculation that the game, Earthbound 64, may have recycled some of the gameplay elements due to both games sharing teams.
What is known though, thanks to an interview with Benimaru Itoh, one of the art designers of EarthBound 64, is that the game was to feature seeds that would grow in real time using the 64DD’s internal clock. It also appeared to have some sort of photography element to it, as evidenced by a later interview with Satoru Iwata. “Originally, Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 system wasn’t a Pokémon game, but rather a normal game in which you took photos, but the motivation for playing the game wasn’t clear.” In addition to providing the framework for Pokémon Snap, some of the concepts from the game also ended up in the Mario franchise. The Super Mario series also features beanstalks which were climbed to reach higher sections of levels. While it’s unknown if this was the intent for the beanstalks in the Jack and the Beanstalk game, it was confirmed the idea stemmed from the same fairy tale.
Eventually, it became clear that the idea behind Jack and the Beanstalk was not going to progress in the near future. Discussion arose on what to convert the game into. Pokémon, at the time, was still relatively new to the world, and was considered a sleeper success. Given its popularity, Iwata and several others decided Pokémon would make for an excellent subject for the game. “We wondered what players would enjoy taking pictures of, and later on we made a somewhat forced switch to taking pictures of Pokémon.” Interestingly, some designers for the game were very displeased with this decision. Many assets that were developed for Jack and the Beanstalk would have to be scrapped or redone due to the original assets not fitting with the theme for a Pokémon game. Among those with negative opinions on the switch was character designer, Masanobu Yamamoto. However, he would later come to state that the change was for the better. “That time, adopting the Pokémon world clarified what we should do and the direction we should head, and I came to like Pokémon, so I felt like that had saved us.”
The Secret to its Success
Pokémon Snap at the time was very successful, receiving overwhelmingly position reviews from sites like Metacritic and GameSpot. It was seen as a relaxing and innovative title, and it was even nominated for a few awards at the time. This has resulted in it having a bit of legacy, where games where photography is a main element, like Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island, often attribute Pokémon Snap as one of their main inspirations. Pokémon Snap’s status as a cult classic is another testament to that. Since then, Nintendo has rereleased the title via Virtual Console for the Wii and Wii U, with many fans hoping it’ll make a return to the Switch as well for the future.
But just what made Pokémon Snap so successful and why, despite its initial release in 1999, does it still feel like somewhat of a modern game? It’s likely due to the core mechanic of photography. While platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat would not come to exist until many years later, Pokémon Snap appeals to the same style of digital photography and manipulation that these platforms do. When posting a picture to social media in 2020, many people go through a great deal of steps and preparation in order to get the perfect photo. This may include putting on makeup, adjusting the lighting, picking the right filter, and finding the right pose. This can involve doing reshoots, changing the angle, and more in order to ensure the best photo possible. Pokémon Snap invokes somewhat of a similar aspect. Players are scored at the end of each course with factors like how unique the pose is, how many Pokémon are in the picture, and if the Pokémon is facing the camera all impacting your score. With items like apples and Pesterballs, players are able to manipulate the scene to their liking, and since the Pokémon run on a bit of a cycle, players can learn their patterns and rerun the courses several times to get the perfect shot. And while at the time, players would go print off their pictures as stickers at a Blockbuster rather than put their photos on social media, to a degree the philosophy is still the same.
This can be further seen through the introduction of photo modes in many video games. Photo modes in games like Animal Crossing New Horizons and Team Fortress 2 allowed players to use pre-existing assets in the game like characters, clothes, and other items to create funny photos, short videos, and so much more. While this is certainly much more complex than Pokémon Snap ever was, this game is the equivalent of a photo mode for a Pokémon game. The Pokémon had been brought to life in this game where they could be seen interacting with their environment and with each other. Whether it was a Zubat carrying a Pikachu, a Charizard emerging from a volcano, or a Meowth being attacked by Pidgey for raiding their nest, these are details that just could not be seen in a core Pokémon game. It gave the creatures personality in a way that still to some degree has not been seen since. In addition, as previously mentioned, the North American versions of the international release of Pokémon Stadium included a photo mode, and while not nearly as elaborate as Pokémon Snap, certainly goes to show the popularity of the game’s core mechanic. It is because of this that Pokémon Snap was able to break the mold and try something innovative which ultimately made it a success.
Conclusion
Since Pokémon Snap, no other game has been released in the Pokémon franchise quite like it. While Game Freak director, Junichi Masuda, has stated he would love to see a sequel for the game in the future, no plans for a sequel have ever been announced. Newer entries in the Pokémon franchise have done their best to emulate Pokémon Snap on smaller scales. For example, in Pokémon Sun and Moon and Pokémon UltraSun and UltraMoon, the RotomDex offers a feature known as the Poké Finder that is very reminiscent of Pokémon Snap. Throughout the player’s journey in Alola, there are various spots the player can stop to photograph Pokémon interacting with their environment. The photos are even scored and players earn points that help to upgrade their photo taking capabilities with better zooms and more. Pokémon UltraSun and UltraMoon also introduced the Alola Photo Club, which is a true photo mode where players can pose alongside their Pokémon and have them strike poses, add stickers, and more. While neither of these are exactly like Pokémon Snap, they are definitely an homage to the game and triggered a sense of nostalgia in many older fans. Pokémon GO has also introduced its own photo mode that through the use of augmented reality, allows players to insert Pokémon into the real world. They can even interact with the Pokémon by petting them or giving them treats, bringing out some aspects of their personalities that you wouldn’t otherwise see in these games. In addition, while the Pokémon Camp feature in Pokémon Sword and Shield is not a true photo mode, the ability to zoom and the Nintendo Switch’s ability to take screenshots, create short videos, and post to Twitter and Facebook allows it to act as a photography experience.
What is so great about the continued introduction of photo modes in games like Pokémon GO and Pokémon Sun and Moon is that it brings to life many Pokémon. One of the common complaints fans have is that modern Pokémon seem to lack personality. While the designs may not be all that different than those of old, the lack of a game like Pokémon Stadium or Pokémon Snap has prevented Pokémon from expressing their personalities and showing the true charms of their design. Yet, with features like Pokémon Camp and the Poké Finder, it provides new ways to discover and witness a Pokémon’s personality that was previously only achievable in a side game. Thus, while we may never get a Pokémon Snap sequel, if future Pokémon games continue to introduce features like these, we’ll still be able to invoke some of the same emotions, personalities, and memories that the original game was known to create.
Until next time, this has been Pokémon Snap, In Review.
Update 06/17/20
Since the original release of this article on May 29, 2020, it has been announced that a new game, “New Pokémon Snap”, is set to be released for the Pokémon Switch. It serves as a sequel to the original Nintendo 64 game and includes Pokémon from all different generations at seemingly their canon sizes. Not much is known about the sequel game thus far, but it goes to show that you should never give up for the hope of a sequel, because sometimes, such an announcement is only two weeks away.
