Systems don't work perfectly, particularly the algorithms that determine points and star categories. These changes sound small but, like changing the piece shapes on the same puzzle set, drastically change strategy. That can be new Pokemon, the same Pokemon behaving differently or slightly different routes opening up. All the points Professor Mirror gives you for capturing shots count toward leveling up each stage, and each new level-up brings new elements. To keep gameplay fresh, the level designs often change. On your third or fourth playthrough of a level, you'll find that the same Pokemon you gawked at the first few times was merely a diversion and that an even better shot was to the side or behind you the whole time. Big, irresistible Pokemon shepherd your gaze from one area to the next, but the screen is often filled with multiple moments worthy of capture. It's not just that the game is often beautiful, it's also effective at guiding your attention. Each stage is an intricately designed set piece. That brings us to the real MVP of New Pokemon Snap: level design. All four photos of Grookey are similar, yet all were classified differently by the algorithm. Sometimes the difference can feel arbitrary. And it mostly works well: Replaying the same levels looking for different angles of the same Pokemon or trying to elicit different reactions has an addictive quality. To that end, you're given a variety of tools - throwable fruit, lumination orbs, a scanner and a music box - to capture Pokemon in different actions and from different angles.Īll of this tomfoolery is just a pretext to get you paying attention to details. Different actions, different star rankings. Each star represents different action: A photo of Pikachu sitting quietly may be one star, eating fruit may be two stars, letting off a thunderbolt three stars, playing with a Pokemon friend four stars. The Photodex categorizes shots on a four-star scale.

Mirror will evaluate your photos at the end of each level, giving you points based on factors like how large the Pokemon is and how centrally it's focused. At the beginning Professor Mirror - for there is always a Pokemon professor - gives you a Photodex, which you'll fill by taking photos of Pokemon. Your vehicle's movement is fixed, so your only job is to look around and take photos.

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