Recently ported to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, Pokémon Snap has some noticeable differences when compared to the original game on Nintendo 64. Released to the service on June 24, fans can now play the N64 classic on Switch. This addition is perfect for fans who may have played the 2021 sequel, New Pokémon Snap, and now want to play the original.
When compared to the sequel, the original Snap is a much smaller game. Only including 63 Pokémon from the original Red and Blue games, Pokémon Snap took around 5 hours to complete, a time that was more than doubled by its sequel. New Pokemon Snap even got free DLC a few months after launch, increasing the time players spent with the game even more. However, for players who finished New Pokémon Snap and its DLC, the original game offers plenty more fun photographing Pokémon.
Although it’s just an emulated version of the Nintendo 64 original, Pokemon Snap on Nintendo Switch Online has some enhancements that make it even better than the original game. These small changes improve things like the graphics and some slight enhancements to improve gameplay. While there’s nothing quite on the level of a remaster or remake, these improvements make the new version worth checking out to newcomers to the game and players who grew up with it.
Graphical Improvements Make Pokémon Snap Look Better On Switch
Pokémon Snap‘s release on the service shows how much Nintendo Switch Online’s N64 emulation has improved, after being Nintendo Switch Online’s N64 emulation was inexcusable at launch. Games like Ocarina of Time and Mario Kart 64 launched on Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack service with graphical issues, missing basic features like fog from certain levels. However, those issues are now fixed, and both those games and Pokémon Snap instead look even better than the original games did.
Pokémon Snap looks better than it did on the Nintendo 64 with improvements made by the Nintendo Switch. First, textures seem like they may be a bit upscaled, with models and landscapes generally looking more clear than the original game did. In addition, the game looks like it may even have improved lighting via emulation, as colors seem to pop just a little bit more in this new port. While the game would need quite a bit more improvement to catch up to the visuals shown in New Pokémon Snap, the N64 original looks better than ever on Nintendo Switch, one thing that might make players come back to the game, even if they’ve already played the original on another platform.
Pokémon Snap: Emulation Features Are A Nice Bonus
Nintendo Switch Online features like suspend points are a great addition to Pokémon Snap. Many older games emulated as a part of Nintendo Switch Online put players in a position where repetition is constant after a game over. Especially in games for the NES and SNES, most games worked on a lives system where losing all lives would result in a huge loss of progress. Lives are a system that has been all but completely phased out in the modern game industry, with even retro-inspired games like Shovel Knight doing away with the system. While N64 games still have a few games with lives, Pokémon Snap is incredibly reliant on repetition, which could be frustrating for new players.
At a few points in the Nintendo 64’s Pokémon Snap, players will have to replay a whole course, just to find one more species of Pokémon, or get just one better-performing picture. This made the short game add on a bit more playtime to its short length, a problem New Pokemon Snap relieved after its release. Now, with some Switch Online features, players won’t have to fall victim to repetition nearly as much. Suspend points mean that players can save at certain parts of a course to instantly reload, instead of always having to replay a full course to find one small opportunity that was missed.
However, one thing to note about N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online is that unlike NES, SNES, and Genesis games on the service, there’s no rewind feature. Older 8-bit and 16-bit games tend to be more punishing than those released on N64, so the decision makes sense. It also isn’t a huge deal-breaker with suspend points being able to serve essentially the same purpose, just with a little less immediacy.
Pokémon Snap On Nintendo Switch Online Can Emulate Photo Printing At Blockbuster, With A Catch
One of the most obvious, but still unfortunate, differences between Pokémon Snap‘s original 1999 release and the game’s Nintendo Switch rerelease is that photos can’t be printed from Blockbuster. New Pokémon Snap had photo printing in Japan at participating stores, where players could print in-game photos on-demand. They could choose to print these as regular photos or even as stickers. The emulated version of Pokémon Snap, unfortunately, doesn’t have any features like this.
Despite this, there are still ways for players to share photos from this version of Pokémon Snap with friends. Thanks to the Switch’s screenshot feature, instead of printing these photos, players can at least get their photos shared on social media with Twitter and Instagram by transferring screenshots from their Switch to their phones.
While this feature lets players share their photos with friends, it still doesn’t provide a way to make physical copies of photos. Luckily Nintendo and Fujifilm collaborated on a printer, which was released alongside New Pokémon Snap in April 2021. Even though the collaboration was to tie into the release of New Pokémon Snap, using a smartphone app called “instax mini Link for Nintendo Switch,” players can print screenshots from any Switch game, not just New Pokémon Snap. This means that players can print screenshots from the original Pokémon Snap on Nintendo Switch Online. While this won’t quite be the same as using a kiosk at Blockbuster, it’s likely as close as players can get to emulating the feeling of printing these photos at their local store.
Overall, the Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon Snap is an excellent way for players new and old to experience the Nintendo 64 classic. Graphical improvements help make the game look even better than players remember. Suspend points on Nintendo Switch can help eliminate tedious repetition that artificially lengthened the game in its original version. And, if players are willing to drop some extra cash, they can even use certain Fujifilm printers to recreate the original game’s photo printing. Hopefully, only the first Pokémon spin-off coming to the service, Pokémon Snap is now available on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
