Taking photographs as a video game mechanic has been a hugely successful tool for many developers. While the Fatal Frame series tapped into some fantastic horror gameplay as the player tried to capture ghosts, Pokemon Snap took an altogether more wholesome approach. Penko Park manages to straddle both camps, with some cute but spooky creatures to photograph courtesy of developer Ghostbutter.
Penko Park is set in the titular park, an abandoned wildlife reserve. Although the park has closed to the public, the player is given the option to go through the reserve with a personal guide and a camera in hand, safe in the confines of a trainride through different sections. There are over 140 different creatures to find, and plenty of the usual video game Easter Eggs and secrets to uncover over the course of the game as the player snaps them all.
If the structure of Penko Park feels familiar, that’s for a very good reason. The game takes the overall skeleton of Pokemon Snap and turns it into a quirky, horror tinged adventure, complete with the rail shooter mechanics through to an end goal that really taps into completionist desires. Its stages are made for being replayed, as the player slowly gets more mechanics to go and find new creatures with the additional tools they gain.
When it comes to the creatures in question, this is where Penko Park really shines. The different animals of the park all have absolutely bundles of character and a cutesy charm that belies their (apparently) dangerous nature, and all species have a fantastic papercraft video game feel. Occasionally some creatures may feel a little too close to some of their neighbors, but overall there’s more than enough variety for the player to enjoy finding them all.
Something that marries perfectly with the visual design are the descriptions given for the different species in Penko Park. In the different sections of the park, the player will be able to get a bit of context for the ways that different species operate, occasionally giving hints on how to see them in different forms. Dark humor abounds as the player learns more about these fearsomely cute creatures, and the game is all the better for it.
This leaves Penko Park with a creepy but cute charm. It’s a hard line to walk, when leaning one way over the other could upset the balance, but Ghostbutter manages to get the blend well. The player won’t come away from the experience scared, but it’s never saccharine enough to lose the edge of witnessing a new species or ghost in a different environment.
When this is combined with the gameplay loop it’s an intoxicating mixture. The player levels up through taking photos and collecting items from the different routes, and then repeating stages as more tools are gained, such as a flute that interacts with the environment and balls to throw for creatures. It is quite simple, even when the player has multiple mechanics to manage, and although some players may find it basic the simplicity makes it a relaxing experience.
In terms of the Switch port and release, Penko Park works extremely well. The game gained a good response from PC players with its initial release, but this Switch version benefits from the portability of the system to make it a fun game to have on the go. There’s also something comforting about having a Pokemon Snap-alike on a Nintendo platform, like a subgenre returning to its ancestral home.
Overall, Penko Park is a real joy. Although its simplicity may leave those after a more complex experience wanting more, it’s an enjoyable photography game with a great setting. And above all else, its various creatures will keep players coming back for more.
Penko Park is out now for PC and Nintendo Switch. Screen Rant was provided with a Nintendo Switch download code for the purposes of this review.
