Title: Team Up for Adventure: Discovering Pokémon Snap Together!

Welcome to Catch-Up Crew, where USS Nintendo Life crew members soar through the cosmos and return to engage in a game that a fellow officer overlooked from the past.

We revisited the original WarioWare title last time, but today our voyage takes us back to 1999 when Pokémon Snap debuted on a hefty N64 cartridge. For anyone eager to experience or revisit this monster-themed photography adventure, it’s included in the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack library.

Let’s check who’s on board for this exploration mission before we delve into the details:

• Capt. Jim Norman – light, Excited to be here
• Cmdr. Alana Hagues – light, Ready to take shots
• Ens. Ollie Reynolds – newcomer, Snapping on the job
• Ens. Gavin Lane – newcomer, Just snapped

JIM: Thank you for your support during the Switch 2 meteor shower, team. I believe all systems should be back online and functioning normally again. Are we all accounted for?

ALANA: Checking in, sir!

OLLIE: What’s up!

GAVIN: I’m operating within standard parameters, sir. *twitches*

JIM: Just as I anticipated. The starboard impulse engine is still somewhat unreliable, but it should suffice to get us to our next destination: Pokémon Snap. A quick briefing before we set off. Commander Hagues, this isn’t your first time in the Snap machine, is it?

ALANA: That’s correct, Captain. I’m an experienced Pokémon photographer, having started when I was a little girl. I’ve probably visited about four or five times, and I’ve also ventured a bit further into the Newer machine as well. It’s always a pleasure to revisit these systems, and it’s a perfect source of joy we could use right now.

JIM: Quite alright, Hagues, quite alright. There will likely be plenty of time to elaborate on this so-called ‘Newer’ entry point soon, but Ensigns Reynolds and Lane, neither of you are quite as experienced as our companion, correct?

GAVIN: It’s my first attempt. I’m familiar with the local wildlife, but I’ve never captured any images of them.

OLLIE: Yes sir, it’s my first time as well, sir! Apologies, sir! Please forgive me!

JIM: I might consider granting forgiveness in due time. Seems we should begin with the grand picture (my apologies), then. Pokémon Snap took our classic monster-catching formula in a bold new direction — from battling to photographing. How did you all find the experience this time around (first or twentieth)?

ALANA: I’ll be honest, captain, it took me a moment to adjust to the inverted controls – even with my very familiar N64 controller. But once I got used to it, it felt like slipping into my favorite pair of socks. Very cozy and enjoyable, quite simple, but I knew exactly what I was doing and proceeded to… well, proceed to snap as many great photos as I could imagine. The Beach is a wonderful place to start as well.

GAVIN: Oh man, the stick was the first thing I changed. I completely Abe Simpson-ed my way into the first level before gathering myself and getting out of there into the Options! I simply couldn’t hit anything with the default setup. Sorry, missed the rest.

JIM: I, too, must admit it took me a few rounds to readjust my aim. I have never played with non-inverted controls — there’s something about the nostalgia of the whole experience for me, I suppose — but my first few photos sent to Professor Oak were essentially blurred captures of the sky or sand.

While the rest of us seem to have warmed to the experience, I gather you might not be as ‘into’ the whole appeal, Reynolds?

OLLIE: Excuse me, sir, but this game is somewhat lackluster. I understand how it may have appealed back in the day, but in the year 2025, it just didn’t resonate with me. And I enjoy inverted controls! It’s the best way to play anything first-person, and I won’t hear otherwise. That being said, it’s nice… nice… no. I appreciate that I recognize the Pokémon, but wow, it was silly. Sorry, sir.

JIM: Hm, that request for forgiveness dangles by a slender thread, Reynolds. Perhaps we should shift focus from the bigger picture and concentrate on some of the finer aspects. I agree, Commander, that the Beach is a delightful starting point, but I appreciated the diversity in the environment, sorry, ‘course’ design more this time around. Does anyone have any memorable locations?

GAVIN: I enjoyed the river rides as they made more sense to me than being stuck on a random track along the beach route. The vehicle you’re in is quite handy, though – what’s it called?

JIM: That would be the Zero-One, if I’m not mistaken. Part off-roader, part boat, part hovercar?

GAVIN: We should definitely find a name for the vehicle. Anyway, I only managed to get to the Valley (looks like there’s room for another course on the menu?), but I enjoyed them all. I did think the visuals would have benefited from a CRT display. I love the artistic edges and textures of that technology, but the NSO app really needs an optional filter; they hardly ever look amazing but at least hint at how this might have appeared to someone playing a quarter-century ago.

ALANA: Yes, I agree with Ensign Lane. The camera is… somewhat blurry, so I think a better way to present the pictures (a CRT) could be nice. You can’t overlook the NSO Expansion Pack access. I too appreciated the Valley stage, but my favorite is the Volcano, simply because it features many of my favorite Pokémon, like Vulpix, Arcanine, Charmander, Rapidash… it’s just a charming little excursion. Fewer gimmicks than the Cave or the Tunnel, but I can’t resist enticing the Magmar into battles.

OLLIE: I really enjoyed the Volcano stage too. It made me realize just how huge Magmar is. Why is it so massive?! I also loved the surprise when Moltres bursts from the egg and flies around. It’s pretty cool. But I also had fun tossing apples at Electabuzz in the tunnel and making it go “Bwaaaah!”

JIM: Once you figure out that, generally speaking, ‘throwing apples = good pose’, there’s nothing stopping you from pelting every unfortunate ‘mon on your path. I appreciated how the game increasingly revolves around interaction as it progresses. Capturing great shots is the primary objective, of course, but later stages become all about how and when you encourage a Pokémon to do something special, such as the Magikarp evolution in the Valley.