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Holding a Mirror to Your Work<\/h2>\n
After completing each stage, you select the photos you want to share with Professor Mirror. Each shot is given a rating up to four stars. This is important, as your Photodex can hold one photo of each Pok\u00e9mon at each rating. Once you present your favorite shots to the professor, he\u2019ll score them based on pose, size, direction, placement, other Pok\u00e9mon in the shot, and what the background looks like. You then have the option to replace the current picture in the Photodex with the new one.<\/p>\n
If you feel you could make your shots a bit better with some tweaking, New Pok\u00e9mon Snap gives you the tools to perfect them. Seemingly inspired by the Instagram age, New Pok\u00e9mon Snap allows you to \u201cre-snap\u201d your photos by adjusting the zoom and tweaking the brightness, blur, focal size, and focal point. You can add a filter and even stickers to create comical or cute scenes within your shots. Unfortunately, Professor Mirror will only grade your raw photos, and thus, you can only save the originals to your Photodex. Don\u2019t worry, though, as you can still save the re-snapped photos to your in-game album and share them with the world online.<\/p>\n ![\"New](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/exclusive-new-pokemon-snap-preview-back-behind-the-lens-8.jpg\" "\\"New")
<\/article>\nBased on the photos you provide to the professor, you gain expedition points, which boost your research level for the stage. Once you reach a certain threshold, you unlock new levels for that area and time of day.<\/p>\n
\u201cPok\u00e9mon behavior will change as the research level increases,\u201d Suzaki says. \u201cA new research will start when your level increases to search for the changed behavior and photograph it. The game is also about trying to take a photo of a great moment you missed in the next trip, so if the research level is the same, the research course stays the same in general. But if the research level goes up, you will see many changes such as Pok\u00e9mon that didn\u2019t appear before will start appearing, Pok\u00e9mon that didn\u2019t eat fluffruit because they were being cautious will now eat them, and the pod\u2019s course will also change.\u201d<\/p>\n ![\"New](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/exclusive-new-pokemon-snap-preview-back-behind-the-lens-9.jpg\" "\\"New")
<\/article>\nNocturnal Negatives<\/h2>\n
After chatting with Professor Mirror and further filling out the Photodex, we jump back into Blushing Beach. However, this time, we\u2019re going after the sun sets. As you might expect, the Pok\u00e9mon you spot at night are often different from the ones you see during the day. Even as the character is entering the environment, I spot a Drifblim in the background and a towering Zangoose walks along the path. We throw the Zangoose a fluffruit and get a great shot of of it smiling as it enjoys it.<\/p>\n
As we approach the bush where the Bellossom were during the day, we once again scan the area. The tool tells us something sounds like it\u2019s sharpening a blade. This time, we\u2019re not graced by the playful twirling of the smiling grass-types; instead, a fierce Seviper emerges just in time for a photo. It\u2019s a good thing we scanned early on, as there\u2019s no Exeggutor to block the path at night.<\/p>\n ![\"New](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/exclusive-new-pokemon-snap-preview-back-behind-the-lens-10.jpg\" "\\"New")
<\/article>\nThe night path is the same as the one we traversed in the sunlight, but your opportunities are vastly different. As soon as we go out onto the water, Inkay floats by and we see a Magikarp asleep on the rock where the Pyukumuku was during the day. We could snap a photo of the sleeping Magikarp, but what\u2019s the fun in that? Scanning does little to wake up the sleeping splasher, but by tossing an Illumina orb at it, the Magikarp springs to life, and flips off the rock and into the water. We capture its acrobatics before moving to the next rock.<\/p>\n
This evening expedition presents an Octillery perching on the rock next to a Crystabloom plant. We throw an Illumina orb at the Crystabloom and the octopod reacts by spitting a fountain of ink straight into the sky. We snap a photo, then throw a fluffruit at it and the Pok\u00e9mon waves at us with one of its arms. As we continue to survey our surroundings, I spot a Bellossom and a Zangoose relaxing on the shore, but just above them, a Mareanie looks down off the cliffside, presenting a new Pok\u00e9mon for us to photograph; we don\u2019t waste the opportunity.<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/exclusive-new-pokemon-snap-preview-back-behind-the-lens-11.jpg\")
<\/article>\nWhile we\u2019re out at sea, an icon pops up in between some of the protruding rocks. If you scan that, you\u2019re able to go along a different path through the stage. However, to fully explore how different night and day versions of stages really are, we opt to stay on the main path.<\/p>\n
We return to land to perhaps the most exciting opportunity of my entire demo: Several Sandygast lay hidden beneath the beach, while an Alolan Raichu sleeps on shore next to a chill Octillery. We toss a fluffruit at the Sandygast to get it to emerge. As we pass by, the Raichu awakens, hops on its surfboard-shaped tail, and rides out into the waves. Just before we reach the goal, we lob a fluffruit at a Sandygast next to the Octillery. When the creepy sandcastle Pok\u00e9mon emerges, it gives Octillery a huge fright and the water-type Pok\u00e9mon panics, fleeing out into the middle of the ocean, arms a-flailing.<\/p>\n
This hilarious scene is just an example of how players can not only evoke interesting reactions, but exciting interactions between multiple Pok\u00e9mon in the habitat. The environmental puzzles of New Pok\u00e9mon Snap appear to be just as much fun as they were in the original. Shortly after that, my nighttime run ends, as does my time with New Pok\u00e9mon Snap.<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/exclusive-new-pokemon-snap-preview-back-behind-the-lens-12.jpg\")
<\/article>\nDeveloping Results<\/h2>\n
If what I saw is any indication, New Pok\u00e9mon Snap effectively captures the magic of the original. With a new region, new mechanics, and a vastly expanded collection of Pok\u00e9mon to pull from, I\u2019m excited to see how this entry improves upon the first game. More importantly, I can\u2019t wait to get back behind the lens and document the fascinating sights for all to see when the game is released at the end of this month.<\/p>\n
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