In one day, fans of Pokemon and fans of photography will be rejoicing when New Pokemon Snap gives them a sequel to the 20-year-old Nintendo 64 game. However, one animator decided to imagine what the first Pokemon Snap game would be like if it were released for the Game Boy Color.
Animated by Tom Brown (also known as @Rotobit,) the UK-based managing of Nintendo Wire, the 212-second long video shows a version of the beach stage (the very first stage in Pokemon Snap) done in the style of a Game Boy Color game. Like the original N64 title, Todd rides around in the Zero-One vehicle as it takes a pre-determined course through the area. However, where the N64 version has players rotating around to take pictures as Pokemon pass by, the demake switches from the traditional bird's-eye-view used in the old Pokemon games to a first person camera when photo opportunities arrive.
To emulate the constant movement of the Zero-One vehicle, the first-person sections have a bar that indicates how much time the player has to take pictures. During this time, they can snap pictures and use classic tools like the Pokemon Flute and bait to get Pokemon to pose for better shots. It's a very ingenious idea, and even some of the more grating noises, such as the voice sample Pikachu uses when he hops on the surfboard, are very nostalgic. It's a shame Nintendo never took the opportunity to try out the Pokemon Snap formula on other systems, but we'll finally get the New Pokemon Snap in just a day.
New Pokemon Snap will be available tomorrow on the Nintendo Switch.