New Pokemon Snap is an absolutely gorgeous game. While a Switch title is never going to be able to go toe-to-toe with Ghost of Tsushima or The Last of Us Part 2 in terms of raw graphical power, New Pokemon Snap is a game that understands its own artstyle and lovingly renders each and every Pokemon perfectly. Sure, if you look closely you can see the straight edges where there should be perfect curves, and the fur is just a coloured blob rather than anything more textured, but once you accept that you’re looking at a cartoonish interpretation of reality, it all becomes easier to swallow. That acceptance bites the Dustox when it comes to Snorlax’s teeth.
Snorlax is one of nine new characters revealed in the trailer for the next update – you’ll have to look closely to spot the Ursaring – although we know that 20 Pokemon in total will be joining the game as part of the free update this August. We suspected DLC would come eventually, but so soon – and so free – is a surprise. As well as the new ‘mons, there are three new pathways, including a river path that adds a fresh approach to the game, as well as a shrinking mechanic that turns Florio Nature Park into The Island of the Giant Pokemon. No space, but one day soon, maybe there will be.
Related: New Pokemon Snap Should Be A Proper Live Service Game
It’s during our rendition of Honey, I Shrunk the Pokemon Photographer that we spot Snorlax and its weird toothy pegs. For some reason, the two fangs of Snorlax’s underbite are flat, 2D objects that look painted on instead of being tiny 3D cones poking up from its bottom lip. I’ve spent over 50 hours in New Pokemon Snap, and I can’t think of a single design flaw or oversight like this. That should tell you how phenomenal of a game New Pokemon Snap is – even the slightest error is enough to be its biggest misstep.
It should also tell you that I have a bit too much time on my hands, or at least I did when New Pokemon Snap first launched and I abandoned all other life commitments to take a four star photo of Heracross.
On the face of it, Snorlax's teeth aren't a big deal. They certainly aren't going to dampen my excitement for the new update. They're just… odd. What's going on there? So much care has been taken to meticulously craft each Pokemon in Snap – not just their designs, but their behaviours and interactions. The fact you can help out a Lantern by protecting it from Frillish, then be guided by it to a secret den where Lugia sleeps soundly only serves to highlight New Pokemon Snap’s genius. It’s not just that the Pokemon look real – relative to the artstyle – it’s that they behave in realistic ways. Most other Pokemon games shape the Pokemon’s behaviour around the game. They’re all dead keen to battle in the base games – even if we end up abandoning them. Likewise, in Pokemon Unite, they behave like MOBA champions. This is because Pokemon Unite isn’t really a Pokemon game – although don’t call it “Baby League of Legends” either.
Snorlax doesn't undercut this – I'm not going to be so dramatic as to imply that 2D teeth that will be on the screen for about three seconds somehow undermine everything good about New Pokemon Snap. Still, it is a bit odd. Everything else is so inch perfect, and this isn't something I've spotted in the game after engineering a weird scenario – this is front and centre in the trailer.
Maybe this is what Snorax's teeth look like, just two razor thin shards of enamel constantly pressed up against his chubby fat. It doesn't bear thinking about, so I'm going to stop, and begin thinking about all the other cool stuff in the trailer instead. Did you spot the hidden Ursaring? We did. Looks like it comes with normal teeth too.
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