The Nintendo 64's Pokemon Snap, which was released on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in June 2022, is a photography game rather than a traditional Pokemon battler. The spin-off is fondly remembered, and it eventually even spawned New Pokemon Snap, a direct sequel on Switch.
Rather than type effectiveness and level management, the difficulty of Pokemon Snap revolves around setting up the perfect photo by manipulating the environment. In fact, several Pokemon don't appear at all without deliberate action from the player, and full completion requires a good deal of searching. Overall, the game is simple and accessible, but there are a few hidden Pokemon in the game that take a little extra effort to flush out.
10 Zapdos
The three legendary birds – Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos – all appear in the game as Pokemon eggs that can be hatched. The first two are extremely easy to hatch, requiring only a single item use, but Zapdos is a little more complicated.
First, a nearby Pikachu needs to be lured to the egg's side using Poke Food and then encouraged to shoot sparks with the Poke Flute. Doing so electrifies the Zapdos egg, causing it to hatch. It's not too difficult, but the process takes a couple of steps. Fortunately, there's an abstract clue on the wall nearby hinting at this sequence.
9 Charizard
The ever-popular Charizard makes an appearance in Pokemon Snap, as an evolved Charmeleon. Several Pokemon in the game only appear as evolutions induced by an action from the player. In this case, A Charmeleon patrols around a lava-filled crater at the end of the Volcano.
Throwing something at the Charmeleon will knock it back, and if it falls into the lava, the Pokemon will emerge as Charizard. Charmeleon is a fairly easy target, but the player might balk at knocking a Pokemon into the lava.
8 Muk
It's not hard to trigger Grimer's evolution, but there isn't much indication that Muk exists. Throwing three Pester Balls at a Grimer will cause it to evolve, but each individual hit only makes the Grimer yell at the player, which is normal.
Every other Pokemon that reacts upon being hit shows its effects after the first item is thrown, so players might not try to throw more than one Pester Ball at Grimer. Some pieces of the environment take multiple hits before they reveal their secrets, but these are marked by a flashing hit indicator. The same isn't true of Grimer.
7 Victreebel
The evolution of Weepinbell. This Pokemon appears similarly to Charizard, requiring an evolution triggered by the player. Weepinbell hovers around a pool of water in the Cave and must be knocked in by a thrown item, causing the evolution.
It's still a fairly easy target, but this evolution is a little less obvious than Charmeleon to Charizard. The evolution pool has no special qualities at a glance, and there's more going on nearby to distract the player.
6 Arcanine
At the end of the Volcano, there are three pools of lava side-by-side. Throwing an item into one has a chance to make a Growlithe jump out.
That's a little secretive on its own, but there's an extra secret in those pools: they include a chance for Growlithe's powerful evolution Arcanine to appear as well. Players who discover Growlithe might assume that's all that can appear, and therefore miss out on Arcanine.
5 Dratini
Dratini is a rare Pokemon from the mainline series, and it is similarly hard to come by in Pokemon Snap. In several stages, throwing Poke Food into a body of water can cause a Water Pokemon to leap out. It's usually Magikarp, but Goldeen and Poliwag can appear as well, based on the situation.
Dratini appears in the same way: randomly from the water, but it's rarer than the others, and only appears in the Valley. On top of that, the player has to snap a shot while it's in mid-leap.
4 Scyther
Appearing early on in Pokemon Snap, the only sign the game gives that Scyther exists is a cloud of grass shavings flying above the tall grass on the Beach. Even though it appears in the first stage, however, this Pokemon can't be photographed without first unlocking the Pester Ball.
Throwing one into the grass can annoy Scyther out and into the air. The trouble is, the spot to throw at is extremely unclear. Players could easily miss a few times and assume there's no effect.
3 Gyarados
This classic draconic Pokemon appears as an evolution of the feeble Magikarp. As with the main Pokemon games, evolving a Magikarp takes a bit of effort. A Magikarp flops on land in the Valley, close to a raging Mankey. Knocking the fish towards the Mankey with an item toss causes the latter to throw the former into the distance.
If the first step is done correctly, the player will find that Magikarp later in the level, near a waterfall. Striking the fish a second time will push it into the waterfall, and it will emerge shortly as a furious Gyarados. This is one of the more involved event chains in Pokemon Snap.
2 Mew
As the game's "final boss", Mew can be considered the hardest Pokemon to find in Pokemon Snap. Once its stage is unlocked, Mew is unmissable, but doing so requires the player to find the "Pokemon Signs". Some of these are well hidden, including one requiring the Zapdos sequence mentioned above.
Also, even once Mew is discovered, the player has to land several accurate item throws to get any valid photos, or its shield will block the camera.
1 Balloon Pikachu
This inclusion is a little disingenuous since it's just a variation of Pikachu, but Balloon Pikachu is sometimes treated as its own thing, appearing as a rare card in the TCG and more recently as a rare spawn in Pokemon GO.
It's also tough to activate. It requires the player to strike a flying Zubat with a Pester Ball, releasing the Pikachu it carries. Unfortunately, the Zubat flutters rapidly, close to the roof of the Cave, and requires a lucky throw. The most reliable way to free Balloon Pikachu is to keep throwing until there's a hit.
Pokemon Snap is available on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.