One of the biggest changes in New Pokemon Snap is the introduction of a new item called Illumina Orbs. They play a huge role in the game's story and can be used in a number of different ways throughout the game. While some of these are explained to players by Professor Mirror and other members of the research team, there are one or two things that they'll be expected to figure out for themselves.

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Although the Crystabloom flowers needed to unlock the orbs can be found from the very beginning of the game, it's not until after players have completed Florio Nature Park that they'll gain access to the orbs. From there, they'll need to experiment with them a little in order to figure out when, where and how exactly they can be useful. As is often the case though, it's perhaps a lot faster and simpler to just read up on the orbs a little beforehand.

How To Unlock Illumina Orbs

Unlocking Gold Illumina Orbs in New Pokemon Snap

Unlike Fluffruit, Illumina Orbs need to be unlocked for each of the game's islands. There are six types in total and each one has its own distinct color. In order to gain access to them, players will first need to find and photograph special glowing Crystabloom flowers and glowing Pokemon and then hand in the photos to Professor Mirror. After doing so, a new type of Illumina Orb will be unlocked.

  • Yellow Illumina Orbs (Belusylva Island) - Photograph the glowing Crystabloom in the Jungle (Night) course.
  • Blue Illumina Orbs (Florio Island) - Photograph the glowing Crystabloom in the Jungle (Night) course.
  • Green Illumina Orbs (Voluca Island) - Photograph the glowing Crystabloom in the Sands (Night) course.
  • Pink Illumina Orbs (Maricopia Islands) - Photograph the glowing Frillish in the Undersea course.
  • Purple Illumina Orbs (Durice Island) - Photograph the glowing Crystabloom in the Snowfields (Night) course.
  • Gold Illumina Orbs (Aurus Island) - Photograph the glowing Crystabloom in the Ruins course.

Illumina orbs are used in much the same way as Fluffruit, with players simply needing to point their camera where they'd like to throw it and then press the Y button. They don't tend to fall anywhere near as much mid-flight though, so there's no need to aim high in most situations. There's also no limit to how many can be thrown, meaning that players can launch them pretty rapidly without having to worry about running out.

How To Use Illumina Orbs

There are a number of different uses for Illumina Orbs, but the main one is to make Pokemon glow. Not only does this make photographs taken in nighttime courses look much better, but it can also lead to some unique Pokemon poses as well. The orbs have a slight area of effect and so a direct hit isn't always necessary, although it's best to aim for one just in case.

Unlocking a new route using Illumina Orbs in New Pokemon Snap

Sometimes, hitting a Pokemon with an Illumina Orb can also make them attack nearby Pokemon or, in some cases, open up new routes in a course. One such example can be found in the Undersea area of the Lental Seafloor, where hitting a Clawitzer with an orb at just the right moment will make it destroy a boulder and open up a path to the Ancient Ruins that are hidden deep beneath the usual route. There are times though when players don't actually need to target Pokemon with their orbs at all.

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Scattered throughout many of the courses in New Pokemon Snap are a special type of flower called Crystablooms. When hit with an Illumina Orb, they will light up for a short period of time and this can have a number of interesting effects. Glowing Crystablooms can attract new Pokemon or encourage existing ones to act in unusual ways. In some cases, lighting them up can also lead to special Pokemon showing up at the end of a course.

An Illumina Pokemon in New Pokemon Snap

The final use for Illumina Orbs can be found in the special Illumina Spots and once again involves throwing them at Pokemon. Unlike regular Pokemon, the Illumina Pokemon found in these areas cannot be photographed when they are not glowing. As a result, using Illumina Orbs is typically the only way to photograph Illumina Pokemon, although some of them will need to be hit with a Fluffruit before players can throw orbs at them.

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