One of the most notable omissions in New Pokemon Snap is the Poke Flute, which played an important role in the first Pokemon Snap game. Much like the mainline Pokemon titles, it could be used to wake up sleeping Pokemon and clear new routes for the player to explore. Just because the flute doesn't return though, that doesn't mean that the mechanic has been totally abandoned.
Not too long after starting New Pokemon Snap, players get the Melody Player upgrade for their research camera and this allows them to play a short tune at the press of a button. It can be used in a number of different ways and can lead to some unique photo opportunities that would otherwise have been missed.
How To Unlock The Melody Player
Before players can get their hands on the Melody Player upgrade, they'll first need to reach research level 2 in the Jungle (Night) course of the Founja Jungle area. After doing so, Todd will tell them about a new feature that he's added to the player's camera, which will allow them to play a short melody by tapping the R button once.
The melody plays for about eight seconds, although can be stopped at any time by simply pressing the button again. There's no cooldown either, meaning that like Illumina Orbs and Fluffruit, the Melody Player can be used repeatedly without any real consequences. That said, it can get a little annoying over time and so it might be a good idea not to overdo it.
How To Use The Melody Player
The Melody Player has two main uses, the first of which is to wake sleeping Pokemon. For whatever reason though, there are certain Pokemon that cannot be woken up by the Melody Player and so players will instead need to throw Fluffruit at them to get them moving. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason when it comes to which Pokemon must be woken by each method, although it's pretty easy to figure out with a little trial and error.
As well as waking sleeping Pokemon, the Melody Player can also be used to get Pokemon to dance. A lot of Pokemon have sections of the Photodex dedicated to snaps of them dancing and so players will again need to play around with the mechanic to figure out which ones do if they're planning to completely fill the Photodex. Not all Pokemon dance upon hearing the melody, although those that don't will sometimes strike a unique pose instead.