Although New Pokemon Snap does a fairly good job of explaining its basic gameplay mechanics, there are a lot of things that players are left to figure out for themselves. Learning how and when to use items and making the most of the other tools provided to them will be essential for those hoping to fill out their Photodex, as too will being constantly aware of what's going on around them.
Much of the challenge in the game comes from how quickly things can change and how much impact players can have on their surroundings. Getting distracted can therefore mean missing out on some interesting photographs, while focusing only on the road ahead can also put players at a huge disadvantage.
10 Submitting Duplicate Photographs Before New Ones
One of the frustrating things about New Pokemon Snap is that the game only allows players to submit one photograph of each Pokemon for review at the end of a run. There's no indication given as to what score the photographs will get, although the game does tell players the star level of each of the available options. Many rush to submit three and four star pictures, but this isn't always the best approach.
In order to complete the Photodex entry for a particular Pokemon, players will need to submit a photo for each of the four star levels available. With this in mind, they should refrain from submitting photos from a star level that they've already turned in if they have the option of submitting one from a new star level instead.
9 Not Using Both Analogue Sticks To Move The Camera
When using the default settings, moving the camera around can be incredibly slow which can often lead to players missing out on some great photographs. It is possible to increase the camera speed in the game's settings menu to mitigate the problem, although this can often make finer camera movements a lot more difficult to pull off.
What many players might not realize though is that the left analogue stick can be used in tandem with the right one to speed up camera movements; arguably offering the best of both worlds. At times when players want to line up the perfect shot they can simply use a single stick, but can use both whenever they need to turn around quickly.
8 Raising A Course's Research Level Too Quickly
Acquiring enough research points in a course will eventually lead to the player's research level increasing for that area. Not only is this required for progression at certain points in the game, but it also makes various changes to the course as well. This could be something as simple as altering the starting positions of certain Pokemon, although in some cases, it actually swaps them out entirely.
This means that rushing through a course simply for the sake of progression can often mean missing out on certain Pokemon. It is possible to revert back to previous research levels if needed, but this isn't something that most players will ever think to do. As such, it's best to take things slowly and be sure to focus on every part of a course the first few times around.
7 Replaying Courses Multiple Times Before Unlocking Items
As players progress through New Pokemon Snap, they'll unlock new items and mechanics that will allow them to photograph brand new Pokemon and capture unique poses that they would otherwise have missed. This could be as simple as hitting a Pokemon with an Illumina Orb to make it glow or using Turbo to get ahead of a fast-moving Pokemon and get a picture from the front.
With this in mind, replaying a course multiple times without having all of the items unlocked can be a big waste of time for those hoping to fill out their Photodex. Each part of Lental has its own Illumina Orbs, for example, and so it's generally worth waiting until after these have been unlocked before returning to a course.
6 Spending Too Much Time On A Single Photograph
It can be very easy to get distracted by a photogenic Pokemon, particularly if it's doing something interesting. This can often mean missing out on some other great photographs, however, especially in courses with a lot going on in them.
There are plenty of secrets hidden away throughout New Pokemon Snap, many of which are very easily missed. With this in mind, it's a good idea to avoid spending too much time trying to photograph a single Pokemon, especially if they've already been captured on film at least once.
5 Focusing On What's Happening In Front Of The NEO ONE
Being aware of one's surroundings is an important part of New Pokemon Snap as there are certain Pokemon and events that players only have a split second to capture on film. This means that if they're not already looking in the general direction, they're probably going to miss out on some high-scoring and unique photos.
There are numerous points throughout the game when Pokemon approach players from behind and so it's always good to check around from time to time. The NEO ONE will even slow down a little while players are doing so, so there's no real downsideto doing so. It's also worth looking up every once in a while too, as there are quite often interesting things to see in the trees and skies above.
4 Neglecting Size
Each photograph submitted to Professor Mirror at the end of a run is given a score based on a number of key categories. Getting the Pokemon facing the camera or striking a unique pose can go a long way to increasing this score, but these criteria are nowhere near as important as size.
In order to get a diamond rating, a photograph typically needs a score of 4,000 or above. Given that size can contribute as many as 2,000 points towards this total, players should focus on this before worrying about anything else. As long as the Pokemon's full body is in the shot, it's very much a case of the bigger the better.
3 Not Taking Enough Photographs
Although taking the perfect picture of each Pokemon in all four poses will be the ultimate end goal for completitionists, this isn't going to be possible the first time around. Each course will need to be revisited on multiple occasions and so players should keep that in mind in their initial playthrough.
In the interest of progression, a terrible photo of a Pokemon is better than no photo at all. Even if the Pokemon is way off in the distance or obstructed by the scenery, it will still be registered in the Photodex if submitted to Professor Mirror at the end of the run. There'll be plenty of opportunities to get a better one later on.
2 Not Using Scan & Items Enough
One of the great things about New Pokemon Snap is that players are given an unlimited amount of Fluffruit and Illumina Orbs and can use both the Melody Player and Scan features as often as they like. The latter, in particular, can be pretty useful; not only as a way of discovering some unique Pokemon poses, but also in finding alternate routes in courses.
Players should be scanning and using the Melody player fairly regularly on each run as well as launching Fluffruit and Illumina Orbs at anything that looks like it might react to it. Most Pokemon have unique photo variants for when they're eating or hit with fruit and many Pokemon have interesting reactions to being hit with Illumina Orbs.
1 Allowing Requests To Pile Up
Although things start out fairly slowly, requests will start coming in thick and fast as players make their way through the game. Some of these can be a little difficult to fulfill, but it's definitely worth trying to turn them in whenever possible as they can really help with filling out the Photodex.
Requests are typically tied either to finding new Pokemon or figuring out how to take a four-star photo of one. They're not all straightforward, unfortunately, but the clues and images provided should be sufficient most of the time. When they're not, a little trial and error can often go a long way.