The Nintendo Switch’s New Pokémon Snap is the long-awaited sequel to the popular photography-based Pokémon spin-off. Pokémon’s brand continues to dominate, whether it’s in regards to the classic video games, its popular anime series, or the Trading Card Game, feature films, or any of the other innovations that have been instituted since the series’ debut. One of the biggest changes to the Pokémon series is the sheer amount of creatures that are now a part of the Pokédex.
There are nearly 1,000 unique Pokémon in existence, and while New Pokémon Snap works hard to show off a good deal of variety, there are only 214 Pokémon that make the cut. Many of these selections represent the franchise’s most beloved Pokémon, but there are still some unnecessary additions that don’t add very much to the experience.
10 Vivillon Turns Into A Persistent Nuisance
Anyone that’s played New Pokémon Snap has a picture of Vivillon. It’s the training wheels Pokémon that is quick to appear and can be found in every course, which makes it the most common Pokémon in the game. Vivillon is an ordinary Bug- and Flying-Type Pokémon that first appears in Generation VI’s Kalos region.
It’s pretty, but there’s no reason that it should receive the level of attention that it does in New Pokémon Snap. There are enough comparable Pokémon in the game, which make Vivillon feel even more unnecessary.
9 Wurmple Isn’t Exciting Enough To Justify Its Inclusion
There are a wealth of Bug-Type Pokémon, many of which feel disposable because they’re rampant in forest regions and usually not very powerful. Wurmple is a meager Bug Pokémon that first shows up in the Hoenn region and can be found in New Pokémon Snap’s Florio Nature Park course, during the day.
New Pokémon Snap understandably needs to feature some of the less exciting Pokémon, but Wurmple just feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps if the Pokémon had more exciting interactions with its environment, but it doesn’t.
8 Magikarp Is Turned Into Even More Of A Punchline
Magikarp has always been a bit of a joke in the Pokémon world, but that’s what makes his evolution into the frightening Gyarados all the more effective. Magikarp is plentiful in New Pokémon Snap and he’s often being carried off by some Bird Pokémon as a tasty meal.
This is cute, but ultimately doesn’t feel like enough since New Pokémon Snap doesn’t follow through and also include Gyarados. Magikarp’s appearance in the original Pokémon Snap is a classic because of how it incorporates Gyarados, but that’s lost here and makes Magikarp feel more useless as a result.
7 Caterpie Is Another Uneventful Pokémon That Doesn’t Generate Excitement
Caterpie is one of the original 150 Pokémon from the Kanto region and it definitely serves a purpose back during that simpler time. However, there are now so many more exciting Pokémon to choose from that something like Caterpie feels unnecessary when other Pokémon like Mewtwo or Snorlax don’t make the cut.
Caterpie functions like the yin to Wurmple’s yang here, right down to how it’s also found in Florio Nature Park, but at night. There are enough forest-centric Pokémon that Caterpie doesn’t need to pad things out.
6 Starly Is A Generic Bird Pokémon That Doesn’t Earn Its Keep
One of the most prevalent varieties of Pokémon are Bird Pokémon and there are so many designs that riff on existing aviary or craft completely original ideas. Starly is a cute and harmless Flying- and Normal-Type Pokémon from Generation IV’s Sinnoh region.
In the context of Generation IV, Starly feels bland, but this is accentuated with how many other Bird Pokémon New Pokémon Snap could have turned to instead of such a generic choice. Starly is a friendly presence in the Research Camp course, but that’s just not enough.
5 Rattata Is A Reminder Of Encounter Rate Frustrations
Rattata might deserve some respect since he’s been around since the very first Pokémon titles, but that’s also why it feels like such an outdated Pokémon that no longer brings enough to the table. Rattata shows up in the Research Camp course and players may experience a brief moment of nostalgia before they’re reminded of Rattata’s annoying encounter rate from the main games.
There could have been some interesting ideas that were done with Rattata, but in the end it doesn’t amount to much and is one of the more forgettable Pokémon encounters in New Pokémon Snap.
4 Metapod Remains Useless In Whatever Pokémon Game That He’s In
Metapod is a Pokémon that's been easy to hate ever since the days of the Kanto region. The Pokemon is transitory between Caterpie and Butterfree and plays on the idea of a metamorphosis chrysalis. Metapod is endearing in an odd way, but he's just as useless in New Pokémon Snap.
Metapod shows up in Founja Jungle during daytime, but it's a fleeting appearance that emphasizes how little Metapod can do. Active Bug-Type Pokémon is the better approach to take because Metapod feels more like set dressing.
3 Inkay Blends Into Its Underwater Environment
If there's any type of Pokémon where there's as much excess as Bug and Bird Pokémon, it's definitely Fish Pokémon and other aquatic creatures. Inkay draws inspiration from a squid and the Dark- and Psychic-Type Pokemon first appears in Generation VI and has surprising depth.
However, New Pokémon Snap squanders Inkay’s potential and it feels quite perfunctory beyond the illuminated aspect of the Pokémon, which plenty of other aquatic Pokémon also convey. Inkay is featured in most of the water-based courses, which only makes it feel like it’s there to fill in empty spaces rather than a practical application.
2 Luvdisc’s Romantic Gestures Fall Flat At The Bottom Of The Sea
Luvdisc is a Water-Type Pokémon from Generation III that often slips through the cracks because of its odd and minimalist design. Luvdisc isn’t automatically a waste of a Pokémon, but it has to be applied in a clever way.
A pair of Luvdisc can create a sweet photo, but this temporary high pales in comparison to the many other water-based Pokémon that could play a more active role. Luvdisc can only be found in Lental Seafloor’s Undersea region and its Illumina Spot, which hides the Pokémon away, too.
1 Minior Plays Like A Light Show, Not A Pokémon
There have been some exceptionally creative Pokémon designs from over the years and Minior is a Rock- and Flying-Type Pokémon that’s a more recent addition from Generation VII. Minior is discovered in the Alola region, but its roots are extraterrestrial in nature since its more colloquially known as the Meteor Pokémon. Minior come in different colors, which New Pokémon Snap showcases in its Sweltering Sands course at night. The Minior are appreciated, but not enough is done with them and some seriously exciting constellation-type ideas could have been implemented or using them as a marker system.
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