As the long-awaited release of New Pokemon Snap rapidly approaches in just a few weeks, Pokemon fans can't wait to get their hands on the sequel to the 1999 Nintendo 64 classic. Out of the many Pokemon spinoff series to receive an unlikely sequel, this is perhaps the one that both longtime fans and new fans alike have requested the most over the years.

In New Pokemon Snap, players will explore the Lental region in an on-rails shooter-type game where they snap pics of lovable monsters on a pre-determined path, using the new Fluffruit to attract Pokemon as well as new Illumina Orbs which make Pokemon glow. While the original Pokemon Snap game only included a fraction of the 151 Pokemon that were available at the time, New Pokemon Snap is already confirmed to include over 200 monsters spanning across all generations. Now, the game's director has explained how certain Pokemon made the cut.

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In an interview with Game Informer, New Pokemon Snap director Haruki Suzaki of Bandai Namco explained the difficult process of deciding which of the hundreds upon hundreds of Pokemon to include in the game. Suzaki explained that at the core of the decision was the goal of creating "a world where you can actually imagine wild Pokemon thriving in their natural habitats and ecosystem."

Suzaki further explained the process, saying that thinking about certain Pokemon's natural habitats, landscapes, and climates was the first step. Once they felt they landed on interesting ecosystems, they narrowed their Pokemon choices by "balancing out how different Pokemon would live in these habitats and their relationships within each environment." This includes choosing Water-type Pokemon like Mantine, Luvdisc, and even the Legendary Lugia to reside in Lental's oceans. Finally, Suzaki mentions that this methodology is why a wide variety of monsters can be found within the game, along with lush, alluring environments.

In New Pokemon Snap, not only can Pokemon be seen interacting with their surroundings, from a Liepard basking in the sun, to a group of Aipom swinging through trees, but also with each other, like a Pidgeot swooping up a Magikarp for a quick meal, and a Heracross duking it out with its sworn rival Pinsir. After Pokemon Sword and Shield disappointed some fans graphically, many are excited to see such attention-to-detail in a new Pokemon game.

The Pokemon franchise celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Apart from other celebrations like the P25 Music program and a Pokemon TCG Happy Meal promotion, fans also look forward to the upcoming MOBA Pokemon Unite, the release of 4th generation remakes in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl later this year, and the open-world action RPG Pokemon Legends: Arceus next year.

New Pokemon Snap releases for Nintendo Switch on April 30.

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Source: Game Informer