When it came out, Pokémon Snap divided opinion less than you might think: the press praised an original concept and polished execution, while regretting a short adventure. The public, for its part, had no doubts: the game became one of the biggest hits on the Nintendo 64 in 1999. Here are the scores, the numbers and what remains of it today.
Press scores
| Outlet | Score |
|---|---|
| Famitsu (Japan) | 33/40 |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 14/20 |
| Consoles+ | 82% |
| Joypad | 6/10 |
| Gamekult | 5/10 |
| GameSpot | 8/10 |
| IGN | 7.8/10 |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.25/10 |
| Nintendo Power | 8.7/10 |
| Metacritic average | 77/100 |
| GameRankings average | 75.48% |
The French press is more divided than the American press: Consoles+ and Jeuxvideo.com are enthusiastic, while Joypad and especially Gamekult are far more reserved. Our own opinion, detailed in our review, lands in the happy medium: an endearing and unique game, but quickly finished.
What critics liked
- A fresh idea: many publications stress the unique, refreshing nature of the concept. For the first time, Pokémon are neither captured nor fought: you watch them live. Jeuxvideo.com sums up the game’s appeal by praising creatures it brings to life, when we thought they were made for battle.
- Immediate pick-up-and-play: the viewfinder, the zoom and the items can be mastered in a few minutes.
- Standout 3D: at a time when Pokémon games fit on Game Boy, seeing Pikachu, Charizard or Snorlax in three dimensions, with polished animations, left a mark. AllGame described it as the best-looking Pokémon game released until then.
- The cries from the animated series: GameSpot judged the music decent but above all praised the Pokémon cries, taken from the TV series.
What critics criticized
- Length: six courses and a secret course are finished in a few hours.
- The number of Pokémon: 63 species out of the 151 of the time. IGN warned that big fans were likely to be disappointed by this selection.
- A spin-off? Some, like Kotaku later on, saw it above all as a licensed title meant to ride the wave of Pokémania.
A commercial success
In Japan, Pokémon Snap entered the sales charts at fourth place the week of its release, in March 1999. In the United States, it passed 151,000 copies in three days and became the most-rented game in the country, boosted in particular by the partnership with the Blockbuster rental chain and its print kiosks (see the Pokémon Snap Station kiosks). By the end of 1999, it was the sixth best-selling game of the year in the United States with more than 1.5 million copies; according to the NPD research firm, it was even the best-selling Nintendo 64 game of the year in the country.
In the United Kingdom, it took first place on the Nintendo 64 chart on release, ahead of Perfect Dark. In early 2001, it joined the budget-priced Player’s Choice range. In total, VG Chartz estimates put worldwide sales at around 3.63 million copies, including 2.23 million in North America, 0.68 million in Europe and 0.66 million in Japan.
Legacy
Pokémon Snap has remained a reference point: for years, the press cited it whenever a game let you photograph anything at all, from Beyond Good and Evil to small safari games. Its cult reputation fueled calls for a sequel for two decades. In June 2019, Junichi Masuda explained that a sequel couldn’t simply reuse the same game and would need to find an original mechanic; a year later, in June 2020, Nintendo announced New Pokémon Snap, released on April 30, 2021 on Nintendo Switch.
For the story of the game’s creation, see the history of Pokémon Snap.
