One of the biggest strengths of New Pokémon Snap is that it allows players to truly get an idea of the scope and size of the various creatures in the Pokémon world. The shapes and sizes of Pokémon have often been reserved for bullet points in the Pokédex. While some do appear larger than others, scaling has remained largely inconsistent.
Mainline Pokémon games used sprite-based graphics until Generation 6, which saw a shift to a fully 3D art style. The original sprites could not convey the sheer scale of some Pokémon, but the 3D graphics also often struggled to do so, even when Generation 8 brought the franchise to a Nintendo home console with Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Pokémon such as Wailord, Steelix, and Eternatus appear much smaller than their Pokédex entries indicate. In certain situations, some of the largest Pokémon in existence appear no bigger than Pokémon closer to the average. While there are exceptions to this in the spinoff series, like Pokémon Colosseum on GameCube and Pokémon Battle Revolution on Wii, the mainline titles all share this flaw. New Pokémon Snap's focus on photography gives its world plenty of space, finally showing what being around Pokémon might feel like in real life.
New Pokémon Snap Finally Shows Pokémon At Proper Scale
New Pokémon Snap brings a focus on Pokémon beyond the realm of trainer battles and journeys to become Champion. Instead, players chronicle the various creatures of the Lental Region through the lens of a camera. With the game's focus on photography comes an emphasis on realism, which allows New Pokémon Snap to present the creatures closer to the intended sizes. It often uses this newfound realistic sizing to its advantage, creating numerous interesting interactions between Pokémon or with the player character.
Simple examples see smaller Pokémon frolicking and playing in the woods or among the flowers while larger Pokémon stand nearby. Other instances show how some of the smaller Pokémon seek refuge with the larger ones, sleeping in their shadows or even on top of them as a safe haven. Pre-evolved Pokémon can also be seen alongside their fully evolved counterparts, taking on a child-parent relationship with the more advanced forms of their species. The differences in size can also be used to startle players; turning around a corner sometimes reveals an impressively large Pokémon filling up the camera lens.
New Pokémon Snap's presentation of the Pokémon world is an immersive one, and the proper scaling is a key factor in that feeling. By presenting the sizes and models of the Pokémon in a manner more reflective of their fictional biology, New Pokémon Snap gives longtime fans a snapshot of the world that, until now, could only be imagined, due to the limitations or the improperly scaled models of previous entries.