Course Variations and Branching Paths
Ways New Pokémon Snap Differs From the Original
One of the biggest differences in New Pokémon Snap from the original game is the number of courses and course variations that are available to unlock.
The first game had six main courses and a special final course, with no variations for any of them. New Pokémon Snap, meanwhile, has double the amount of main courses, but it feels like more than that due to the variations on each course that are available.
Every course in the game has a different variant, such as a night version, season change, or Illumina Spot. The Pokémon found in these variants are often drastically different than the ones found in the main version of the course, so much so that it often feels like a brand new area.
In addition to the variations, courses change slightly based on the research level achieved. More types of Pokémon begin to appear that didn’t before, which encourages playing the courses multiple times. Also, branching paths can be found, which takes you to a new part of the course you couldn’t reach before.
None of this was possible in the first game, and it makes the replay value so much stronger.
