Knowing the control layout can be helpful for working out which buttons you would need to access, when looking at which game to buy. At SpecialEffect we like to break down the control schemes for a range of games, as well as highlight any possible settings and accessibility features which players might find helpful.
Today we’re going to look at the controls needed to play Pokémon Snap, a game exclusive to the Nintendo Switch and also look at the settings and options related to controls, such as the option to use Motion Control, setting Zoom to Toggle or Hold and adjust the control sticks.
The aim of Pokémon Snap is to capture photos of Pokémon in their natural habitats which makes the pacing of the game slower than Pokémon games which have battle mechanics in them.
In this video we will look at the main controls for the main part of the game, the Photo Editor controls and some of the features which can make the game more accessible. The main game involves following a track and using either the left or right joystick to move your camera around and take photos of Pokémon in their natural habitat.
With the default standard button layout, ‘Setup 1’, these are the following controls:
The Left Stick is used to move the camera and navigate through menus.
The A button can be used to take photos and select within those menus.
The B button is used to throw Fluffruit and the X button is used to Scan, or you can press and hold the X button to select your desired route.
The Y button is used to Throw Illumina Orbs.
The R button is used to play a Melody.
The ZL or the Z button is used to Zoom and the ZR button is used to Turbo.
To pause, press the + button.
The Up button on the D-pad can be used to look forward and pressing Down on the D-pad look straight behind you.
Left and Right on the D-pad can be used to navigate through menus or move the camera.
After a research trip you can choose to have the professor assess your photos. The photos can then be added to your photo decks. The Photo Editor mode lets you decorate the photos you’ve taken out in the field.
To start up the editor from the main menu select the Lab, select Your Space, choose Album and pick Saved Photos to edit. Then select Photo Editing.
From here you can choose out of the following options: in Filters you can select the filter to apply to your photo and also select the strength of the filter effect. Press and hold X to compare to the original. As you play the game you can unlock more filter options.
Within Frame Selection there are a range of photo frames you can choose from. As you play the game you will unlock more options and you can use the L and R button to navigate through the pages.
Sticker Placement enables you to apply stickers that you’ve unlocked during your research expeditions. You can select stickers, resize and decorate your photo however you’d like. You can even share your photos online and see other people’s photos and award medals to your favourites.
To navigate through the Sticker Placement Menu you press the X or Y button to flip vertically or horizontally. The ZL and ZR buttons can be used to change the overlap order. The – button can be used to remove the sticker and the A button to apply a sticker.
There are also fine-tuning sticker placement options. Pressing the + button turns fine-tuning on or off in sticker placement. The Left Stick can then be used to move the sticker. L and R buttons can be used to rotate the sticker and the Right Stick – moving it up and down – can be used to resize your sticker.
Pokémon Snap has additional settings which can make the gameplay a more accessible experience for some, depending on your preferences. You can pause the game and access the settings in the Pause Menu when you’re out researching. The game features many camera settings within the Main Settings options.
You can choose to adjust the Camera Speed and the Pointer Speed independently on a scale between 1 to 10. There are also options to adjust the control stick set-up for the left and right joysticks. You convert the joysticks vertically, horizontally or both for each step.
In ‘Preset 1’ the Z button is used for the Zoom function. In the settings you can choose to either hold the Z button to Zoom or you can Toggle it on or off. There are many options which can be useful within the game settings.
You can choose to turn Turbo Mode on via Hold or via Toggling.
There is also the option to turn Motion Control on as well as adjust the Motion Control Sensitivity. Controller Vibration can also be turned on or off in this setting.
Within the Button Menu options the game also features four preset button mappings which you can select by opening Settings and navigating with the R button to the Buttons heading. These are the alternative control sets. Additionally, you can choose to use either joystick to move the camera when on a research expedition.
Pokémon Snap also works with the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. For those who wish to, you can use the Titan Two adapter to use accessible controllers, such as the Xbox Adaptive Controller and use your own choice of joysticks or buttons instead.
Thank you for watching and please get in touch if you have any questions.
At SpecialEffect we like to break down the control schemes for a range of games as well as highlight any possible settings and accessibility features which players may find useful. Knowing the control layout can help to work out what buttons you would need to access to play the game.
In this video we are going to look at the controls needed to play Pokémon Snap [PEGI 3], a game exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. We will also go through the options and settings related to the controls such as motion control, set Zoom to toggle or hold, and adjust the control sticks.
The aim of Pokémon Snap is to capture photos of Pokémon in their natural habitats which makes the pacing slower than Pokémon games that have battle mechanics.
We will look at the main controls for the main part of the game, the Photo Editor mode and some features which may make the game more accessible for some.
Main Game Controls
The main game involves following a track and using either the left or right joystick to move your camera around and take photos of Pokémon in their natural habitat.
With the default standard button layout (‘Set 1’) these are the following controls:
Left Stick = Move the camera (and navigate menus)
Right Stick = Move the camera (and navigate menus)
A = Take Photo/Select
B = Throw Fluffruit/Cancel
X = Scan (hold button to select route/more info)
Y = Throw Illumina Orb
ZL/L = Zoom
R = Play Melody
ZR = Use Turbo
+ = Pause
D-pad Up = Look Forward
D-pad Down = Look Backwards
Photo Editor Mode
The Photo Editor lets you decorate the photos you have taken in the field. To start up the editor from the main menu select Lab, Your Space, Album then pick a saved photo to edit.
Then select Photo Editing. From there you can choose from the following options:
Filters
You can select a filter to apply to your photo and choose the strength of the filter effect. Press and hold X to compare to the original. You unlock more filter options as you play.
Frame Selection
There are a range of photo frames to choose from. You unlock more as you play.
L/R = Move Through Pages
Sticker Placement
You can unlock stickers by going on research expeditions. You can select stickers, resize and decorate your photo however you would like. You can even share your photos online, see other people’s photos and award medals to your favourites.
X/Y = Flip Vertically/Horizontally
ZL/ZR = Change Overlap Order
– = Remove Sticker
A = Apply
Fine-Tuning Sticker Placement
+ = Fine Tune On/Off
Left Stick = Move Sticker
Right Stick (up and down) = Resize Sticker
L/R = Rotate
Settings and Options
Pokémon Snap has additional settings which could make gameplay a more accessible experience for some, depending on preferences. You can pause the game and access the settings in the pause menu when you are out researching.
Game Menu Options:
You can choose to use motion controls to move the camera if you would prefer.
You can also turn off controller vibration.
Camera Menu Options:
You can adjust camera speed and pointer speed on a scale between one and ten.
There are also options to adjust the control stick set-up for left and right sticks. You can invert vertically, horizontally or both for each stick.
Z Button in ‘Preset 1’ is used for the zoom function. You can choose to either ‘hold’ the Z button to zoom or toggle it by opting for ‘Switch’. If you are toggling zoom, press the button again to stop zooming.
Button Menu Options:
The game also features four preset button mappings which you select by opening ‘Settings’ and navigating with the R button to the ‘Buttons’ heading. These are the alternative controls sets…
Additionally, you can choose to use either joystick to move the camera when on a research expedition.
Pokémon Snap also works with a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. For those who wish to, a Titan Two adapter (or an alternative compatible adapter) can be used with accessible controllers, such as the Xbox Adaptive Controller. In this way, you can use compatible joysticks and buttons which you find easiest to access.
If you have any questions about the settings or how to customise the set-up for your needs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the Contact Us page.
Video by: Cara Jessop
Music by: The Meadow – Pizzicato Version by Ian Post, from artlist.io.
Developer Resource:
For more video examples of how developers have improved the motor accessibility of their games, please visit https://specialeffectdevkit.info/
