New Pokemon Snap’s DLC adds a surprising amount of content

Shrunken Path

This one was the one I was most excited for before I played it and least excited to play once I’ve been in.

Shrunken Path doesn’t show up on the map at first, as it’s a hidden area in the very first stage, the nature park. Go there and scan this tree across from the lake.

From there you shrink down and make your way through the grass. Reviewing this is a challenge though because while you’re shrunken you make your way through the grass, between stones, and through all sorts of places someone normally wouldn’t be able to. But at the same time, it is a claustrophobic nightmare.

It definitely gives you a sense of scale as during the day you’re going on a slow-moving thrill ride as a towering Dutrio terrorizes smaller Pokemon. The Dutrio (along with other larger Pokemon) is so huge that there’s no way to fit them entirely on the screen.

It’s not that there aren’t cool set pieces to it. Getting up close with some Foongus, riding an Emolga’s back, climbing over a sleeping Torterra, all these set pieces are wonderful. But the stage doesn’t give you a lot of room and you always feel shoulder to shoulder with everything around you. And the fact that the fluffruit does next to nothing in this stage as it just bounces off larger Pokemon without them noticing adds to the helpless trapped feeling.

Small photographer, big anxiety.

The other thing I disliked about it is that even after it’s added to your map, it still leads out into the flower field at the end of the nature park. Admittedly, it’s got some new Pokemon in it and a really good way to get a Slyveon up close, but it still felt like a drag every time.

One thing I did find interesting about it though was that Professor Mirror kept going on about how “right now” there’s no way to shrink anywhere but that one spot in a way that REALLY feels like they’re hinting at more DLC in the future.

We’ll see what happens with New Pokemon Snap in the coming year but in the meantime, this DLC is free and my qualms aside, it’s still an absolute joy to play. Get to it.