If Tepig’s In New Pokemon Snap, A Kalos Starter Better Be There Too

It’s the only region with zero starter representation

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Last week, it was revealed that New Pokemon Snap will be adding three new levels as part of a free update. During that reveal, we saw nine Pokemon – eight positioned fairly obviously, and a hidden Ursaring. At the weekend, we got a brief preview of one of these three levels, though not the river or shrunken levels, the two more exciting ones. In it, we saw Tepig right at the start, which means there are now ten Pokemon revealed out of the 20 due to arrive tomorrow. Man, one of the other ten had better be a Kalos starter.

Kalos is the only region with zero starter representation across the base game. New Pokemon Snap does a brilliant job of telling its stories, and overall, it’s hard to get too annoyed with it even if your favourites miss out. No Gyarados in the whirlpool seemed like a bait and switch, but it’s for the best that Snap doesn’t play favourites.

Popular ‘mons like Dragonite, Dragapult, Zapdos, Garchomp, Lucario, Mewtwo, and Snorlax get left out, although the latter is joining in the update – albeit with stupid teeth. This approach gives lesser known ‘mons a chance to shine. There are no bad Pokemon, after all.

Still, the Kalos starters get the shaft. Starters hold a special place in the Pokemon hierarchy, and to have one region miss out entirely seems unfair. Kanto, as you’d imagine, gets some good rep – the first and final stage of all three starters make the game. Johto is surprisingly light by comparison, with only Typhlosion and Illumina Meganium, although Feraligatr will be arriving in this week’s update.

From Hoenn, Torchic is one of the easiest starters to find, while Swampert needs the most engineering to get a four-star pic, so it feels like there’s more Hoenn rep than there actually is. For Sinnoh, we get Piplup and Monferno, the latter being the only mid-stage starter in the game. Unova gets Serperior and is about to get Tepig, while Kalos, as we know, gets nada.

Alola, for being a recent gen, is rather hard done by as well. Just Primarina makes the cut from the island starters, although it does have perhaps the best photo opportunity of the lot. From one island to another, albeit a far less glamorous one – Galar. Of the British inspired region, all three initial forms are in the game, with Grookey being the very first Pokemon you snap, and Scorbunny not far behind. Some regions are more represented than others, but the Kalos erasure is baffling.

Kalos has some strange starters. Of the nine (each three has three stages), only one is universally popular – but it’s Greninja, the only starter that challenges Charizard’s global popularity. Greninja feels like a huge oversight, and not having them in the trailer to entice us back either suggests it’s not there, or that the developer has huge confidence in the update and is willing to spring a surprise.

Kalos shouldn’t be Greninja or bust, though. I will admit, I hate the Chespin line. The first two stages look like they’re wearing a costume, while the third looks like a Transformer from a time before technology. Still, New Pokemon Snap changed my opinion about so many other Pokemon for the better, so the Chespin line deserves that chance too.

Then there’s the Fennekin line. With Greninja around, other Kalos ‘mons don’t really have a chance, but it seems like Fennekin is more in need of an image rehabilitation than most. While I vastly prefer it over Chespin – and Froakie, Greninja is overrated – Fennekin is not particularly popular. All the more reason to leave it out, right? But then, did you see what made the cut?

Braixen, the mid-stage evolution, is available in Pokken DX, and while that doesn’t guarantee Snap entry (just ask Garchomp and Lucario), it feels strange that it’s been abandoned entirely. It’s unpopularity seems to derive from, as well as the presence of Greninja, it’s more feminine stylings and its humanoid shape. Of all the starters to make Snap’s base game, none of them are the more humanoid ones, so if Fennekin wants in, it may need to do so as its first stage.

Greninja seems the most likely. The river level suits it, whereas it’s hard to see where Chespin or the rest of its line would go. Fennekin may fit in the wasteland level, but then Tepig is already there. Two first stage Fire starters in the same level feels unlikely. As usual, Kalos is pinning all its hopes on Greninja. Hey, it’s worked before.

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