New Pokemon Snap gameplay trailer shows off a surfing Raichu, photo edit mode, and more

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The New Pokemon Snap gameplay trailer dropped during today's Pokemon Presents, and it's as serenely adorable as we expected it to be.

New Pokemon Snap takes place in the Lental region, where you'll ride in a cool little all-terrain vehicle in the jungle, across the desert, and underwater in order to better research Pokemon in their natural habitats. And you'll have some research assistants and Professor Mirror to help you, too, so discovering rarely seen Pokemon behaviors and expressions will be a snap (teehee).

The gameplay trailer shows off some of those never-before-seen behaviors, including an Alolan Raichu surfing. Yes, you read that right, a Raichu hanging ten. You can toss fruit to Pokemon to elicit adorable reactions, or use Professor Mirror's latest invention, Illumina Orbs, to make any Pokemon glow in the dark, which will make your pictures even more magical. Tossing an Illumina Orb even makes Scorbunny's flames change color - it's exactly the kind of attention to detail we were hoping to find in New Pokemon Snap.

As expected, you'll show your photos to the Professor and get ratings for them - capturing a rare moment like a Venasaur belly-flopping into a river will net you four stars. You'll be looking for a variety of behaviors, so make sure to use all the tools at your disposal.

After you take those photos, you'll be able to edit them by adding stickers or frames to make them stand out even more, and then hop online to share them and check out other players' snaps. If your photo gets enough interactions, it'll end up on the featured page, which is basically the same as getting Insta famous.

New Pokemon Snap debuts on Nintendo Switch on April 30.

While we wait for April, why not check out our list of the best Pokemon games?

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.