Penko Park

Despite its repetitiveness and short length, Penko Park is still a wonderfully charming successor to Pokémon Snap. From the delightfully creepy atmosphere to some fresh new upgrade ideas, Penko Park is successful in both honoring its roots and creating its own identity. Fans of Pokémon Snap would be remiss to overlook this game and will surely have a great time discovering everything that Penko Park has to offer.

This on-rails photographic adventure is mostly preoccupied with getting the player to know more about the game's settings through its fun gameplay than to instill fear, and if those players less prepared or who might be expecting something else will no doubt find it short and repetitive, those who enjoy knowing new creatures and snapping their photos will have an enjoyable experience that will motivate them to keep going forward.

Penko Park is a first-person exploration title focused on taking pictures of creatures that inhabit an abandoned wildlife park. I had never played a game like this one before so I was both curious and excited to see how my first experience in the genre panned out. If you are as curious as I was, look at this Rapid Review.

Yes, you could choose to view it as an indie Pokemon Snap clone, but that would be denying its simple charms

Penko Park is basically Pokémon Snap. A lower-budget, slightly weirder version of Pokémon Snap, to be sure, but Pokémon Snap all the same.

Penko Park offers great entertainment in its wildlife park populated by bizarre and weird creatures.

Penko Park's undeniable influences and not-so-stellar content make it a bit of a hard sell, but for those looking for a Pokémon Snap-style game, it's a fine choice.

Penko Park is an adventure game that combines creepy and cute. You visit an abandoned wildlife park where you must get photos of the creatures who live there. The game is super fun and comforting, providing a great way to help pass some free time.

Penko Park was considered something of a hidden gem on the PC. I don’t know how it’s going to perform commercially on the Switch, but as a game concept, it’s much more at home on Nintendo’s handheld. Its biggest strength – the incredible creativity of the monsters that you’ll be taking photos of – really does make it worth your time, even if the game really could have done with finding an identity of its own and distinct from Pokémon Snap.

Penko Park is a wonderful attempt at making a “snaplike”. It captures a sense of childlike wonder and the easy-on-the-eyes graphics make it an easy game for kids to understand and get engrossed in. It is fine as a game for adults who are children-at-heart, but it is even better for actual children too.