New Pokémon Snap guide: Illumina Orbs, Fluffruit, and tools, explained

In New Pokémon Snap, you have several tools at your disposal to help your improve your photos, like Illumina Orbs and Fluffruit.

The camera that Professor Mirror gives you when you arrive in the Lental region doesn’t come with every feature right away. You’ll get upgrades and new tools as you progress through the game’s campaign.

In this New Pokémon Snap guide, we’ve detailed the different tools you can use to get reactions out of the variety of Pokémon in the area.

Use Illumina Orbs to power up Pokémon and make them shine bright

Illumina Orbs do more than just make Pokémon shine. Sometimes hitting Pokémon with Illumina Orbs will make them run faster or move in new ways. Throw the orbs at everything you pass.

Illumina Orbs have to be unlocked at the new areas by progressing in the campaign and taking photos of the Illumina effect on flowers and Pokémon.

Feed Pokémon Fluffruit … or attack them with it

Image: Bandai Namco/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo via Polygon

Snapping a shot of a Pokémon eating is an easy way to get two or three stars on a photo. Hitting the Pokémon with the fruit can also yield the same amount of stars. Not every Pokémon has an animation for getting hit, though.

Hitting Pokémon with Fluffruit can also wake them up and get them to move around. Fluffruit is also a great way to lure Pokémon to specific areas for interactions with other Pokémon or objects.

Scan the area diligently

The ability to scan the area comes built right into your camera, and not only will it reveal the Pokémon around you, but some critters also react to the sound of the scan. Scanning things also helps identify new routes and can help you see Pokémon that might not be in your direct field of vision.

Play music in dull areas

Predictably, Pokémon like Bellossom will dance when music plays, but there are lots of other Pokémon that have unique reactions to the music that you wouldn’t typically expect. Keep playing the jingles as you roam through the different areas.

Speed up your Neo-One to get better close-up shots

Towards the end of the New Pokémon Snap campaign, you’ll unlock the ability to make the Neo-One move faster. This will allow you to speed through courses when you’re in search of a specific shot, but it will also allow you to get closer to Pokémon that may have left the area before you got there.