Snatcher
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| Snatcher | |
|---|---|
 Cover artwork of the original PC-8801 version. |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Designer(s) | Hideo Kojima |
| Platform(s) | NEC PC-8801, MSX 2, PC-Engine, Sega CD, PlayStation, Sega Saturn |
| Release date | NEC PC-8801: JP November 26, 1988 MSX2: JP December 13, 1988 PC-Engine Super CD-ROM²: JP October 23, 1992 Pilot Disk: JP August 7, 1992 Sega CD/Mega CD: NA December 15, 1994 EU December 15, 1994 Sony PlayStation: JP February 12, 1996 Sega Saturn: JP March 29, 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure (digital comic) |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen ELSPA: 18+ |
| Media | 5¼-inch DD floppy disk x5 (PC-88) Sound Cartridge + 3½-inch DD floppy disk x 3 (MSX) CD-ROM (PCE, SCD, PS, SS) |
| Input methods | Keyboard, Joypad, Light gun |
Snatcher (スナッチャー Sunatchā?) is a cyberpunk-themed adventure game published by Konami and originally written and directed by Hideo Kojima. It was first released in Japan in 1988 for the NEC PC-8801 and MSX2 computer platforms, followed by a remade CD-ROM version for the PC Engine in 1992, as well versions for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996. An English version was released for the Sega CD/Mega-CD in 1994 in North America and Europe.
It has gained a small cult following due to its mature storytelling, adult themes and (in later versions) voice acting. It was heavily influenced by various sci-fi and noir films, most notably Blade Runner (main character and city views), Akira (some character designs), They Live (which deals with body snatching), Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing (which also dealt with paranoia and human doubt) and The Terminator (robots).
A series of projects yet to be announced are currently in production and are tentatively titled Project 'S'; for now only a radio drama has been confirmed.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
The game is set in a primarily first person perspective and uses a menu-based interface that allows the protagonist (Gillian Seed) to interact with his environment. The player can choose to "Look", "Investigate", "Talk", "Ask" and "Move" (in addition to other options) to acquire key items or receive vital information from other characters. The player can analyze items in Gillian's belongings or show it to other characters. The player uses Metal Gear (Gillian's robotic assistant) to communicate with other characters via a videophone or save their current progress. During key points of the game's story, the player must pass shooting sequences to defend Gillian from assailants. These shooting segments uses a 3x3 grid which the player can target to fire at enemies. A shooting trainer, called "Junker's Eyes", is accessible at Junker HQ that allows the player to measure their accuracy.
[edit] Story
[edit] Plot and Setting
On June 6, 1996 (1991 in the Japanese versions)[1], a chemical weapon known as Lucifer-Alpha under development in Chernoton, Russia, is released into the atmosphere, resulting in the death of 80% of the Eurasian and Eastern European population which in turn results in the death of half of the world's population. The contaminated area becomes uninhabitable for a decade, when Lucifer-Alpha mutates into a non-lethal form. This tragic event later becomes known as "the Catastrophe".
Fifty years later, a breed of artificial life-forms or bioroids known as "snatchers" began appearing in the artificial island of Neo Kobe City, killing their victims and taking their place in society. Nobody knows exactly what they are or where they come from. As Gillian Seed, an amnesiac working for an Anti-Snatcher task force called J.U.N.K.E.R., the player's goal is to track down the source of the snatchers and discover Gillian's mysterious connections with them.
[edit] Characters
[edit] JUNKER
- Gillian Seed (ギリアン・シード Girian Shīdo?, Guilian in the original PC-88/MSX2 versions) (voiced by Yusaku Yara in Japanese and Jeff Lupetin In English) - The protagonist. An amnesiac with mysterious ties to the "Snatcher" menace. He joins JUNKER as its newest "Runner" (a type of field operative)
- Mika Slayton (ミカ・スレイトン Mika Sureiton?, Slaton in the original PC-88/MSX2 versions) (voiced by Mina Tominaga in Japanese and Kimberly Harne in English) - The receptionist at JUNKER HQ. A young attractive woman of Japanese and Jewish descent.
- Benson Cunningham (ベンソン・カニンガム Benson Kaningamu?, Cunningum in Japanese versions) (voiced by Goro Naya in Japanese and Ray Van Steen in English) - JUNKER's commanding chief. A veteran in the special forces.
- Harry Benson (ハリー・ベンソン Harī Benson?) (voiced by Ryuji Saikachi in Japanese and Ray Van Steen in English) - JUNKER's mechanic. A survivor of the Catastrophe. Designer of the robotic navigators "Little John" and "Metal Gear Mk. II".
- Metal Gear Mk. II (メタルギア Ｍｋ．Ⅱ Metaru Gia Māku Tsū?) (voiced by Mami Koyama in Japanese and Lucy Childs in English) - Gillian's robotic sidekick. A "navigator" who serves as an on-site forensic analizer and has a built-in videophone. He is modelled after the Metal Gear mecha which appears in the video game of the same name. A similar robot appears in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
- Jean Jack Gibson (ジャン・ジャック・ギブスン Jan Jakku Gibusun?, Jan Jack Gibson in the original PC-88/MSX2 versions, pronounced like the French name "Jean Jacques") (voiced by Isao Inoguchi in Japanese and Jim Parks in English) - The only other living field operative of JUNKER at the start of the story. He has a robotic navigator of his own called Little John, which unlike Metal Gear, was not programmed with a voice.
[edit] Others
- Jamie Seed (ジェミー・シード Jemī Shīdo?, Jaime in Japanese versions) (voiced by Kikuko Inoue in Japanese and Susan Mele in English) - Gillian's estranged wife, who was found alongside him, with no recollection of her past. Employed at Neo Kobe Pharmaceuticals at the start of the game.
- Random Hajile (ランダム・ハジル Randamu Hajiru?, Randam in Japanese versions) (voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa in Japanese and Jim Parks in English) - A mysterious bounty hunter who is after the snatchers himself. Rides a one-wheeled motorcycle known as the "Road Runner".
- Napoleon (ナポレオン Naporeon?) (voiced by Goro Naya in Japanese and Jim Parks in English) - Gibson's informant. A Chinese immigrant who suffers from a constant allergy.
- Katrina Gibson (カトリーヌ・ギブスン Katorīnu Gibusun?, Kathaline in the PC-88/MSX2 versions and Katherine in every other Japanese version, pronounced like the French name "Catherine") (voiced by Mina Tominaga in Japanese and Lynn Foosaner in English) - Jean Jack's young daughter. Works as a model.
- Isabella Velvet (イサベラ・ベルベット Isabera Berubetto?, Izavela Velvette in the PC-88/MSX2 versions) (unvoiced) - An award-winning film actress who also works as a dancer at the "Outer Heaven" night club.
- Freddy Nielsen (フレディー・ニールセン Furedī Nīrusen?) (unvoiced) - A freelance Taxi Driver suspected of being a snatcher.
- Lisa Nielsen (リサ・ニールセン Risa Nīrusen?) (voiced by Lynn Foosaner in English) - Freddy's young wife.
- Ivan Rodriguez (イワン・ロドリゲス Iwan Rodorigesu?) (voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa in Japanese and Jim Parks in English) - An amateur air surfer also suspected of being a snatcher.
- Chin Shu Oh (陳 周鳳 Chin Shūhō?, romanized "Chén Zhōu-Fèng" in Hanyu Pinyin) (voiced by Isao Inoguchi in Japanese and Ray Van Steen in English) - The Director of Queens Hospital.
- Elijah Modnar (エリア・マッドナー Eria Maddonā?, Madnar in Japanese versions) (voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa in Japanese and Ray Van Steen in English) - A Russian scientist involved in a top secret Soviet project prior to the events of the Catastrophe.
- Petrovich Modnar (ペトロヴィッチ・マッドナー Petorovicchi Maddonā?, Pettrovich Madnar in Japanese versions) (unvoiced) - Elijah's father, also a scientist. He fled from the Soviet Union alongside a young Harry Benson at the time of the Catastrophe. Shares his name with a character from the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.
[edit] Structure
[edit] Act 1: Snatch
The first act of the game deals with Gillian's first day on the job as a JUNKER (Judgement Uninfected Naked Kind and Execute Ranger in the Japanese version; Japanese Undercover Neuro Kinetic Elimination Ranger in the English version), trying to solve the murder of a fellow JUNKER operative and learns some information about the Snatchers.
[edit] Act 2: Cure
The second act is a continuation of the investigation from the first act. In this act, Gillian investigate the whereabouts of one of the Snatchers' bases of operation. The PC-88 and MSX2 versions end the game at this point.
[edit] Act 3: Junk
The third act, which is first introduced in the PC Engine version and included in every subsequent version, reveals the truth about Gillian's past and his relationship to the Snatcher menace, as well as the origin of both the Snatcher menace and the events that transpired the Catastrophe.
[edit] Release history
[edit] Japanese versions
Snatcher was first released in 1988 for the NEC PC-8801 (on November 26) and MSX2 (December 13) computer platforms. The first versions were released on floppy disks and were entirely text-based with no voice acting. The MSX version came packaged with a proprietary audio cartridge. Due to time constraints, the developers were forced to truncate the story at the end of Act 2, leaving out the originally planned ending. Konami released a spinoff titled SD Snatcher for the MSX2 on April 27, 1990. SD Snatcher, an RPG, features an alternate version of the original Snatcher storyline with its own ending.
Snatcher was remade on CD-ROM for the PC Engine under the title of Snatcher: CD-ROMantic, released on October 23, 1992. This version, in addition to offering improved graphics and audio, added voice acting during key portions of the game, as well as Act 3, the planned ending that was not included in the early PC versions. Konami preceded release of Snatcher with a Pilot Disk (released on August 7) containing a playable portion of the game, a trailer-like preview, a database of characters and mechanics of the game, among other features.
In 1996, Snatcher was ported to the PlayStation (February 12) and Sega Saturn (March 29). These two 32-bit versions added slightly redone graphics, a CG animated opening and other subtle changes (most of them derived from the English Sega CD version). Most of the graphic violence (such as a shot of a rotting corpse and a decapitated head) were censored in these versions.
[edit] English version
An English localization of Snatcher was produced for the Sega CD (or Mega-CD) in North America and Europe, both versions released on December 1994. The Sega CD port was produced specifically for the overseas market and was ported from the PC Engine version. The script was translated by Scott T. Hards, with Jeremy Blaustein (who would later translate Metal Gear Solid) supervising the localization. The Sega CD version adds support for Konami's Justifier light gun peripheral for the shooting segments.
Several changes were made to make to comfort with the different censorship standards outside Japan, mainly due to sexual content.[2] Katrina's age was changed from 14 in the Japanese version to 18 in the English version (due to a nude shower scene she has in the game) and the exposed breast of a dead Snatcher was covered up. A scene featured in the PC Engine, which depicts a dying dog twitching with its internal organs exposed was redone so the dog is no longer twitching. The clientele at the Outer Heaven night club, which were originally parodies of popular sci-fi characters, were changed to Konami characters to avoid any potential copyright infringement. The naked Snatchers were also redesigned to lessen the resemblance with the Terminator robot: their endoskeletons were repainted with olive-colored body parts and their red eyes were changed to green.
The Sega CD version adds an extended opening intro (adapted from the introductory manga story featured in the manual) and Act 3 was revised to allow more interaction with the player. A more complete ending was also included as well.
According to Blaustein, the Sega CD version of Snatcher only sold a "couple of thousand units" in North America. He attributes the game's lack of success due to Sega's waning support of the add-on at the time of the game's release.[3]
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ All the dates given in the English version are five years ahead than the ones mentioned in the Japanese. This was done since the English version was first released in 1994, three years after the supposed date of the Catastrophe in the Japanese.
- ^ Ogasawara, Nob (1994). "Interview with Snatcher's Yoshinori Sasaki". Electronic Gaming Monthly (65): 176.|
- ^ JUNKER HQ (Interview with Jeremy Blaustein by Chris Barker). “Blaustein: As for (Snatcher): Sega CD, I think that counting you and me, the game only sold a couple thousand units at most in the US. I know the Sega CD sucked and had no software available for it, but where was everyone when Snatcher came out!? Boy, was that embarrassing - having it fail so badly.”
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Snatcher at MobyGames
- Hardcore Gaming 101 - Article on the game and regional differences with photos
- The Snatcher Experience - Comparison between Snatcher and Blade Runner
