Snatcher (スナッチャー Sunatchā?) is a cyberpunk graphic adventure game developed and published by Konami. It was written and designed by Hideo Kojima and first released in 1988 for the PC-8801 and MSX2 in Japan. Snatcher is set in a future East Asian metropolis where humanoid robots dubbed "Snatchers" have been discovered killing humans and replacing them in society. The player takes on the role of Gillian Seed, an amnesiac who joins a Snatcher hunting agency hoping it will help him remember his past. Gameplay takes place primarily through a menu-based interface through which the player can choose to examine items, search rooms, speak to characters, explore a semi-open world, and perform other actions.
Kojima wanted Snatcher to have a cinematic feel, so the setting and story are heavily influenced by science fiction films, especially Blade Runner, and other cyberpunk works such as Akira and The Terminator. Development on the PC versions took more than twice as long as the average game of the time, even after Kojima was asked to trim more than half his initial story. The game was released to positive reviews, but poor sales. It garnered a cult following, and was remade as a role-playing game called SD Snatcher for the MSX2 in 1990. This was followed by a remake of the original adventure game using CD-ROM technology, released for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² System in 1992.
Looking to provide a more interactive experience to gamers in the West, Konami developed a Sega CD version of Snatcher specifically for North America and Europe in 1994. Although it too was released to a poor commercial reception, the Sega CD version received mostly positive reviews for its cinematic presentation and mature themes uncommon in games at the time. Snatcher has been retrospectively acclaimed as both one of the best adventure and cyberpunk games of all time, and identified as a foundation for the themes Kojima explored later in the Metal Gear series. The game was a significant inspiration on Goichi Suda, who worked with Kojima to produce a radio drama prequel, Sdatcher. The English version of Snatcher has never been rereleased, despite desire from fans. The PC Engine CD version of the game was also included in the list of games for the PC Engine Mini in March 19, 2020 and is available in all regions.
Cameos
In Snatcher, Gillian Seed, the protagonist of the game, has a robot partner named "Metal Gear", which is modeled after the giant mech usually fought in the series of the same name.
In a well-known scene, Gillian goes to a bar called "Outer Heaven" (another reference to the Metal Gear series) to interview a dancer named Isabella Velvet who works there. The establishment is having a masquerade ball that night where all of the attendants are dressed as characters from other popular Konami franchises, including:
- Simon Belmont and Dracula from Castlevania.
- Bill Rizer and Lance Bean from Contra.
- Goemon from the Ganbare Goemon series.
- Sparkster from Rocket Knight Adventures.
- Replaced by Power Pro-kun from the Power Pros series in the PlayStation and Saturn ports of the game.
- David Ueda from Lethal Enforcers.
- Aero Surfer from Snatcher itself.
In addition, when Gillian and Jamie Seed confront the main antagonist, Elijah Madnar, in the climax to the game, the latter is seen sitting on a throne similar to the one Dracula sits on in the Castlevania games.
Other appearances
- A Snatcher is a playable character in Hai no Majutsushi.
- Stage 3 in Contra III: The Alien Wars is internally called "Neo Kobe Steel Factory" within the game's files; Neo Kobe is the setting of Snatcher. In addition, the level features Snatcher-looking androids as end bosses (Brother Robots Kenny 1 & 2 and Big Fuzz).
- Gillian Seed makes a cameo in Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shōgun Magginesu.
- A Snatcher is a selectable character in Jikkyō Power Pro Wrestling '96: Max Voltage, under the name of "Mister Snatcher".
- The theme "Snatcher ~Dual Vacuum Mix~" from beatmania Append ClubMIX is from Snatcher.
Gallery
Promotional artwork
Character artwork
Trivia
- In the PC-8801, MSX2 , and PC Engine CD releases of Snatcher, the scene in the "Outer Heaven" nightclub is attended by a totally different array of characters parodying other popular science fiction franchises, such as Alien and the Kamen Rider series.
- The Mega CD version support the Konami Justifier. The PlayStation version of the game is compatible with the PS1 Mouse.