Snatcher

n/a

Snatcher
System(s): Sega Mega-CD, Sega Saturn
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo
Original system(s): PC-8801
Sound driver: SCSP (1 track)
Peripherals supported: Justifier
Genre: Adventure
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code US 1995-01 T-95035 UK 1995-01 £39.9939.99 T-95035-05 AU 199x JP 1996-03-29 ¥5,8005,800 T-9508G
Non-Sega versions MSX2 PC-8800 series PlayStation Super CD-ROM²

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Snatcher (スナッチャー) is a graphic adventure game produced by Konami. It was originally released for the Japanese PC-8801 and MSX2 computers in 1988 and later remade for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² in 1992. In 1994, a Sega Mega-CD version was made specifically for the west and released in North America and Europe without any equivalent version on the Japanese Mega-CD. In 1996, the game was re-released in Japan once again, this time on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.

It was written and directed by Hideo Kojima, who would go on to become famous thanks to the success of the Metal Gear Solid series, although he was not directly involved with the Mega-CD version or the later 32-bit console versions. It was followed by Policenauts, which Kojima also wrote and directed.

Story and Premise

The year is 2047. Earth is trying to recover from a disaster occured nearly 50 years ago.

In 1995, Lucifer Alpha, a deadly biological weapon which was developed by Russia at the time accidently released to the atmosphere, killing millions of people in the Eurasian continent. Panic, chaos and lack of resources eventually resulted in a destructive war engulfed the planet. Asia is not longer recognizable from the viewpoint of a person living in the 20th century.

Japan, even though not severely affected by this catastrophe, still suffered due to the disruption of the trade with its neighbors and the rest of the world. In order to fix this problem, Japanese government eased the restrictions on immigration, accepting anyone who can contribute to the society.

No city in Japan is a more fitting result of this new policy than the Neo-Kobe City. A truly heterogeneous city, in which many different nationalities are living together with their Japanese neighbors.

However, all is not well. The world is experincing a threat that is even more grave than biological weapons or world wars: SNATCHERS.

Named after their tendency of kidnapping and murdering their victims and taking their place, SNATCHERS are the newest menace terrorising the already weary population. These androids, who have perfect human appearance over their metallic endoskeletons, have been active all around the globe, killing and replacing people and taking their place. No one knows what their plan is. Are they infiltrators of some sort of an alien civilization that is trying to enslave the humanity? Some rogue AI trying to subjugate or destroy us? Or some technologically advanced weapon used by some hostile government trying to rule the planet?

Enter Gillian Seed; a former soldier who is suffering from amnesia, who seems to be obsessed with the Snatchers. Travelling to Neo-Kobe City, Seed enlists in the JUNKER, a Japanese government agency tasked with eliminating the Snatchers.

Over the course of the story, Seed will eventually uncover a conspiracy that can seriously threaten the human existence on Earth.

Characters

Gillian Seed

Age: 31 (Estimate)

Gillian Seed is a former member of the Siberian Special Investigation Force, a multi-national unit from Asia. Suffering from amnesia, Seed cannot remember anything about his past, except the word Snatchers. (His identity was discovered thanks to his personal belongings.) Believing that they hold the mystery of his past, Seed travels to Neo-Kobe City and enlists in the JUNKER organization to discover his past. He is currently living apart from his wife, Jamie Seed, who was also discovered alongside with him several years ago.

Main character of the story, Seed's personality is mostly dependent on the actions of the player but he is generally depicted as likeable knucklehead, with a tendency of grabbing anything that is not nailed down into his deep pockets and bit of a (failed) womanizer.

Metal Gear Mk.II

Age: 1

Metal Gear Mk.II is a sentient AI whose physical appearance is modelled after the famous walking battle tank from the late 20th century. Developed by Harry Benson. All JUNKER investigators are accompanied by a Navigator which acts as a mobile computer, telephone and storage unit. "Metal" as his friends call him, has a nearly human personality, and has a rather sarcastic personality. He especially seems to enjoy making fun of Gillian's antics whenever possible.

Jamie Seed

Age: 29 (Estimate)

Gillian Seed's estanged wife. She and Seed separated few years ago they are unable to remember anything about their past together. A very caring and compassionate person, Jamie currently works as researcher in the Neo-Kobe Pharmaceutials.

Random Hajile

Age: Unknown

A bounty hunter that is active in the Neo-Kobe Area who has already eliminated a few snatchers on his own. His past is shrouded in mystery.

Katrina Gibson

Age: 18 (14 in the Japanese version)

Only child of Jean-Jack Gibson, Katrina is a model whose appearance can be seen around the city. A smart and strong-willed young woman, Katrina can be very vulnerable at times.

Jean-Jack Gibson

Age: 55

A former detective and crime scene investigator, Gibson joined the JUNKER after 30 years of service. Gibson's wife was killed during the Bioroid scare of '46 and as a result, he has a deep hatred for the Snatchers. With a degree in Psychology, Gibson is an excellent investigator who brings his considerable experience to the field and one of the best members of the JUNKER organization.

Mika Slayton

Age: 23

Operator of the JUNKER HQ, Mika is a very smart and emphatethic woman who is coming from a mixed Jewish and Japanese household. Double majoring in both Criminal Psychology and Municipal Data Management, Mika briefly worked as a civilian contractor for the Special Criminal Research Center of the Neo-Kobe Police. Unfortunately, emotional toll from dealing with both victims and criminals become too much for her and she resigned from her position.

A very beautiful young lady, Mika will support Gillian during his mission in any way possible. (Assuming that she will not snap and break him in half after his repeated wooings.)

Benson Cunningham

Age: Unknown

Cunningham is the current commander of the JUNKER agency. Cunningham was special forces soldier in his younger days and even participated in the Operation: Foxhound during the 20th century. Before becoming the head of the JUNKER, Cunnigham was the leader of an Anti-Snathcer task force of the Neo-Kobe Police.

Calm, rational and a brilliant strategist, he is well-versed in Science, Law and Linguistics. He also has a black belt in Judo.

Harry Benson

Age: 55

Benson is the chief engineer of the JUNKER, responsible for creating many technological devices that investigators use. He became orphaned during the catastrophe and taken in by Japanese government who paid for his education. A brilliant scientist, Benson attained his Ph.D. at the age of 14 and won Nobel Prize three times.

Benson is bit of a cultural throwback to 20th century, often drinking and reminiscing about "good old days".

"Napoleon"

Age: Unknown

Gibson's informant, almost nothing is known about Napoleon's identity. He is believed to be a Chinese man who entered the Japan illegally and has been living in Neo-Kobe since then. Only proof about his identity is his tendency of sneezing.

Isabella Velvet

Age: 24

A famous hologram star, Velvet gained several awards in rapid succession. She was first discovered by director Ridley Scotty (heh) when she was dancing at the night club "Outer Heaven".

Production credits

Mega-CD version

• Producer: Tomikazu Kirita, Yutaka Haruki
• Creator: Hideo Kojima
• Character Design: Tomiharu Kinoshita
• Supervisor: Jeremy Blaustein
• Director: Yoshinori Sasaki
• Assistant Director: Mitsuhiro Togo
• Staff:
  • Main Programmer: Masahiko Saito
  • Sub Programmer: Yoshinori Sasaki, Hidenari Inamura
  • Utility Program: Mitsuhiro Togo, Hidenari Inamura
  • Sound Programmer: Osamu Kasai, Akira Souji
  • Main Graphic Designer: Satoshi Kushibuchi
  • Graphic Designer: Keita Nose, Yuichi Kobayashi, Keiichirou Toyama, Sakura, Junko. K, Mihoko
  • Sound Design: Keizou Nakamura, Masanori Adachi, Kazuhito Imai, Masanori Ouchi, Akira Yamaoka
  • Scenario Command Compiler: Toshiya Adachi
  • Scenario Command Interpreter: Hidenari Inamura
  • Scenario Rewrite: Mitsuhiro Togo, Jeremy Blaustein
  • Package Design: Shogo Kumasaka, Satoshi Imaeda
  • Package Illustrator: Yuji Kaida
  • Translator: Scott T. Hards, Intac
• Cast:
  • Gillian Seed: Jeff Lupetin
  • Metal Gear: Lucy Childs
  • Random Hajile: Ray Van Steen
  • Jamie Seed: Susan Mele
  • Mika Slayton: Kimberley Harne
  • Katrina Gibson: Lynn Foosaner
  • Snatcher: Jeff Lupetin
  • Napoleon: Jim Parks
  • Harry Benson: Ray Van Steen
  • Jean Jack Gibson: Jim Parks
  • Elijah Modnar: Ray Van Steen
  • Ivan Rodorigez: Jim Parks
  • Lisa: Lynn Foosaner
  • Chin Shu Oh: Ray Van Steen
  • Female Employee: Lucy Childs
  • Narrator: Ray Van Steen
  • Telephone Operator: Lynn Foosaner
  • Ramen Guy: Ray Van Steen
  • Fortune Teller: Susan Mele
• Special Thanks: Michael Blaustein, Atsushi Fujio, Taeko Hayasaka, Kazuki Muraoka, Yoshihiko Oota, Motoaki Furukawa, Yoshikazu Matsuhana, Kenji Shinohara, Shinya Inoue
• Produced By: Konami Co., Ltd.

Saturn version

• Cast: Yusaku Yara, Mami Koyama, Kikuo Inoue, Kaneto Shiozawa, Miina Tominaga, Ryuji Saikachi, Isao Inoguchi, Goro Naya

Staff

• Producer: Kazuhisa Hashimoto
• Game Designer/Script Writer: Hideo Kojima
• Scenario Command Compiler Programmer: Hiroki Honda
• Main System Programmer: Tadaaki 'ぴょん' Tsunashima
• Game Object Programmers: 〠Akinari Takaki〠, Takao 'ヤバ' Yamagishi, Kazuki 'Tails' Araki, Atsushi 'Pachi_Nakatani' Mizutani, Hiroyuki 'Gaglae' Asada
• Adaptation: Kensuke Yoshitomi, Takao 'ヤバ' Yamagishi
• Dot Graphics Drawers/Arrangers: Junko '❤' Koike, Mi '?' Kimura, Naoya '★' HATSUMI, Jun '6ゾロ' Asami, Takayuki '❄' Andou
• 3D Graphics Modelers/Animaters: Masaya Shiraishi, Haggy, Tachan
• Movie Data Editer: Yukito Komori, Akinari Takaki
• Sound Programmer: Akiropito
• Sound Mixer: Masanori Adachi
• Music Composers/Arrangers/Performers: Kida Sun, Syouichirou Hirata
• Sound Effects: Keizou Nakamura
• Guest Composers: Akira Yamaoka, Hiroshi Tamawari
• Guest Performer: Tappy
• Original Score Composers: Kazuki Muraoka, Motoaki Furukawa, Akira Yamaoka, Hiroshi Tamawari, Kida Sun
• Package&Manual Designer: Kazuhiro Iwasaki
• Package Illustration: Tomiharu Kinoshita
• Public Relations Officers: Nobuko Tsuboi, Hiroki Tabata, Taro Miyake
• Special Thanks: H.'Spark'Ueda, Masayuki Aizawa, Mitsuhiro Togo, Hidenari Inamura, Makoto Toyama, Rieko Komatsubara, Youhei Kiyohara, Yumiko 'Arg' Takahashi
• Executive Producer: Kazumi Kitaue
• Developed by: Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo Co.,Ltd.
• Presented by: Konami Co.,Ltd.

(C)1988 1996 Konami All Rights Reserved.

Magazine articles

Main article: Snatcher/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in GamePro (US) #64: "November 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:

• GamePro (US) #66: "January 1995" (199x-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Mega-CD version

Sega Retro Average

Publication Score Source Computer & Video Games (UK) 90 85 Electronic Entertainment (US) 76 №16, p73 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) 84 GameFan (US) 93 №0212 GamePro (US) 83 Gamers (DE) 87 GamesMaster (UK) 90 №24, p82 Games World: The Magazine (UK) 92 №7, p20 Mega (UK) 84 №28, p56-59 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 85 Next Generation (US) 60 Sega Power (UK) 82 Sega Pro (UK) 80 №40, p58/59 Ultimate Future Games (UK) 85 VideoGames (US) 60

	82
Based on 16 reviews

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score Computer & Video Games (UK) 90 Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U 67 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 84 Freak (IL) 85 GameFan (US) NTSC-U 93 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 80 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 83 Gamers (DE) PAL 87 Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL 92 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 83 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 92 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 83 Mega (UK) PAL 84 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 87 MegaTech (UK) PAL 91 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 85 Next Generation (US) NTSC-U 50 Play Time (DE) PAL 77 Power Unlimited (NL) 83 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 88 Sega Power (UK) PAL 82 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 80 Todo Sega (ES) 94 Ultimate Future Games (UK) 85 Video Games (DE) PAL 85 VideoGames (US) 60

	83
Based on 26 reviews

Snatcher

Mega-CD, US
Cover
Disc Manual

Mega-CD, UK
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

Mega-CD, AU
Cover

Saturn version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 70 Joypad (FR) NTSC-J 20 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 75 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 80 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 83

	66
Based on 5 reviews

Snatcher

Saturn, JP
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual Error creating thumbnail: libgomp: Thread creation failed: Resource temporarily unavailable Reg Card Stickers Get The Soft Card

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	625,192,176		CD (UK)	T-95035-05
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	625,192,176		CD (US)	T-95035
✔	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	546,176,736	1995-02-13	CD-ROM (JP)	T-9508G V1.000

Track list

Saturn version

1. Data track

2. Data track

3. CD Warning message (special) (00:46)

► Running time: 0:46

References

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