Snatcher (video game)

Snatcher
Gold video game cover with the word "Snatcher" written across the center. The top has the Konami logo and says "Cyberpunk Adventure". The bottom indicated the game is for the PC-8801 platform.
PC-8801 cover art
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Naoki Matsui
Designer(s)Hideo Kojima
Programmer(s)Toshiya Adachi
Artist(s)
  • Yoshihiko Ota
  • Tomiharu Kinoshita
Writer(s)Hideo Kojima
Composer(s)Masahiro Ikariko
Platform(s)PC-8801, MSX2, PC Engine, Sega CD, PlayStation, Sega Saturn
Release
  • NEC PC-8801
    • JP: November 26, 1988
  • MSX2
    • JP: December 13, 1988
  • PC-Engine Super CD-ROM²
    • JP: October 23, 1992
  • Sega CD/Mega CD
    • EU: December 15, 1994
    • NA: January 1995
  • Sony PlayStation
    • JP: February 12, 1996
  • Sega Saturn
    • JP: March 29, 1996
Genre(s)Graphic adventure, visual novel
Mode(s)Single-player

Snatcher[a] 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 game follows Gillian Seed, an amnesiac who joins an anti-Snatcher agency in search of 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, like Blade Runner, Akira, The Terminator, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. 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 was a commercial failure, 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. Snatcher was last rereleased in 1996 on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The game was also included in the PC Engine Mini in 2020, though only playable in Japanese. Its lack of availability on modern platforms has surprised industry analysts, given the game's legacy.
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