Being a big fan of Snatcher, I had to try this game out. The original Snatcher game was released for the MSX home computer in Japan exclusively and became something of a cult hit after it was remade for CD based consoles. This version of the game came in between the development of the original Snatcher and remake that Hideo Kojima, the well renowned game developer, would work on. On this title, Kojima would not work as director, but as a supervisor on the game, I suppose this was because he was already busy working on Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake at the time.
Anyway, about the game itself; it basically follows the same plotline with some interesting new twists. For example, there is some new characters and story sequences as well as those favourite returning characters that were previously seen sparingly in Kojima's cult classic, are now given some more depth and fleshed out more. One could argue the game's story here was what Kojima originally devised but had to cut out due to time constraints and lack of space on the original hardware. Here we are presented with a new style of character modelling where everyone is "Super Deformed", which is what the "SD" of the title stands for.
I played OASIS group's translation of the game, and I suggest you do to,
since it is basically the only version you shall find in English and it is very well done. The game, as with any other Kojima game, has the tendency to break the fourth wall, make movie references and has long dialogue scenes, which for a fan of his work like myself, is great, but I can understand that it annoys some people. Fans of Snatcher though, will enjoy and really admire the extra depth some of the sections of the game are given. It's almost like an alternate take on the events of Snatcher. I think of it as what "Ghost Babel" was to the Metal Gear series: A "what if" tale that's almost as good as the original game. The music is great here too, compositions both remixed from the original game and new compositions as well.
You play as Gillian Seed, an amnesiac detective working in a nightmarish futuristic landscape that has just overcome from an apocalyptic wave that wiped out over half of the world's population, only for the surviving population of the planet to be terrorised by a group of robotic androids named "Snatchers". These androids can imitate any human being and take their place among society, which soon wears the human populace into a state of fear. As Gillian Seed, you must get to the root of the cause and save the human race from certain extinction. The gameplay takes a top down view of Gillian, as you lead him from one location to next, sometimes resulting in a shootout sequence, which now plays like an action RPG. You and the enemy take turns shooting it out, with the game allowing you target the enemy in certain spots. These certain spots may contain a weak point, so it's up to the player to find the enemy's weakpoint to win. Gillian may also investigate areas as well as speak with many NPCs during the course of the game.
It's also worth noting that the ending is rather significantly different from the eventual CDRomantic version of Snatcher that would be made for the PC Engine and Sega CD (as well as the Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn). The SD Snatcher ending could very well have been in the original story plan, which would then see some big changes in the later versions of Snatcher. This game is definitely not just a retread of Snatcher, as I originally thought it would be, nor is it childish, so don't allow the graphics to put you off, it proves itself as a standalone title and as a great Snatcher title that fans will love. Sufficed to say, this being very story driven and made by Kojima, the game contains many shocks, twists, intensity, humour and many moments of excitement that the player shall never forget. Highly recommended.
