Kokee (The Snatcher Experience) wrote:
As promised here is my new section on the relationship between Blade Runner and Snatcher. Blade Runner was actually released before Snatcher, this was in 1982, while Snatcher was first released in 1988. So it has to be said that alot in Snatcher is based from Blade Runner. The makers of the game wanted the game to have the same sort of atmosphere that Blade Runner had.
Blade RunnerBlade Runner and Snatcher are similar in many ways, some are deliberate and others are not. The first thing you notice is that the titles of the two are similar being big, bold, capital, and slanted at an angle, but they both have a different style of lettering.
As many of us know the English version on Snatcher on the Mega-CD didn't sell well, which is probably why it wasn't released on the Saturn and Playstation in the UK or US. But those that have played it love it so much - we could even call it a cult game like that of Blade Runner being a cult movie. Like this, when Blade Runner was released was a box-office failure, but has become perhaps the definitive cult movie.
You many know that there are different versions of Snatcher, first are the ones on the following formats: MSX, PC Engine, Mega CD, Saturn and Playstation. These versions differ in image/sound quality, as well as other little things. The second versions of Snatcher are the ones which were released internationally. Basically these are cut versions of the original Japanese release Snatcher, such as the twitching intestines of Alice cut to be just a still. What was cut was just done to make it more acceptable, though I don't think its justified as the game already has an 18 rating. The only thing I would agree with is the age of Katrina being 18 instead of 16, as it makes the shower scenes and other moments more acceptable. Otherwise Gillian would look like a pervert. But what this has to do with Blade Runner is the amount of versions of Blade Runner there are. The two main ones are the original and the directors cut versions, but there are five in total, which include two pre-release versions which were shown an audience to see what they thought of the film.
One of the striking resemblances between Blade Runner and Snatcher is of Los Angeles and Neo Kobe City. They both are very similar, being dark, dull, high populated (japanese), and lit up by neon (Blade Runner even has neon umbrellas), which as I said before, was intentional. The spinner vehicles in Blade Runner are also very similar to the turbocycles in Snatcher.
The next thing to compare is the Replicants and Snatchers. Replicants have a penchant for photographs, because it gives them a tie to their non-existent past. This is similar with what Snatchers do, as all of the Snatchers have photos linking back to Moscow, which gives them a tie to their origin. Also both "Alien", Blade Runner (both directed by Ridley Scott) and Snatcher have "artificial persons", and there is ambiguity as to who is/was a real human. The difference is that Ash is a robot with mechanical insides. And with Snatcher the difference is that the Snatchers are bio-roids, with artificial muscle, skin and hair.
There also is another similarity in the ways of finding out who is a replicant/snatcher. With replicants, they can be detected by their eyes, through studying their retina while asking them questions to obtain emotional responses. With snatchers, they are detected through defects of their skin, but this is though investigation. It would be much easier just to scan suspects, but this violates the "Snatchers and the Protection of Citizens' Rights" act, as sufficient evidence must be found to obtain a scanning warrant.
Dekard And Gillian
The Junkers that have the same role as what Bladerunners do, that is to track down Snatchers/Replicants and eliminate them, are called runners. Which may be a direct link to Blade Runner.
To the left are pictures of Gillian Seed (far left) and Rick Deckard, and the similarities are very apparent. Gillian basically has the same clothes as Deckard, and even resembles Deckard. For those of you who don't know - Deckard is played by Harrison Ford.
During playing Snatcher you end up investigating a bath, and Metal Gear asks if you are looking for a snake scale. This is a direct link to Blade Runner, as Deckard found a snake skin in a bath where a replicant had been. Which led to him tracking down and eliminating the replicant.
Another direct link to Blade Runner is the person's name who discovered Isabella Velvet, whose name is 'Ridley Scotty'. This links to the director of Blade Runner, who is Ridley Scott.
The videophones in Snatcher are very similar to the phones in Blade Runner, where you can talk to a person as well as see them. But this is what we all think the future of the telephone will be. Also the number input of the phone in Blade Runner looked the same to that in Snatcher.
You could also compare the killing of Freddie Neilson by Random in Snatcher, to that of the killing of Leon by Rachael in Blade Runner. In that they were both in the same sort of situation, and the killer was killing one of their own, with Rachael being a replicant and Random being a bio-riod.
And finally there is the question of fear, mentioned in both Snatcher and Blade Runner. From Blade Runner you have the phrase from the replicant leader, Roy: "Painful to live in fear - isn't it?" While in Snatcher you have the point mentioned by Chin Shu Oh, about fear being humans weak point.
If you have any further information that you think should be included in this page, then email me
kokee@hotmail.com