This review is for Act 1 of the game Snatcher.
Act 1 is a standout experience, receiving top marks across several aspects. The balance of puzzles is just right, offering a challenge without being overly difficult. The pacing, both in gameplay and story, is well-executed, keeping the player engaged. While the shooting controls may feel strange at first, they eventually become enjoyable.
The art in Act 1 is particularly impressive, considering the limitations of the hardware. Technologically, Snatcher pushes the limits for its type of game, showcasing innovation that sets it apart. Despite some minor tedium with backtracking, the overall experience is very enjoyable.
The music and sound design are top-notch, with clear and non-intrusive sound that complements the game well. Clarity in gameplay is mostly good, though the "look" vs. "investigate" system can be a bit confusing at times.
Act 1 of Snatcher's innovation extends beyond just gaming, making it a unique experience. While there are some repeated actions, they don't detract significantly from the overall experience. The game leaves players wanting more, with a high level of replayability.
The X-factor of Act 1 of Snatcher is evident from the start, and the game keeps players engaged throughout, making it a very satisfying experience. Fairness in gameplay is also notable, with the game feeling reasonable in its challenges. Overall, Act 1 of Snatcher stands out as exceptional.
Act 1 is a standout experience, receiving top marks across several aspects. The balance of puzzles is just right, offering a challenge without being overly difficult. The pacing, both in gameplay and story, is well-executed, keeping the player engaged. While the shooting controls may feel strange at first, they eventually become enjoyable.
The art in Act 1 is particularly impressive, considering the limitations of the hardware. Technologically, Snatcher pushes the limits for its type of game, showcasing innovation that sets it apart. Despite some minor tedium with backtracking, the overall experience is very enjoyable.
The music and sound design are top-notch, with clear and non-intrusive sound that complements the game well. Clarity in gameplay is mostly good, though the "look" vs. "investigate" system can be a bit confusing at times.
Act 1 of Snatcher's innovation extends beyond just gaming, making it a unique experience. While there are some repeated actions, they don't detract significantly from the overall experience. The game leaves players wanting more, with a high level of replayability.
The X-factor of Act 1 of Snatcher is evident from the start, and the game keeps players engaged throughout, making it a very satisfying experience. Fairness in gameplay is also notable, with the game feeling reasonable in its challenges. Overall, Act 1 of Snatcher stands out as exceptional.
It's surprising to me that this really quite excellent cyberpunk-noir title sold so poorly outside of Japan, but I think there were two factors behind this: its potent cocktail of gore, violence, and mature themes significantly reduced the demographic of gamers who would buy it, and it seemingly is one of the first (if not the first) visual novels to be released outside of Japan, into a playerbase that is more accustomed to point-and-click adventure games.
In a way, my initial experience with this game probably mirrored that of the West in general - this might be my first visual novel, and I was baffled at first by the linearity, the lack of difficulty, and the lack of... gameplay, really. But I warmed up to it quickly enough - the genre's laserlike focus on telling a story made the experience like reading a book but with extra interactivity, and the ability to take things at my own pace. Gillian Seed, who was investigating the menace of the Snatchers (humanoid robots who kill people and take their place), could either be played as a no-nonsense straight-laced agent, or a talented goof-off who flirts with anything that moves and drinks booze on the government's dime, or anything in-between. With each new area and next stage of the investigation, I could either rush through with urgency or spend time interacting with everything and soaking up the impressive tapestry of lore, and I enjoyed the freedom that this genre afforded me. And, of course, Hideo Kojima being Hideo Kojima, the game made very clever use of the medium to pull of some clever tricks that books can't; in a very early example of this, your companion hears a faint noise and rather than outright telling you what it is, prompts you to turn the volume up so you can hear it yourself.
Of course, an interactive book is only any good if the story itself is good, and Snatcher definitely delivers on that! A lot of the plot elements seem derivative, especially today, but that doesn't take away from how well-crafted the world is, how cool some of the plot twists are, and how this story about synthetic life forms replacing people contains a heart and humanity that I associate with Kojima's best works. The pacing and storytelling is generally good too, though it suffers slightly from a need to over-recap key plot points, and several jumpscares or genuinely tense moments lose some of that thrill due to being overly-telegraphed.
This is an easy recommend to anyone - a patchwork of cinematic influences and inspirations that contains the seeds of Kojima's later work, easy enough to play to completion, both streamlined and compelling enough to never wear out its welcome.
In a way, my initial experience with this game probably mirrored that of the West in general - this might be my first visual novel, and I was baffled at first by the linearity, the lack of difficulty, and the lack of... gameplay, really. But I warmed up to it quickly enough - the genre's laserlike focus on telling a story made the experience like reading a book but with extra interactivity, and the ability to take things at my own pace. Gillian Seed, who was investigating the menace of the Snatchers (humanoid robots who kill people and take their place), could either be played as a no-nonsense straight-laced agent, or a talented goof-off who flirts with anything that moves and drinks booze on the government's dime, or anything in-between. With each new area and next stage of the investigation, I could either rush through with urgency or spend time interacting with everything and soaking up the impressive tapestry of lore, and I enjoyed the freedom that this genre afforded me. And, of course, Hideo Kojima being Hideo Kojima, the game made very clever use of the medium to pull of some clever tricks that books can't; in a very early example of this, your companion hears a faint noise and rather than outright telling you what it is, prompts you to turn the volume up so you can hear it yourself.
Of course, an interactive book is only any good if the story itself is good, and Snatcher definitely delivers on that! A lot of the plot elements seem derivative, especially today, but that doesn't take away from how well-crafted the world is, how cool some of the plot twists are, and how this story about synthetic life forms replacing people contains a heart and humanity that I associate with Kojima's best works. The pacing and storytelling is generally good too, though it suffers slightly from a need to over-recap key plot points, and several jumpscares or genuinely tense moments lose some of that thrill due to being overly-telegraphed.
This is an easy recommend to anyone - a patchwork of cinematic influences and inspirations that contains the seeds of Kojima's later work, easy enough to play to completion, both streamlined and compelling enough to never wear out its welcome.