History VideoGame / Snatcher

[[quoteright:263:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/snatcher-front.jpg]]

->''This story is dedicated to all those cyberpunks who fight against injustice and corruption every day of their lives.''
->''All controversy begins with DOUBT.''

On June 6, 1996, a chemical weapon known as [[ThePlague Lucifer-Alpha]] under development in Russia, is released into the atmosphere, resulting in the death of 80% of the Eurasian and Eastern European population which in turn results in the death of half of the world's population. The contaminated area becomes uninhabitable for a decade, when Lucifer-Alpha mutates into a non-lethal form. This tragic event later becomes known as "the Catastrophe".

Fifty years later, a breed of artificial life-forms or bioroids known as "Snatchers" began appearing in the artificial island of Neo Kobe City, killing their victims and taking their place in society. Nobody knows exactly what they are or where they come from. It is up to Gillian Seed, an amnesiac working for an Anti-Snatcher task force called J.U.N.K.E.R., and his RobotBuddy, Metal Gear, to track down the source of the Snatchers and discover Gillian's mysterious connections to them.

A graphic-adventure game written and directed by HideoKojima, set in a Cyberpunk universe (with clear ''Film/BladeRunner'' overtones), with all of the quirkiness the game designer is known for, and more than a couple {{Shout Out}}s to other Konami games and the ''Franchise/MetalGear'' series. In Japan, ''Snatcher'' was originally released for the PC88 and {{MSX}}2 computer platforms in 1988 and then remade for the [[TurbografxSixteen PC Engine]] in Super CD-ROM-ROM format in 1992, followed by another set of re-releases in 1996 for the PlayStation and SegaSaturn. The only English version produced is the 1994 [[SegaGenesis Sega CD]] version, which regularly sells on eBay for about $200, thanks to the game's limited distribution of a quarter million copies (due to the decline of the Sega CD add-on at the time of its release).

Highly recommended for anyone with old Sega equipment (or [[{{Emulation}} KEGA Fusion]]); everyone else can follow along with the LetsPlay's of both the original (in both [[http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Snatcher/ screenshot]] and [[http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Snatcher_vlp/ video formats]]) and ''[[http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/SDSnatcher/ SD Snatcher]]'' by Website/SomethingAwful's LetsPlay/{{Slowbeef}} [[spoiler: and Snatcher counterpart [=0xBEEF=]]].

Though no sequel to ''Snatcher'' was ever made, the game was remade on the {{MSX}}2 as a SuperDeformed RPG titled ''VideoGame/SDSnatcher'', and a SpiritualSuccessor titled ''VisualNovel/{{Policenauts}}'' was released for various platforms.
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!!Snatcher provides examples of:

* AbandonedHospital
* AdventureDuo: Somewhat inverted as the main character is the HandsomeLech, and the RobotBuddy is the down to earth one.
* AfterTheEnd
* AlcoholHic: Harry, during a scene where he's drunk.
* AlienBlood: Snatchers leak green 'blood' out of theirs mouths once defeated.
* AllThereInTheManual: The manuals for the PC-88, [=MSX2=], and PC-Engine versions all featured an elaborate plot guide with information about the game's backstory and setting. The American Sega CD manual is unfortunately very basic by comparison, including only the character bios and a guide to JUNKER HQ. The European Mega CD manual thankfully has the whole plot guide translated.
* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: Well, when you only have three people staffing your HQ...
* AlwaysNight: Subverted in the ending sequence, when daylight finally returns to Neo Kobe. [[spoiler: Just in time for a large chunk of the city to get blown off the map]].
* AmnesiacDissonance
* AnAssKickingChristmas: The plot of ''Snatcher'' takes place in the last week of December. "Jingle Bells" plays in Alton Plaza, and Napoleon even greets you [[SurpriseSantaEncounter in a Santa outfit]] at one point.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the ending, [[spoiler: Gillian and the [-JUNKER-] team - what's left of it, anyway - depart to destroy more Snatcher factories around the world, starting with Moscow]]. "THIS CONFLICT HAS JUST BEGUN."
* AttackItsWeakPoint: Snatchers have a conveniently-placed "vent" on their cranium, used to adjust the size of their skulls, which is their sole vulnerable spot.
* AudioAdaptation: The ''Snatcher Sound Clip'', a mini-CD that was given out as a PreOrderBonus to people who purchased the PC-Engine version, featured a short radio drama which involved [[spoiler:Metal and Jamie pulling a prank on Gillian on the day of his birthday.]]
* BadassBiker: Random Hajile, a BadAss BillyIdol/[[{{Dune}} Sting]] / [[ZetaGundam Yazan Gable]] / [[Film/BladeRunner Roy Batty]] look-alike.
* BadassLongcoat: Standard [-JUNKER-] attire as it turns out that JUNKER coats have a number of protective features. Both Gillian and his predecessor Jean wear one.
* BadassMustache: Benson Cunningham.
* BigDamnHeroes: How Random Hajile makes his first onscreen appearence, by taking down the Snatcher/Freddy Nielsen, who was about to kill Gillian.
* BigShadowLittleCreature: Metal Gear's introductory scene. Doubles as a MythologyGag.
* BloodFromTheMouth: [[spoiler: Harry Benson]].
* BountyHunter: Random.
* {{Bowdlerized}}: In coming to America, some bits of FanDisservice nudity, some off-color jokes and some of the gore was removed. Katrina's age was also bumped up from 14 to 18, which makes Gillian's (largely untouched) {{Handsome Lech}}ery all the creepier in retrospect.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: It's HideoKojima... what did you expect?
** PaintingTheMedium: At one point, the player is asked to turn up the volume to listen for a faint noise, and to further achieve this, the menu sounds are quietened as well. When a loud explosion occurs shortly therafter, Gillian complains his ears are ringing. "That's because you left the volume turned up." Metal cheerfully replies. To which Gillian blames the Snatchers.
* CaptainObvious: Metal Gear would like to remind you that you are now on the trope page for the game ''Snatcher''.
* ChivalrousPervert: An extension of VideogameCrueltyPotential, as Gillian can hit on most every woman he comes across, despite being married. Including in front of his wife.
** Though this is justified, at least somewhat, by Gillian and his wife having split apart because neither of them can remember each other anymore.
** You can even choose to hit on the 14-year-old daughter of the man whom's decapitated corpse you were looking at just a little while ago. So, maybe drop the "chivalrous" part, depending on how you play the game.
* CityNoir
* ConcealingCanvas: [[spoiler: The vase picture in Cunningham's office]].
* ConsoleCameo
** In the 8-bit versions of ''Snatcher'', the computer used by Jean-Jack Gibson is either, a [=PC-88=] or [=MSX2=] depending on the platform the game is running. In later versions Gibson uses a [=PC-68=], a completely fictional model.
** A much more subtle example comes in the model numbers of Metal Gear and Little John in the 8-bit versions, which referenced the platforms that ''Snatcher'' was originally released for: "Metal Gear Mk. II/SR" (the "SR" was a specific model version of the PC-88) and "Little John [=msx011=]".
** In the end of the CD-ROM versions, [[spoiler:Metal Gear Mk. II is rebuilt into]] the console the game is running on depending on the version (i.e. a PC Engine Duo, a second model Genesis with Sega CD attachment, a [=PlayStation=] or a Sega Saturn).
* CoolCar: Gillian's turbocycle. Contrary to the name, its actually a 3-wheeled hover car, with joysticks instead of a steering wheel.
* CoolestClubEver: Outer Heaven.
* CreepyCathedral: [[spoiler: The final Snatcher nest.]]
* CrusadingWidower: Jean is out to avenge his wife, who was slain by the Snatchers.
* CutAndPasteEnvironments: [[spoiler: Somewhat justified in Queens Hospital. The first floor waiting area is identical to the secret basement, giving the illusion of two hospitals.]]
* CyberPunk: And a fair-sized Kitchen Sink thereof.
* DaChief: Cunningham.
* DeathCryEcho: [[spoiler: Snatcher-Lisa.]]
* {{Defictionalization}}: [[http://lparchive.org/Snatcher-(Screenshot)/chapter26.html Now you too can enjoy the delicacy that is Neo Kobe Pizza!]]
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Gillian joins [-JUNKER-] in hopes of recovering his lost memory.
* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: Gillian is a very perverted guy.....
* DirtyCommunists: [[spoiler: The Snatchers began life as a secret Soviet project]].
* DroolHello: [[spoiler: Blood drips from the ceiling in Cunningham's office. Upon glancing up, you see his Snatcher grimacing back at you.]]
* DubNameChange: Madnar to Modnar.
* DynamicDifficulty: How well you do on the Junker's Eye practice system determines how hard the game's later shootouts will be. Its possible to make them real easy by deliberately bungling said training system.
* DynamicEntry: [[spoiler: Random's debut, in which he [[AlreadyDoneForYou relieves Gillian of the task]] of shooting the Snatcher strangling him using a mirror as his guide.]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: Dr. Elijah Modnar and his father Petrovich were mentioned in the original PC-88 and MSX versions, but didn't actually appear until the CD-ROM versions. However, they both make an appearance in the ''SD Snatcher'' RPG remake.
* EasterEgg: Try entering the names of Konami staff (Such as HideoKojima) in the JORDAN database at Junker HQ. Not to mention the bonus videophone numbers you can call triggering such funny little scenes such as Gillian attempting to hold a conversation with Jeremy Blaustein, Konami's translator.
* EncyclopediaExposita: J.U.N.K.E.R. has a database filled with extra information regarding Neo Kobe City, Snatchers, The Catastrophe, and other data.
* TheEngineer: Harry.
* EvilLaugh: [[spoiler: Chin Shu Oh]].
* ExplosionPropulsion: Gillian and Metal Gear after outrunning a TimeBomb planted inside the factory.
* ExpositionBreak: The finale is one comparable in length and impact to most ''Franchise/MetalGear'' games.
* FamilyRelationshipSwitcheroo: [[spoiler: Harry is actually Gillian's son, having aged normally while his parents were put into a cryogenic freeze]].
* FanDisservice: [[spoiler: Following the shoot-out with Snatcher-Lisa, she falls backward onto the floor with her breast exposed... An image which is juxtaposed with her [[YourHeadAsplode exploded head]] and metallic skull. The nudity was removed from the CD-ROM release.]]
* FantasticAesop: Tries to claim we should all trust each other more... by besieging us with RidiculouslyHumanRobots who exploit that trust for the purpose of destabilizing society. Clearly a BrokenAesop as well.
* FantasticDrug: Liquid Sky.
* FissionMailed: One EasterEgg in the game has Gillian attempt to pick up a girl, claiming that, as a JUNKER, he can protect her from Snatchers...only for said girl to reply that she doesn't need protection as she's already been snatched! Metal's motion sensor goes off and the line "Game Over?" comes up complete with the Game Over music...only for a very much alive Gillian to wake up a moment later, seemingly having dreamt it up or lost consciousness.
* FlashbackEffects: [[spoiler: Elijah Modnar]]'s flashbacks are shown in a blood-red negative exposure, like an undeveloped roll of film.
* FloatingTimeline: All the dates in the Sega-CD were moved five years ahead from the Japanese version. Thus, the date of the Catastrophe was moved from June 6, 1991 to 1996 (allowing the translation to shoehorn a [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]] reference), while the actual year the game takes place was changed from 2042 to 2047. This was because the English version was made in 1994, three years after the date when the Catastrophe took place in the Japanese version.
* FortuneTeller: A sort of EasterEgg. [[spoiler: She's actually just a hacker who uses Gillian's retinal patterns and pulls up his personal info.]]
* ForgottenPhlebotinum: There's an easy, portable test to determine if someone is a Snatcher or not. It requires a search warrant to use on civilians, but in true ''Film/BladeRunner'' fashion, [[spoiler: apparently no one thought to regularly test the people who are in charge of destroying Snatchers.]]
* FunWithAcronyms: Who wouldn't want a business card stating their occupation as a "Japanese Undercover Neuro-Kinetic Elimination Ranger"? Probably the ones who would want "Naked Kind" in the middle, vis-a-vis the Japanese versions.
** Judgment Uninfected Naked Kind & Execute Ranger, for the sake of completeness.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Even in the censored dub,you could get Gillian to call a phone sex line.
** He can also call a prostitute with another number from the same source. She correctly deduces that the reason people in the game can only talk about sex in double speak is because [[MoralGuardians someone]] is watching them.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: [[spoiler: Chin Shu Oh]] reveals his true Snatcher nature in this way.
* AGodAmI: [[spoiler: Elijah Modnar]].
* GoingByTheMatchbook: [[spoiler: Finding a matchbook from the Outer Heaven bar is one of the red herring clues to the identity of the Snatcher that has infiltrated the [-JUNKER-]s.]]
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: [[spoiler: The Benson Snatcher's final words in the original 8-bit versions is said in Russian (Желаю　вам　усцеха, "I wish you luck").]]
* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: The game predicts the destruction of the Soviet Union by an airborne biological weapon in 1991 in the Japanese version and 1996 in the English version. Never mind the fact that the Soviet Union was dissolved by the time the English version was released in 1994. (The original [=PC88=] version was released three years before the Union's collapse.)
* GrossUpCloseUp: When you find the decaying skeletons. Bit of advice: when exploring the hospital, don't eat anything. Just trust us on this.
* HairColorDissonance: Katrina's hair color is [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue]] in the game, even though it's listed as "dark brown" in the ''Snatcher Pilot Disk'' and colored that way in most official illustrations (as shown in the cover above), while Lisa Nielsen (a witness in Act 1) is described as being raven-haired by Metal, despite her hair being green in-game.
* HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: Mika explains how to shoot your Blaster at the start of the game. Metal Gear will take over in explaining other new game controls for the rest of the game after you meet him.
* HelloNurse: Jamie.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Random and Metal Gear. The latter gets better though, and the former gets to do it twice.]]
* HostageSpiritLink: A game ending one.
* HoverBoard: While inspecting the board in SurferDude Ivan Rodriguez's apartment, Gillian comments that he must be a recreational "air surfer".
* HumanPopsicle: [[spoiler: Gillian and Jamie were put into suspended animation during the 90s, and haven't aged since]].
* HumanShield: [[spoiler: Cunningham takes Mika hostage for this purpose.]]
* {{Infodump}}: Reading through every entry in JORDAN's Fact File can easily take an hour or more, depending on how fast of a reader you are.
* TheInformant: Napoleon.
* KillAndReplace: The Snatcher Modus Operandi.
* KillSat
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Gillian shoving his gun barrel into Ivan's mouth. Even after more or less concluding that Ivan isn't a Snatcher, Gillian STILL feels the need to shove the blaster into Ivan's mouth.
* JumpScare: Used liberally. Jamie answering the videophone [[DudeNotFunny while wearing a Snatcher mask]] is the most glaring example. [[spoiler: Also, once you reach Queens Hospital with Random, be prepared once you see that an inactive Snatcher you could've sworn was there a second ago has disappeared.]]
* JustBetweenYouAndMe / NothingCanStopUsNow: [[spoiler: Chin Shu Oh]].
* KlingonPromotion: More or less on Gillian's part. [[spoiler: In Act 3, Metal points out that Gillian is now the highest ranking authority JUNKER has...having killed a Snatcher posing as Chief Cunningham, the real one being dead for a few months.]]
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Gillian and Jamie were originally Soviet scientists working alongside Elijah Mondar. Unbeknownst to Jamie, Gillian was also a CIA spy]].
* LawyerFriendlyCameo: The original [=PC88=]/[=MSX2=] version features people dressed up as KamenRider, [[StarWars C3PO]], a [[Film/{{Alien}} Xenomorph]], [[PlanetOfTheApes Cornelius]] and [[UltraQ Kanegon]] at the Outer Heaven costume party, along with a bartender dressed as a [[ThisIslandEarth Metaluna Mutant]]. The PC Engine version adds {{Guyver}} to the mix. They were all replaced by Konami characters in subsequent versions (including the bartender, who dresses up as the Golem from ''Salamander'' in the 32-bit versions), avoiding this trope altogether.
* LetsPlay: Done by LetsPlay/{{Slowbeef}} twice.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler: The reason Elijah Modnar continues the Snatcher project long after it was suppose to be discontinued. When he grows too old though, it later replaced by delusions of World Domination.]]
* LukeNounverber: Mika Slayton.
* MadScientist: [[spoiler: Elijah Mondar.]]
* MagicBrakes: [[spoiler: Gillian's sabotaged turbocycle.]]
* MagicFloppyDisk: Somewhat justified, as Gillian notes that "nobody uses those things anymore" upon finding a floppy disk.
* MasterOfDisguise: Napoleon.
* MisanthropeSupreme: [[spoiler: To say that Modnar took it hard when Jamie rejected him is an understatement. He leaked the Lucifer-Alpha virus to kill off everyone on the continent, then when ''that'' didn't take, developed a horde of robots with which to repopulate the Earth.]]
* MsFanservice / TokenMiniMoe: Katrina.
* MisterMuffykins: Referenced rather darkly, as a new pet craze in Neo Kobe is animals that can be used as cute purses, and tend to be internally lacerated by sharp objects.
* [[spoiler: MoleInCharge: Cunningham]].
* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Not exactly subtle. [[spoiler: Chin Shu Oh]] expressly compares the Snatcher's fear-mongering tactics to that of the Nazis.
* NewNeoCity: Neo Kobe.
* NiceHat: Harry's red cap.
* NightmareFace: A recurring theme with the Snatchers, whose faces usually end up in bad shape.
* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: [[spoiler: '''Averted'''. Gillian overhears Katrina's EvilDetectingDog (Alice) barking at the trees outside, but it turns out to be nothing. Later on, however, Alice's disemboweled body is found in the yard, having been thrown through a closed window. In the Japanese version, her body is [[{{Squick}} still twitching]].]]
* NoEnding: In the 8-bit releases, the planned ending was actually left out due to time constraints, though most of the story is wrapped up with a blatant SequelHook. This was fixed for the CD-ROM versions.
* NoDoubtTheYearsHaveChangedMe: [[spoiler: Elijah Modnar.]]
* NotMyDriver: [[spoiler: Gillian hops into a taxicab, only to discover that the NotQuiteDead Chin Shu Oh is the cabbie.]]
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Random survives his own SuicideAttack by virtue of being a Snatcher himself]].
* NukeEm: [[spoiler: The military uses their KillSat to eradicate Neo Kobe]].
* NumberOfTheBeast: [[ApocalypseHow The Catastrophe]] occurred on 6/6/96.
* ObviousBeta - The original [=PC-88=] and [=MSX2=] versions released in 1988 were rushed for release due to the fact that Kojima and his team were taking too long to finish the game. The originally planned ending was omitted from this version and the game ended on a much darker note than originally planned. Elements from the unused ending appeared in 1990's ''SD Snatcher'' before the full ending was added in the later disc-based remakes of the original ''Snatcher''.
* OddlySmallOrganization: [-JUNKER-] consists of a mechanic, a "Chief" who does nothing but sit at his desk all day, a glorified receptionist, and only ''two'' agents who are on active duty. There were supposedly four other guys, but they were killed or incapacitated just before the start of the game.
** By the end of the game, Gillian has become [-JUNKER-]'s [[spoiler: top-ranking officer]] [[KlingonPromotion by default]]!
* OffWithHisHead / PlotTriggeringDeath: [[spoiler: Jean Jack Gibson.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted, since there are two Bensons working for JUNKER. [[spoiler:Which becomes an important plot point.]]
* OnlyAFleshWound: [[spoiler: Chin Shu Oh shoots Gillian and Random in their arm and leg.]]
* PatrickStewartSpeech: "YoureInsane! Humanity won't be so easily dominated! You underestimate the strength of the human spirit!" - Gillian.
* PeekABangs: Isabella Velvet [[spoiler: and Snatcher-Lisa.]]
* ProductionThrowback: Since this was Kojima's first game after the original ''VideoGame/MetalGear'', there's quite a few references throw in. Most notably Gillian's robotic partner, who was built after the "Metal Gear menace from the late [=20th=] century" and whose leitmotif theme is the "Theme of Tara" from the original MSX game. Other references includes Benson Cunningham's former membership within FOXHOUND, the Outer Heaven nightclub, and the inclusion of Dr. Pettrovich as one of the developers behind the Frankenstein Project that created the Snatchers.
* RansackedRoom: Katrina's apartment.
* RemovedFromThePicture: Harry's childhood photograph of himself cuts out the portion showing his parents. [[spoiler: It turns out that his parents are none other than Gillian and Jaime themselves, who were kept in cryogenic stasis for decades, causing them to be physically younger than their now 55-year-old son.]]
* ReplicantSnatching: The [[TropeNamer Trope Half-Namer]]. Fittingly enough, ''Film/BladeRunner'' is the other half.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Metal Gear identifies a decomposing body as that of the '''real''' Benson Cunningham]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler: Gillian's reaction to Harry's death.]]
* RobotBuddy: Metal Gear, Gillian's partner in his investigation.
* RobotReligion: [[spoiler: The Snatchers worship Elijah Modnar as their creator, and even attend church in his name.]]
* RoboticReveal: Several characters turn out to be Snatchers.
* RobotWar
* RubberBandAI: Doing well in the practice gun shooting sections makes the in-game sequences almost impossible. It is recommended to do intentionally poorly to keep the difficulty down. And even then, if you're running the game on an emulator (and, let's face it, in this day and age, you probably are), you'll either have to be a keyboard magician or, if you're using your mouse as a Light Gun stand-in, aim high with your cursor to compensate for that tiny arrow not lining up directly with your shots.
* SayYourPrayers: You have the option of saying this to Metal Gear [[spoiler: when Gillian's turbocycle goes haywire. Averted when Gillian admits to Metal that he's not the praying type. Still, it ''does'' open up the command that allows for escape, and a delightful fourth wall observation.]]
* [[spoiler: SdrawkcabName: Random Hajile's name is "Elijah Modnar" spelled backward, a reference to Random being a bioroid created in Elijah's image]].
* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou
* SecretUndergroundPassage: [[spoiler: The hidden tunnel to the 'real' Queens Hospital.]]
* ShootingItOutOfTheirHands: Gillian blasting the gun out of Ivan's mitts.
* ShoutOutVideoGames: In the Sega CD version, the Outer Heaven bar is filled with clients dressed in Konami costumes, with characters dressed as [[VideoGame/GanbareGoemon Goemon]], {{Sparkster}}, [[VideoGame/{{Castlevania}} Simon and Dracula]], [[VideoGame/{{Contra}} Bill and Lance]], and [[VideoGame/LethalEnforcers Mr. Ueda]]. The PlayStation and SegaSaturn versions replaces Bill and Lance with [[VideoGame/{{Twinbee}} Light and Pastel]], Sparkster with [[LivePowerfulProBaseball Pawapuro-kun]], and Mr. Ueda with "Designman". The bartender was also redesigned to resemble the Golem boss from ''[[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Salamander]]''.
* ShoutOutThemeNaming: In the Japanese version several locations in the game were named after popular 80's bands such as the Joy Division costume shop (which became Plato's Cavern in the English version), the Alphaville computer (Alpha-One in the English version), and [[spoiler: Queen Hospital (Queens in the English version)]].
* SignsOfDisrepair: [[spoiler: "QUEENS" Hospital reads as "OLEEN" Hospital, thanks to burnt-out neon sign.]]
* SinisterSubway: [[spoiler:The Snatchers use this to navigate around the city in the daytime.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Several characters have their names spelled differently depending on which version of the game. Notably, Random Hajile is known as Rand'''a'''m Hajile in Japan.
* SuicideAttack
* SuddenlyHarmfulHarmlessObject: [[spoiler: The fake "skeleton" in Queens Hospital is anything but.]]
* SuperIdentikit: The [-JUNKER-] computer room's "Montage Mode".
* TechnologyMarchesOn: Jean's [[MacGuffin floppy disk]]. Partially justified in that Jean is shown to have old-fashioned tastes, since his computer is a PC-68 from the [=1980s=].
* ThrowAwayCountry: Most of Russia and continental Eurasia a good 50 years before the game begins, due to a seemingly unrelated virus. [[spoiler: ''SD Snatcher'' does a good job of tying it into the plot, though.]]
* [[spoiler:TomatoInTheMirror]]: [[strike:Double]] [[ZigZaggingTrope Poly Subverted]]
* TranslationCorrection: [-JUNKER-] originally stood for "Judgment Uninfected Naked Kind & Execution Ranger", a random string of English words that doesn't have any coherent meaning together. In the Sega CD version, it was changed to the (slightly) more sensible "Japanese Undercover Neuro-Kinetic Elimination Ranger".
* {{Transplant}}: Metal Gear Mk. II eventually found work as Old Snake's ItemCaddy in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', while Cunningham got a RaceLift and was turned into a ScaryBlackMan in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps''. Half of everyone else, though, couldn't score anything bigger than their own cards in the ''Metal Gear Acid'' series.
* TwoKeyedLock: Actually a ''three''-keyed lock. [[spoiler: To unlock the rooms in Queens Hospital requires the input of Gillian, Random, and Metal Gear simultaneously.]]
* UpdatedRerelease: Since the original [=PC-88=] and [=MSX2=] versions released in 1988 were {{Obvious Beta}}s, Kojima and his team saw fit to remake the game four years later as a CD-ROM game for the PCEngine, adding not only the originally planned ending, but also improved graphics and voice acting. The PC Engine version was released as ''Snatcher [=CD-ROMantic=]''. The later Sega CD localization and PS/Saturn rereleases are based on this version.
* UsedFuture
* VoodooShark: Why does nobody ever use the [[HoldingBackThePhlebotinum easily portable, perfectly effective, completely non-invasive Snatcher detector without a warrant]]? Respect for civil rights! This would be a perfectly fine explanation if [[spoiler: it didn't completely undermine the Snatchers' plans. How are they supposed to turn people against each other out of fear and mistrust when people are that trusting?]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:In the PC Engine version, Mika and Katrina are nowhere to be seen in the ending and not indication is made of what became of them since their last appearance. The [[AdaptationExpansion expanded ending]] in the Sega CD localization clears up what happened to them and they both make an unvoiced cameo at the end of the 32-bit versions as well.]]
* YouDidntAsk: [[spoiler: Metal Gear knows everything about Gillian and Jamie's pasts, but is forbidden from talking about it.]]
* YourHeadAsplode: [[spoiler: Freddy getting shot by Random.]]
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* ShoutOutVideoGames: In the Sega CD version, the Outer Heaven bar is filled with clients dressed in Konami costumes, with characters dressed as [[LegendOfTheMysticalNinja Goemon]], {{Sparkster}}, [[VideoGame/{{Castlevania}} Simon and Dracula]], [[{{Contra}} Bill and Lance]], and [[LethalEnforcers Mr. Ueda]]. The PlayStation and SegaSaturn versions replaces Bill and Lance with [[VideoGame/{{Twinbee}} Light and Pastel]], Sparkster with [[LivePowerfulProBaseball Pawapuro-kun]], and Mr. Ueda with "Designman". The bartender was also redesigned to resemble the Golem boss from ''[[{{Gradius}} Salamander]]''.