Homebrew Dev Working on Remixing Kojima's Snatcher for Dreamcast

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Still got a Sega Dreamcast hanging around? If so, I applaud your good taste -- and if you're a Hideo Kojima fan, there may be a reason to bust it out again soon, particularly if you've never played Snatcher, the game he released after the original Metal Gear.

CollectorVision, a "homebrew" developer and publisher for a variety of classic gaming systems from the 2600 onwards, is working on a "remix" of Snatcher for Dreamcast. This will be a completely new platform for the game, which originally came out for NEC-PC 8801 and MSX2, was subsequently ported to PC Engine and then finally localized for English audiences on Sega CD. CollectorVision's remix promises enhanced visuals and a remixed soundtrack -- the former appears to incorporate smoothed visuals, which may disappoint pixel-art purists, and additional special effects such as lighting.

Here's some comparison shots:

If you've never come across Snatcher, it's something of a different beast to what we now know as the Metal Gear series. Unfolding more as a first-person perspective adventure than anything else, the game follows the adventures of Gillian Seed in a dystopian cyberpunk future as he attempts to investigate a breed of bioroids -- the titular Snatchers. You'll explore locations, speak to witnesses, investigate evidence and make use of Metal Gear (no, not that Metal Gear) to chat with other characters via videophone or save your progress.

It's a game that has had something of a cult following since its original release, and is often regarded as an ambitious and largely successful example of interactive video game storytelling. The new Dreamcast version will allow a new audience to get its hands on the game for the first time -- though admittedly on hardware that is now two generations old, and at present it's not entirely clear whether the project has the explicit approval of Kojima and co. CollectorVision appears to be a reputable dealer from its officially licensed past products, however.

At present, the only details on the new "remix" project are on CollectorVision's Facebook page, but be sure to take a look at the company's official site for its other projects, particularly if you're a retro enthusiast.