Overview

Gotta love that cover, right? That's the first thing that struck me when I went into this album. It perfectly matches that silly "super deform" art style of Snatcher, doesn't it? As for the music itself, what we have here is the first ever remix album for the series, but certainly not the best. Running at a brief 35 minutes, does this curious little disc bring anything worthwhile to the table? Let's dive right in.

Body

"Twilight of Neo Kobe City" served as the opening theme to the MSX version of Snatcher. While the original version was a laid-back jazz piece, the remix uses solemn piano bars with haunting synth in the background. Unfortunately, the original melody is lost in context. While the new piece is nice, it does not hold a candle to remixes found on later albums. "The Peaceful Avenue" is an upbeat and happy tune from SD Snatcher. The first half starts with flute synth and percussion, while the latter half has the acoustic guitar handling the melody.

"Warning" is a jamming rock piece that sounds like it was taken directly from a recording session, and that's not a bad thing. The electric guitar is expertly performed, as is the percussion. "The First Lead" is also a rock piece with some techno elements thrown in. The guitars are once again great, and the synth provides excellent backing. "Triumphal Arch" is similar in style to the previous two tracks, but is faster in tempo and even utilizes "tire screeching" sound effects.

There are two vocal tracks included on this disc, "Assemble a Dream..." and "To the Sunset." While neither piece stands out, the cheerful performances perfectly match the cutesy atmosphere of SD Snatcher. The latter, interestingly enough, was arranged and performed by Konami veteran Aki Hata herself.

"Sunrise" is a smooth jazz piece. It begins rather oddly with the piano and bass providing ambient sound, while strings tremolo in the background. By the midway point, the saxophone joins in and plays a blues-like melody. The strings continue to play their beautiful harmony until the end. As a more cinematic piece, it stands out by being a mature composition. It feels out of place, though, when compared to the light and cheerful nature of the rest of the album. "Coda" finishes off the album rather weakly. While the overall melody is decent, the synth sounds very dated. Honestly, "Sunrise" would have been a much better finale.

Summary

Despite its short running time, Perfect Selection Snatcher & SD Snatcher has its moments. I really enjoyed the rock pieces, while "Sunrise" stood out to me as a wonderful jazz track. The use of live instruments was greatly enjoyed and is a huge step up from the original MSX synth. The biggest downside to the album is its length. So much more could have been added, yet we are only given 35 minutes of music. It really just gives a taste of future releases to come. Many more Snatcher / Policenauts albums obviously followed. If you want a meatier experience, I suggest tracking down those. However, if you do manage to find this album, prepare yourself for a short, but very sweet listening experience.