Part 16: 15. "....actually, I'm not that religious."

I learned a lot about the Bible from that last update. Hey, speaking of which...

15. "....actually, I'm not that religious."



Out of the tunnel and into...



North Downtown. Which I think would be uptown. Thankfully, we're not going to be dealing with robots this update. Except Metal, of course.



Note the videophone here - NOW we're allowed to travel to Junker HQ and back. Also note the uh... Karuto? shop below. Karutos are awesome whatever they are. Also, the "small-ji-ma" next to it. It might be Kojima. Sorry. I should let a competent LPer do this game.



Gilian: Whoa. People around here sure are pushy about their religions.
Metal: Some people are just like that, Gilian.







Metal: I think I could get used to it here! They know how to treat a navigator.
Gilian: Oh, quiet you.

The concept of religion isn't completely new to Snatcher - for example, prayer is mentioned twice. Most notably, you'll see it in the out of control turbocycle sequence where using the command PRAY TO GOD unlocks a new option that brings up the next sequence. Also, when Gilian and Metal are in a ventilation shaft, strangely, Metal asks Gillian to pray for them. It's also revealed that Snatchers worship their human creator in a church, the way humans worship God.

Part of me wants to say that you can extrapolate some philosophical stuff Kojima was trying to put in, perhaps that he's drawing a parallel between religious indoctrination and computer programming.

Part of me also thinks I'm way overthinking that because it's the same game where a woman breaks into your apartment and uses your shower.



Gilian: Ah, the Bon building!



Oh, come on!



THAT'S IT?! What the fuck were they loading?! That one guy in this tiny room?! Why do people like this fucking system?







Bad news: We've got a pretty transparent fetch quest on our hands.

Good news: We already have Baran's ring, so we're half-done!



What the-?! Who would worship here? Mola Ram? Before we go in, let's keep exploring.





Oh for the love of-



Gilian: Metal, is this guy aware that Snatchers kill people?
Man: Is it really murder? It's more "trascendence," really. Think about it! Your biological husk is shorn and you become a perfect fusion of man and machine!
Gilian: Well, you don't. You'll be dead.
Man: Hold on. Before casting judgment, why not read some of this literature. Here it is! "Diabetics" by J. Wesley Crumpton.
Metal: Gilian, let's get going.
Gilian: Yeah...



Alright, enough's enough. Let's check out the Skull Spider Cult for ourselves and see what Purnet's connection is.





Alright. They're dressed like Orthodox Jews. Or Quakers. Or pilgrims. I dunno. Nice hats, is I guess what I'm trying to say.



Well, alrighty then!



Gilian: They kill you! Snatchers kill you! What is wrong with everyone?
Metal: Gilian, it's part of their belief system. People with strongly held values have a hard time letting go.



Brother Crumpton? What the-? C'mon! At least David Koresh had like a cult-sounding name. Or Charles Manson. But "Crumpton?" That's like something you'd name an idiot baker in a cartoon.

SD Snatcher, you are trying my fucking patience.



Hey that reminds me. I'm gonna derail my own thread for a sec. Was Terminator 3 any good?

Metal: Not really.

Hey, we're not supposed to interact. Now let's head deeper in.



I have to admit when you play fan translation stuff, you start to get used to it. I didn't blink a fucking eye at that sentence until later.





Some of you... okay, it's probably only a Snatcher dork like me... might be saying, "Wait, 2041? That's before the Snatchers started appearing in any version! Continuity error!" It's actually not. They explain it in a bit.







Y'know, it's funny... I was gonna make more jokes at the expense of Scientology and I was thinking "Nah..." because-



It's really too fucking easy.



Gilian: People worship this?
Metal: I have to admit, I like the concept of humans worshipping machines.
Gilian: Okay, but it's such a transparent cult! The Snatchers have to be involved.
Metal: By the way, I picked up a brochure you might be interested in.



Wait, how does she get to tell him where he can't go. Does Gilian need a warrant? This is something that's really muddled. Are Junkers cops?

The most telling scene is the original is Ivan Rodriguez - the Liquid Sky user in Snatcher who Gillian mistakes for Freddy Nielsen. You get two kinda contradictory lines:

Gillian: I'm no cop, I'm a Junker. I don't care if you're a buyer or a pusher or what. All I want to know is are you a Snatcher or a human?

Gillian says this after Ivan pulls a gun on him (a modified toy gun, no less) and Gillian finds his drugs as if to say, "You idiot. You didn't even have any reason to shoot at me."

Now, he's saying point blank that he's not a cop. However...

Gillian: The boys from Narcotics will be by.

Now Gillian's implying he's at least like a police officer in that Narcotics is something like a neighboring department.

All of that said, you have to remember Snatcher was released in America right after Reagan's presidency and when Bush Sr. was continuing the war on drugs. Every arcade had a "Winners don't use drugs!" logo because video games were only for impressionable kids and drugs were the ultimate evil, damn it. So, personally, I do think it's questionable whether or not Gillian really does call Narcotics in the original Japanese version. Aside from maybe drinking on duty, hitting on Mika, and eating buffalo, Gillian's a law abiding citizen, so in my mind, yeah he does call the police to report Ivan. It just seems like something in character for him.

One last note: No matter translation differences and influences and what not, it's made absolutely clear that Junkers are government agents bound by the law and they are able to exert legal authority. When they meet Random...

Metal: You have the legal obligation to state your name and your Bounty Hunter code.

Of course, what kind of jurisdiction Japanese police officers have in 2042/7 and how that relates to Junkers is anyone's guess.

Wow, that's an enormous caption.



Metal: Gilian, we can't encroach on their property without at least some evidence that this church is associated with Snatchers.
Gilian: Damn! Wait, though. Baran's Skull-Spider ring! Isn't that probable cause?
Metal: I don't believe it's enough evidence for scanning warrants, much less trespassing.

(Realistically, I think they'd have to let Gilian through. What can you do? You work with what you're given.)

Gilian: Maybe I can use my uh... debonaire charms.





Metal: It didn't go so well.
Gilian: She must have a boyfriend.
Metal: Regardless, we can't get in and we have no other leads. What do we do?
Gilian: I'm still thinking that over. Let's explore more of North Downtown.







Gilian: How is it I'm legally allowed to enter people's homes but not enter that church?
Metal: ...
Gilian: Metal, I said-
Metal: Uh... you see... just... just question him.







Gilian: We'd better go.

Nothing left to do, but...



Grind! You can thank El Molestadore for a couple levels and a lot of cash. Now, we get to go back to Junker HQ and buy one of the most powerful weapons in the game.







Oh for God's sake.





Yikes. These people have short-term memories. Didn't everyone love me after I killed that Snatcher before?





This is the M. Maximum - a six-shot laser that shoots in a 3x2 rectangle. This is the third best gun in the game and as such, the ammo for it is pretty expensive. Fortunately, enemies are pretty generous with the GOLD they give out.



Gilian: We've got to keep investigating. I know that church has something to do with the Snatchers.





Gilian: Wow. We're really not welcome here.
Metal: Well, you're not. They like me.

You have to talk to everyone to unlock this guy.



Who in turn unlocks...









I have a nearby save game to make sure, but the walkthroughs tell me this is one of those "But thou must!" kind of decisions.

Gilian: I can't turn down a lady. Yes!





She opens a secret entrance in Skull Spider. Looks like we're getting somewhere.









Yes, a peaceful religion named The Skull Spider Cult.







"Also tacos. It was kind of all over the place."





If anyone's wondering that's Lisa Nilsen, which is a misspelling of Lisa Nielsen. Whether she's married to Freddy Nielsen in this version is never resolved. Though you can place your bets on whether she's still a Snatcher if you like.





Looks like we've got another Snatcher on our hands, Wesley Crumpton!





This is Lisa saying the last line, by the way.









Or as fast and painless as a laser to the goddamned head can be.









Alright, time to junk. Off to the left, we find...



The pulpit room. This is going to be a rather important room as the giant skull spider probably indicates.



Gilian: Listen, buddy, I-





Gilian: Ah, he's punching me!
Metal: Gilian, something's not right.
Gilian: I'll fire off a warning shot.



Metal: Gilian, wait! Don't-

BANG







Oh crap.

We just killed a priest.

Version Differences

- Lisa Nielsen is the wife of suspected Snatcher, Freddy Nielsen. Her involvement with the Skull Spider cult is new to SD Snatcher.

- Gilian just killed a priest!

Post Script

It's more than apparent from Wesley's very low HP and the fact that he punches you (for 1 point of damage) that he's not a Snatcher. Sadly, there's not much you can really do. I actually did attempt a warning shot and I went for the leg, but one hit anywhere drops this guy. You also can't run here. I'm looking at alternatives (saying no to Lisa), but there's no trick here. That priest is dead, Gilian shot him and we're going to have to deal with the fallout from that.