Policenauts

Policenauts is a cinematic adventure game published by Konami, written and directed by Hideo Kojima. It was initially released for the PC-9821 computer platform in 1994, followed by versions for the 3DO in 1995, and PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996. The game has never been officially released outside Japan, despite plans for an English localization of the Saturn version.

Policenauts is a graphic adventure game, similar to Kojima's previous game Snatcher, played mostly from a point and click interface, though during some key points at the game, the player has to go through shooting sequences against adversaries in order to advance, and at one point the player has to defuse a bomb.

Policenauts, like Snatcher before it, pays various homages to previously-existing films, the most obvious being Jonathan's and Ed's respective resemblances to Riggs and Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon.

Storyline
The game's protagonist is a man named Jonathan Ingram, who is one of the five titular "policenauts" (astronauts with police authority) assigned to ensure the safety of Beyond Coast, mankind's first fully-functional space colony, in 2013. Jonathan is lost in space and presumed dead after a freak accident that occurred during an experimental space walk of a new spacesuit, but is found alive and well nearly 25 years later thanks to the cold-sleep module connected to the suit. The actual game begins in 2040, when Jonathan (now a private investigator working in the town that used to be Los Angeles) is visited by his estranged wife, Lorraine. She asks for Jonathan's help in solving the disappearance of her second husband, Kenzo Hojo, the only clues he left behind being a torn leaf, a set of capsules, and the word "Plato". Jonathan is reluctant to take her case at first, but after witnessing Lorraine's murder at the hands of a masked assailant after leaving his office, agrees to return to Beyond Coast in spite of his cosmophobia (a fear of outer space) to fulfil her final request. There he is reunited with his former partner from his LAPD days, Ed Brown, who agrees to help Jonathan find Kenzo Hojo.

Cast of characters

 * Jonathan Ingram - Aged 55 (but physically 30). The protagonist. One of the five "Original Cops" (a nickname given in likeness to Project Mercury's "Original Seven") that comprised the Policenauts. He was stranded in space for 25 years after a space-walking accident, only to be found alive, cryogenically frozen in his "survival ball". He developed cosmophobia (a fear of outer space) after this incident and has remained on earth as a freelance P.I. in Old Los Angeles. He returns to Beyond Coast under Lorraine's request.


 * Ed Brown - Aged 55. The chief of Beyond Coast Police's Vice Unit. He was Jonathan's partner during their days in the LAPD and was also one of the Original Cops. He is a devoted father to both of his children, Anna and Marc. He renews his partnership with Jonathan after 28 long years to solve Lorraine's murder.


 * Karen Hojyo - Aged 26. The heroine of the game. Daughter of Lorraine and Kenzo Hojo, she is a popular anchorwoman on Beyond and bears a striking resemblance to her mother. She's been diagnosed with secondary aplastic anemia.


 * Tony Redwood - Aged 23. A member of the Advance Police Unit, BCP's equivalent of the Swat Team. He is a "Frozener", a race of artificially-conceived humans who possess genes best suited to the environment of outer space. He is an ace pilot who can manipulate an EMPS (Extravehicular Mobility Police Suit, the mecha used by the BCP) as if it was an extension of his own body, which has earned him the nickname "Mr. Goddard", after the EMPS model used by AP.


 * Gatse Becker - Aged 56. One of the Original Cops, Becker is the chief of BCP and the commander of the AP Unit, giving him the highest police authority in all of Beyond.


 * Joseph Sadaoki Tokugawa - Aged 60. One of the Original Cops, he quit BCP many years ago in order to take over his family's company, the Tokugawa Group, following his father's retirement. He is the most powerful man on Beyond and wields considerable influence over the colony's media. He is also the chairman of the ISPA, the International Space Promotion Agency, Beyond's own space development project.


 * Salvatore Toscanini - Aged 58. One of the "Original Cops". He quit his job as a police officer several years ago due to a dissatisfaction with the job's lifestyle. He now serves as head of security at Tokugawa's Moon Plant to pay off alimony bills from his two divorces.


 * Meryl Silverburgh - Aged 24. A member of BCP's Vice Unit and one of Ed's subordinates, Meryl was once a member of High Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND, but sometime after the unit was disbanded, went to Beyond in an attempt to satisfy her craving for action. She is a big tomboy, but also shows a softer feminine side when she's with Dave. This character serves as the basis for the Meryl Silverburgh featured in Metal Gear Solid.


 * Dave Forrest - Aged 25. Meryl's partner within the Vice Unit. The total opposite of Meryl, he is a pacifist who dislikes violence and prefers to apprehend criminals by shooting them in a limb rather than a vital spot. Despite their differences, the two get along well and are particularly close. He is a junk food addict who is always seen eating hamburgers. He is always seen wearing his pilot's goggles on his head.


 * Lorraine Hojyo - Aged 55. Jonanthan's ex-wife. She married Kenzō after Jonathan was presumed death and then gave birth to her daughter, Karen. Lorraine goes to Jonathan in order to track down Kenzo, after he disappeared for three weeks, only to be murdered by a masked assassin after leaving Jonathan's office.


 * Chris Goldwin - Aged 41. The director of BCCH (Beyond Coast Central Hospital), the largest hospital on Beyond. A model during her teenage years, she became acquainted with the Policenauts when they posed together for a magazine cover.


 * Anna Brown - Aged 16. Ed's teenage daughter, she attends UCBC (University of California at Beyond Coast), where she is majoring in bioethics. She has taken over all household duties at the Brown residence after her mother, Catherine (Ed's wife), died.


 * Marc Brown - Aged 8. Ed's adopted son. Marc lost his real parents after Marc's biological father went crazy and stabbed his wife to death and was about to go after Marc, which left Ed, who had arrived at the scene of the incident, with no choice but to shoot him. The incident has left Marc afflicted with selective mutism and Ed unable to use a gun. Ed describes his relationship with Marc as awkward at best as a result.


 * Kenzo Hojyo - Aged 53. Lorraine's current husband, and the head of Tokugawa's Drug Delivery System Development Team. He has disappeared from Beyond without a trace.


 * Victor Jurgens - Aged 65. BCP's forensic pathologist. A stubborn yet energetic old man, originally from Russia. Uses a machine called AID (Auto-analysis Identification Device) for all his analyses.


 * Jun Ishida - Aged 24. The pharmacist in charge of BCCH's pharmacy.


 * Michael Saito - Aged 26. A receptionist and security guard at Tokugawa Pharmaceuticals.

References to/in other Kojima games

 * Policenauts contains several references to Snatcher. This includes cameos by Random Hajile, Jaime Seed and Napoleon, the appearance of a Snatcher calendar in Jun Ishida's office and reference to Lucas World (the basis for Lucas Land in Snatcher). The music from the club Outer Heaven in Snatcher can be heard in the background of one of the messages on Jonathan's answering machine. Also, Victor Jurgens has in his office a bottle of the same sunscreen found in Snatcher. The police station's shooting range has a hidden Snatcher target as well, complete with a green eye, and the music changes to an exclusive remix of "Pressure of Tension" from Snatcher while the target is used. Finally, one of the newspaper articles on the wall of Jonathan's office is from the Shin Kobe Shimbun, the literal translation of which being New (Neo) Kobe Newspaper.


 * A bar called the "Solid Snake" can be seen next to Jonathan Ingram's office during the Opening Intro in Old LA. Next to it is a sign with the word "Queen" in it, which could be a reference to the Queen's Hospital sign in Snatcher.


 * The EMPS takeoff scene from Act 3 can be seen in the original Metal Gear Solid, where Otacon tells Solid Snake about his fondness of anime.


 * Two promotional posters for Policenauts can be seen inside the Computer Room in the Nuclear Warhead Storage Building in Metal Gear Solid. A different poster can also be seen in the Computer Room in the B2 Floor inside the Shell 1 Core in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Additionally, in Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel, there is a poster of the cover of the 3DO version of Policenauts behind Otacon on page 135. It is a memory item, with its library entry being JAPANIMATION.


 * In addition to sharing one character (Meryl Silverburgh), the Metal Gear Solid series contains a few visual references to the character Dave Forrest. This includes Solid Snake's real name (David), the orange vest worn by Meryl in the end of Metal Gear Solid and goggles on EVA's neck in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Additionally, in an early version of MGS3's script, The Boss also wore goggles during the battle at the end of the game, and the flowers in the field where the battle takes place were going to be poppies, the plant featured heavily in Policenauts. Solid Snake also smokes Moslems, the same secondary smoke-less cigarettes smoked by Jonathan Ingram.


 * Cardboard Box 2 in Metal Gear Solid 2 has a Tokugawa Electronics marking on it. The box sorting devices in the Strut E Parcel Room also bears a Tokugawa Heavy Industries insignia.


 * The cybernetic ninja suits worn by Gray Fox, Olga Gurlukovich and Raiden are all made by Tokugawa Heavy Industries. Raiden also appears to use the same kind of white artificial blood featured in Policenauts (a Codec call with the Colonel in Metal Gear Solid 2 reveals that Raiden is using artificial blood during the game, though not the white-colored first generation type; it could be the third generation type, which contains 100% artificial blood cells and is red in color).


 * In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Meryl Silverburgh is seen with the same bullet earring she has in Policenauts, except in this case it is on her right ear. Two of the members of the renewed FOXHOUND Unit, Jonathan and Ed, share their names with the main characters from Policenauts.


 * There four character cards based on Policenauts in Metal Gear Acid and its sequel, Metal Gear Acid 2. These are Jonathan Ingram, Karen Hojyo, Ed Brown and Tony Redwood.


 * A interesting note is that, the fourth game in the "Metal Gear Solid" series takes place in the year, 2014. A year after the start of Policenauts.