Policenauts

1994 · Point-and-Click Adventure · PC-9801 / Multiple

Overview

Policenauts (1994) is Hideo Kojima's Japan-only adventure game, written and directed by him over about four years, with occasional shooting sections.

Deep Dive

Play is point-and-click, with dialogue choices and some first-person shooting; the Saturn version supports a light gun. The original PC-98 release used pixel art and animated stills, while the 3DO, PlayStation and Saturn versions added cel animation and full-motion video.

Developer Story

Kojima began writing it in 1990; the project stalled and was revived in 1992. It came out on the NEC PC-9821 in July 1994, followed by the 3DO in 1995 and PlayStation and Saturn in 1996. Critics praised its presentation and writing, while some found it slow.

Did You Know?

It was first called Beyond, and Konami renamed it after a trademark problem.
An English Saturn version was advertised in North America in 1996 but cancelled; fans translated it in 2009 and 2016.