No Goblin, developers of the newly released episodic adventure Snap & Grab, have my heart firmly in their hands. 2014’s Roundabout is one of my favorite gaming experiences of all time: a beautiful love letter to cheesy ‘70s films and full-motion video that had me rolling with laughter from start to rotating-limousine finish. 2016’s 100ft Robot Golf is a totally cromulent golf game surrounded by some brilliant writing and great voice work. And now, 10 years later, No Goblin has once again attacked a specific genre with their trademark flair and hilarity.
Snap & Grab is a delightful gem of a game, built on the foundations laid before it. Equal parts Carmen Sandiego, Hitman, and Pokémon Snap, Snap & Grab brings charm and levity in spades. During my five hours with Episode 1 – The Penthouse, I chuckled, plotted, modeled, and stole through the apartment of Erik Pop, finding the intricate corners and side quests to complete. I came away impressed, but with some trepidation for future episodes, especially from a technical perspective. But, before then, let’s start where all great stories begin: the beginning.
An Arthouse Caper
Players step into the fashionable heels of Nifty Nevada (wink), the world’s foremost fashion photographer and white collar thief. Using her camera, Nifty gains entrance to the world’s most eclectic locations to snap pictures of the perfect heist. Doggedly pursued by Detective Rio Rivers (wink wink), Nifty has to stay one step ahead while making sure to grab anything of value.
Snap & Grab Episode 1 takes place entirely within the apartment of Mr. Erik Pop (designed after the current Senior Community Director at Behaviour Interactive Eric Pope, and voiced by Justin McElroy of the podcast My Brother, My Brother And Me), an avant-garde artist and permanent narcissist. His apartment is filled with expensive art pieces just waiting to walk out the front door, and even a less confident thief than Nifty would find their hands twitching with joy. Over the course of each of the episode’s heists, players can nab a diamond-encrusted hamburger, a gigantic key that also bequeaths ownership of the penthouse apartment itself, and a crystal skull guarded by the most adorable tiger you’ve ever seen.
And how, you may ask? Well, by snapping photos, of course!
Snap It, Then Grab It
Gameplay is built around Hitman-esque environments that task players with creating a Rube Goldberg machine of photographs. By wandering the environment, Nifty can snap photos of the objects to steal, the path to get there, and any obstacles in the way. Can’t figure out how to get past a security guard? Snap a photo of them, find out what distracts them, then snap a photo of that distraction so your crew knows what to do. Occasionally, areas of the environment may be restricted, and you’ll be arrested if you’re caught there. Better make sure to nab a hat off someone’s head, and you’ll be perfectly disguised.
Once you have all the photos needed to execute the perfect heist, you can watch it all play out in a fantastic montage of your crew’s attempt. If it’s successful, fantastic! If it’s not, you’ll see exactly why and what went wrong, so you can find a solution back in the main environment. It becomes a fantastic cat-and-mouse game, attempting heists only to be thwarted, finding new solutions, or maybe completely pivoting. The second major heist displays three different ways to solve it, but I counted at least four other ways that weren’t listed that also (maybe) would have worked.
Snap & Grab Episode 1 allows you to get very silly with it, encouraging players to get as creative as possible. Beyond the main heists are also photo challenges, allowing players to see how different mechanics work together. My personal favorite was figuring out how to get one of the many adorable corgis littered throughout the apartment to eat a hot dog; as it turns out, I was overthinking it, but I had a blast while doing so.
Technically Proficient
On the design side of things, Snap & Grab is bright, colorful, and ultimately fun. Characters are stylistically designed, looking more like vinyl action figures than real people. The environment itself is full of nooks and crannies to be discovered, popping with charm at every corner. Neat references to past products litter the walls, and NPC dialogue is exceptionally charming. At one point, I eavesdropped on a conversation about an NPC’s family ferret rescue. It sounds like a fantastic business model.
The music that courses throughout is also fantastic. In particular, the theme that plays underneath the party set had me rolling with laughter once I heard the lyrics. Along with all of that is a title sequence you have to see to believe, one that I hope will be played again and again at the start of each episode.
However, much of the charm and style can get lost in some technical bugs throughout the game. Objects and characters will suddenly slip and slide across the ground, moonwalking from room to room. Items clip through characters’ hands in montages, creating some hilarious burger-on-head moments. Nifty’s camera loves to breakdance during cutscenes, and the frame rate can take an occasional dive. While none of these bugs harmed my experience (and honestly enhanced the silliness at times), they are noticeable and prevalent.
Final Thoughts: Stolen Heart
As the first episode came to a close with teasing at what is to come, I genuinely found myself excited to see what capers Nifty and her crew of ne’er-do-wells get up to next. Bugs aside, Snap & Grab Episode 1 is a lightweight, fun time, great for capturing an evening. I will check back as the episodes continue, but the opening act left me delighted.
Score: 8.4/10
Snap & Grab, developed and self-published by No Goblin, is available now on PC (via Steam) and is coming soon to Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Episode 1 is $7.99, with future episodes slated to release throughout 2026.
Gary is a jack-of-all-trades video game enthusiast based in Boston, MA. A semi-professional fighting game player, even less professional Apex Legends player, and even less professional adult, he spends most of his time poking at strange indie gems and reading about the need for more diverse voices in gaming criticism. He invites anyone to recommend anything he's missed in the gaming world via Twitter or BlueSky, where he can found under the username @grtnpwrfl. When he isn't spending his time playing games, Gary is an avid New England Patriots fan and frequent hiker.
