Imagine if Carmen Sandiego decided to build a team and only orchestrate heists as a fashionista photographer, instead of doing them on her own, and that is the core of Snap & Grab. Developed by No Goblin and published by Annapurna Interactive, this puzzle heist game has a few mechanics that make it stand out in the genre. After sitting down at Summer Game Fest Play Days and playing an early build for nearly an hour, it is safe to say this is a cool blend of heist and puzzle elements.
First off, I have to say thank you to Annapurna Interactive for setting up one of the dopest rooms at Summer Game Fest, seriously, it was an interactive museum of the late 80s, early 90s. In Snap & Grab, you take on the role of Nifty Nevada, the mysterious mastermind behind a string of grand heists, who is also a famous photographer. Your role is to take photos of not only the items you want your crew to steal, but also to use the photos as a step-by-step guide to be followed.
Puzzle games are not a genre I spend a lot of time playing. Seeing a game where you essentially create your own puzzle pieces and have to organize them in a specific way to succeed was interesting. So you use your camera to photograph objects that your crew will interact with. Then, when you believe you are ready, you line up the photos in order of which you want the objects or people in the picture to interact with. Ultimately, the goal is to steal a specific item by taking photos of potential distractions and items to steal. After that, you then take those photos and line them up in the order you want your crew to interact with or steal. For example, I had a member of my crew turn off a record player to distract the host of the party, then drop a chandelier on the statue to free a giant gold key. Next, I sent my crew to mess with a fountain to distract a guard, then had them quietly steal the key without any alarm.
Snap & Grab Key Features
SMOOTH OPERATOR
Take photos of threats, opportunities, and treasures in the world’s most fashionably exclusive locations, then use those photos to assemble a perfect heist for your crew of talented henchmen.
ROAM
Visit exotic locales – Kyoto’s glamorous fashion train, the ever luxurious Artquarium, Cairo’s famous Disappearing Ice Hotel – all open for you to explore and rob blind.
TAINTED LOVE
Experience a love story for the ages! Detective Rio Rivers has bet her career on the capture of the elusive mastermind behind this string of wild burglaries. Will the famous photographer stay one step ahead of the bumbling INTERPOL detective, or will her next heist be one step too far?
MATERIAL GIRL
Turn your luxury apartment into your own personal museum with the items your crew steals! Decorate with your choice of stolen paintings, statues, pets, and robot butlers. You know, rich people stuff. Everyone is going to be so jealous of your cool things.
The demo I played is a very early build of the game, but the core parts of the gameplay loop show promise. If you are into puzzles or even Carmen Sandiego, Snap & Grab should be added to your wishlist, and to stay up to date, make sure to check out the official No Goblin website.
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