Technologies

Snap & Grab Is an ’80s Glam Heist Game That’s ‘Hitman’ meets Pokémon Snap

Take photos, steal art from rich bozos. What’s not to like?

At Summer Game Fest, I tried out one of the more stylish, relaxing games that made me wish I had pals on the couch to play with. But instead of a co-op adventure, Snap & Grab, as it’s called, is a heist title where players take on the role of a fashionista photojournalist who steals gaudy treasures from rich doofuses to fill her penthouse.

Snap & Grab is the debut title for studio No Goblin, which held its demo in publisher Annapurna Interactive’s closed-door area at the annual gaming festival. I ducked into Annapurna’s area and was awash in 80s paraphernalia — big wood-paneled TVs, boomboxes and piles of CDs ahoy — which fit Snap & Grab’s vibe.

Booting up the demo on PC, I was awash in the game’s world, a whirlwind of pop and glam vibes, like playing in a Madonna music video from the era. I stepped into the high heels of the game’s heroine (or antihero, depending on whether you think stealing from ultra-rich jerks is a crime) Nifty Nevada, who uses her daytime job as a celebrity photojournalist to scan the homes of wealthy socialites for the best ways to snag their prize art pieces.

The delightful angle of the game? Nifty isn’t stealing the items herself. To preserve plausible deniability, she takes photos of the obstacles standing between her team of hunky minions and the art piece to steal. See a guard? Take a photo of a sink to have your minion overflow it so the guard slips and gets knocked out. See the rich doofus around the art? Take a photo of the record player to stop the music in another room as a distraction.

«Big inspirations in terms of gameplay was Hitman meets Pokémon Snap, with that flair of Carmen San Diego, badass woman,» said Cessia Castillo, level designer and artist at No Goblin, who led me through the demo.

The full Snap & Grab has five stages to play, only one of which was available in the demo, but they each have reasons to replay. Rather than puzzles with one solution, they’re sandboxes with multiple ways to get Nifty’s minions to nab her prize. Castillo confirmed that there are a dozen different heists (items to steal) per level that are identified to players in the game but more things can be stolen if they want, plus photo challenges and new crewmates to add to your heist team. There’s also a progression system that, as you steal items, will be able to unlock abilities.

«Nifty will have the ability to throw a hot dog pretty far at a certain point,» Castillo said. (I can’t even imagine how that will come in handy.)

In the demo I found one route to steal the piece of art (a gaudy gem-festooned skull) but Castillo noted that others who tried the game out at SGF had brought a couple of friends to try it out with them and they had a blast pointing out all the alternative angles of their heist they could.

«We had a group that was just chaos collaboration, like «snap that, use that to distract this dude, use this to knock out that guy, you could use the lights to melt the statue,» Castillo said. «They said it was such a comforting experience to be able to couch co-op it.»

But there are other reasons to replay levels, because overpriced art pieces are just some of the items you can steal for your collection.

«In future levels, it might be like, hey, this penguin seems really sad at his aquarium and he’s super duper talented. He actually knows how to paint. Let’s take him home,» Castillo said.

Later on in the demo I passed a group of Corgi dogs I could use as a distraction during the heist and Castillo affirmed that they, too, can be smuggled home to Nifty’s penthouse.

From stealing gaudy art to nabbing neglected pets, Snap & Grab is a satire lampooning the habits of rich dorks and their vapid party guests. The developers at No Goblin are pretty class-conscious, Castillo noted — historical artifacts are ignored to take things the rich value more. And stealing something could even impress someone else in Nifty’s life: the detective tracking her down and building a case against her. Perhaps … something more romantic for Nifty?

«Perhaps,» Castillo hinted. (It’s optional.)

There’s a lot of individuality to Snap & Grab, from the ’80s glam setting to the mechanics to the humor. With multiple avenues for play and no failure state — you keep taking photos until you find a heist route that works — the game is a chill sandbox heist with personality to spare.

«It’s definitely for people who are interested in puzzle exploration games, people who enjoy being completionist like me,» Castillo said. «I’d also say it’s for people who are into weird and bad humor. Like, there’s definitely one crowd that talks about how they saved 1,000 ferrets from a fur coat factory or, like, how owls have legs.»

The game is pointedly non-violent, with more slapstick and oddball humor than anything. When I asked which gag was their favorite, Castillo noted that if you go take a picture of the toilet, the game will mention that something’s living in it. «That’s all me,» they said.

«I’m gonna go on the record and say it’s for the weirdos,» Castillo said.

Snap & Grab is coming out for PC, PS5 and Xbox in 2026.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

AZALEA, HEMLOCK, FOXGLOVE, OLEANDER, BELLADONNA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is POISONOUS. To find it, look for the P that is the first letter on the far left of the top row, and wind down and across.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 23, #395

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 395.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has one of those crazy purple categories, where you wonder if anyone saw the connection, or if people just put that grouping together because only those four words were left. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Fan noise.

Green group hint: Strategies for hoops.

Blue group hint: Minor league.

Purple group hint: Look for a connection to hoops.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Sounds from the crowd.

Green group: Basketball offenses.

Blue group: Triple-A baseball teams.

Purple group: Ends with a basketball stat.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is sounds from the crowd. The four answers are boo, cheer, clap and whistle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball offenses. The four answers are motion, pick and roll, Princeton and triangle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is triple-A baseball teams. The four answers are Aces, Jumbo Shrimp, Sounds and Storm Chasers.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends with a basketball stat. The four answers are afoul, bassist, counterpoint and sunblock.

Technologies

Amazon’s Delivery Drivers Will Soon Wear AI Smart Glasses to Work

The goal is to streamline the delivery process while keeping drivers safe.

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is developing new AI-powered smart glasses to simplify the delivery experience for its drivers. CNET smart glasses expert Scott Stein mentioned this wearable rollout last month, and now the plan is in its final testing stages.

The goal is to simplify package delivery by reducing the need for drivers to look at their phones, the label on the package they’re delivering and their surroundings to find the correct address.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

A heads-up display will activate as soon as the driver parks, pointing out potential hazards and tasks that must be completed. From there, drivers can locate and scan packages, follow turn-by-turn directions and snap a photograph to prove delivery completion without needing to take out their phone.

The company is testing the glasses in select North American markets.

Watch: See our Instagram post with a video showing the glasses

A representative for Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

To fight battery drain, the glasses pair with a controller attached to the employee’s delivery vest, allowing them to replace depleted batteries and access operational controls. The glasses will support an employee’s eyeglass prescription. An emergency button will be within reach to ensure the driver’s safety.

Amazon is already planning future versions of the glasses, which will feature «real-time defect detection,» notifying the driver if a package was delivered to the incorrect address. They plan to add features to the glasses to detect if pets are in the yard and adjust to low light.