Fruit Snatcher has a comic setup where the player will help Nilmerg, a creature who loves fruits but is too lazy to get them himself. Nilmerg plans to steal the fruit from birds who carry them.

The game has an unlimited number of levels of increasing difficulty, and several types of levels. You play 'normal' levels, and each 4th is a 'special' level. There are 4 types of 'special' levels (described later).

COMMON TO ALL LEVELS:
The player controls a contraption equipped with a launcher and two baskets for collecting fruits. This contraption follows the mouse horizontal movements. The launcher is activated by pressing the left mouse button.

The goal of every level is to collect a certain number of fruits under a time limit.

Besides fruits, a small clock may appear, which will extend the level time when collected.

If Nilmerg falls off the contraption, the player should wait near him. Someone will come to kick him back.

There's a semi-random level background preset selection for normal levels, and several background music to add variety through play sessions.

NORMAL LEVELS:
On normal levels busy birds are flying around carrying their fruits. Nilmerg have to hit them to make the fruit fall. Points are awarded if also he knocks birds off.

As the game progress, on some normal levels the player may encounter two more characters:

- THE NINJA, which will try to steal the fruits before the player collects them. The player can knock him off to make him drop the fruits he steals and get some points too.

- BIG BIRDS, which can't be knocked off, so they become in the way too often. Also as the levels progress, more will appear, and they will become more annoying by pooping into the contraption if the player makes them angry. Poo may fill the baskets preventing fruits from being collected.

FRUITY RAIN LEVELS:
On Fruity Rain levels, as the name suggets, is raining fruit. No birds or enemies, just fruit.

SEARCH THE NEST LEVELS:
On these levels Nilmerg will be stealing from bird's nests. The player will need to find out that he needs to get inside the nests, just hitting them from behind is not enough as the fruit is inside. So the player must make Nilmerg bounce around to get inside. Birds won't like it for sure and will kick Nilmerg out, but at least he might be able to push some fruits out before that, for the contraption to collect.

HIT THE GONG LEVELS:
On these levels the player will have to hit a gong to make a fruit fall from the sky. Some stones may get on the way.

STEAL FROM THE GIANT BIRD LEVELS:
On these levels the player faces a giant bird who carries a basket with fruits. The player must figure out how to steal from him. Hitting him to make him angry so he swings more the basket to make fruits fall, or making Nilmerg jump inside the basket so he can throw fruits out too.