Rhythm Thief & The Paris Caper Review

I love a good rhythm game. Rhythm Thief & The Paris Caper is an abridged version (i.e. not an exact port) of the Nintendo 3DS original Rhythm Thief and The Emperor’s Treasure; and though it’s nowhere near perfect by any means, the quirky animated visual style presentation and funktastic soundtrack was enough to win me over for the most part.

Though it’s a watered-down version of the full package, most of the rhythm sequences are present along with a vast array of charming characters from the original. The plot is not the game’s strongest point - being cut down to a great extent for the iOS version - but a bunch of new exclusive mini-games definitely make up for what is missing.

For those who are not familiar with the Rhythm Thief series, this beautiful iOS port is literally jam-packed with tutorials for every single game; so it’s hard to get overwhelmed despite the game being a tad confusing at first. That aside, it’s easy to pick up on the mechanics of play, and before long I was jumping headfirst into chapter missions, recruiting new accomplices, tapping and swiping my way through various stages like a rhythm master. Though the user interface is slightly bewildering, the game mechanics are fairly straightforward. Story missions are undertaken in order to gain special loot and rewards, as well as recruit accomplices and is where the majority of the magic happens. There are also a wide variety of mini-games packed within the main frame of the missions that are highly enjoyable and keep the gameplay interesting.

The dance missions are great, each one increasingly more difficult depending on the technique, style and song. So for anyone like me who’s a tad slow with the reflexes, it can become quite a challenge. However, for me this just gives me extra determination, and overall it definitely packs a whole bunch of replay value.

The social aspects of the game are where Rhythm Thief & The Paris Caper differs to a great extent. I can recruit accomplices from other players before heading out on a mission, and then choose to send a friend request at the end if I desire. Another interesting feature is the ability to ‘audition’ accomplices to add to the roster. Each audition either costs ‘Infamy’ (earned by missions) or R-coins (which are rarer to come across).

The one true downside of Rhythm Thief & The Paris Caper is the game’s ability to only run when connected to the internet. Unfortunately this means offline play is not at all possible and can be quite limiting where tablets or phones without a data plan are concerned. However, this is only a slight disadvantage as the game runs altogether fairly smoothly in all other aspects and is a treat to play.

For an abridged port it’s definitely worth the purchase, and anyone who enjoys a good touch rhythm game will most certainly enjoy this one.