The supernatural elements are underused and underwhelming - even the game's villain, the resurrected Napoleon, is little more than a surly man in a stupid bullet-shaped helmet who plays his role with absolutely no flair or style. The game layers on the twists and 'mysteries' in an astoundingly po-faced way, to the point where one character's betrayal feels like a personal insult because of the matter-of-fact way it's delivered. Nakamura apparently disagrees, however, and the game plays out with such a distinct lack of humour about its central plotline that every other problem becomes more apparent. It's not a story that can, or should, be taken seriously. This is the kind of narrative that could, in the classic anime tradition, be played to the rafters, absurd to the point of hilarity. After stealing the Bracelet of Tiamat from the Louvre, Raphael is drawn into a conspiracy involving the French monarchy, a sweet, violin-playing girl named Marie, and a resurrected Napoleon Bonaparte, and it's up to him to solve the mystery before it's too late. Rhythm Thief focuses on one Raphael, a bespectacled Parisian orphan who leads a double life as master thief Phantom R. Rhythm Thief is remarkable in just how lame the central narrative is, and, given how the game spends a substantial amount of time scrolling through text and playing anime cutscenes, the lack of a 'Skip' function is sorely felt. Those high standards don't appear to extend to their own work, however. Perfection is the aim of the game, and Rhythm Thief is refreshingly open about the high standards it holds us to. The game even includes Marathon Modes and Full-Contact Challenges, both of which ramp up the already-inscrutable difficulty levels in order to compel the player to do his or her best. The games are tough, but not so tough as to be insurmountable, and the drive to 100 percent everything in sight is fuelled by Rhythm Thief's unforgiving attitude towards mistakes - one screw-up and the player is down a grade, three or four in a row at the wrong time and it’s as good as over. The fifty games available are intuitive and varied, ranging from classic dance routines to intricate violin solos, from sneaking past guards to helping a dog attack them. It's a saving grace - 'rhythm' is right there in the title, the game would've been irredeemable if Nakamura hadn't delivered on that. Let's be straight - there's a very good rhythm game in Rhythm Thief. If he had, maybe he would've taken a step back before releasing Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure to the general public. This is advice that director Shun Nakamura (most notable for his work on 2006's reboot of Sonic the Hedgehog) probably should have been given. It's not enough to cobble together something inane and slap-dash in the hope that the gameplay will distract the audience. If developers are going to make interactive fiction in this market, they have to put some effort into it.
![rhythm thief rhythm thief](https://www.nintendo-insider.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/rhythm_thief_and_the_emperors_treasure_review_banner-550x309.jpg)
Take the 3DS, a platform in its infancy that still has on offer games like Kid Icarus, Cave Story 3D, and Ocarina of Time.
![rhythm thief rhythm thief](https://images.nintendolife.com/screenshots/34992/large.jpg)
The bar's been lifted so many times, even on handheld consoles, that it's easy to lose count.
#Rhythm thief full
There's a whole market full of games out there that offer rich, deeply satisfying narrative experiences. That's why the games industry is constantly pursuing the ultimate goal of becoming cinematic in the way it tells its stories (though whether it's desirable to aspire to films is another debate in and of itself).
![rhythm thief rhythm thief](https://66.media.tumblr.com/8f0fe2a31fb483e316a8a7efb7c03219/tumblr_inline_orrzkzGiFT1rsxstz_400.png)
That's why we have a burgeoning indie gaming scene through which creators like Edmund McMillen, Tim Schafer and Phil Fish can peddle intelligent, evocative narrative works without the consumer ever having to leave their couch. That's why we have triple-A titles - like BioShock, Shadow of the Colossus and Half-Life - that wade into the contemporary discourse on subjects as varied as politics, societal issues and the act of gaming itself. The moment that gamers stood in an open field west of a white house with a boarded front door, the pressure's been on the developers and the designers to create compelling stories, and to tell them better. We're long past the days of narrative not mattering in videogames.