Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure

I've been locked-in on the 3DS this year, and to celebrate I picked up this niche (but pricey) rhythm game - Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure. This SEGA title follows Raphael - a petty art thief - as he seeks to uncover a grand mystery involving his father and other faces around Paris. The gameplay consists of two main elements: visual novel sections where you interact with different characters and environments throughout Paris, and the rhythm games, which have variety among themselves. On top of this the game features quite substantial voice acting - I saw complaints about the quality online but to me it was quite solid. The story is primarily told through animated sections, which are very smooth and entertaining (and very cool in 3D). Without going into too much detail, the story is very unique and interesting! As a minor spoiler, it centers around Napoleon Bonaparte wreaking havoc on a faithful rendition of modern Paris and all the mysteries that surround such a strange premise. Emphasis on faithful, as a lot of the "scenes" represent accurate depictions of Parisian landmarks such as The Louvre and Arc de Triomphe. Playing this game reminded me of our stay there - somewhere within the confines of the map - in the best way possible. Accompanying the great story is a thematic soundtrack featuring several famous classical pieces, along with a variety of other tracks. The games themselves are hit or miss, both in terms of quality and difficulty. Some games try to leverage the systems gyroscopic functionality, and those ones are particularly egregious. Overall, the general quality is pretty good and I usually felt excited to see what the next game would be - even if they started to repeat a bit toward the end. Aside from that there are some mini puzzles strewn throughout, which also vary in quality but still add some nice variety. If you are looking to complete the game you're in for a lot of tapping the bottom screen, as each scene features a searching minigame wherein you can find coins, music discs, or some other side-quest collectibles. Overall Rhythm Thief is a hidden gem of a game, and a worthwhile play for anybody who likes the idea of a story-based rhythm game on the 3DS!

Play it for the:

• Original and fun story
• Vast array of rhythm games
• Parisian setting and aesthetic

Reviewed on 2026-05-09

This battle with Fugue in G minor playing was an absolute highlight