Jet Set Radio renders overt social commentary, and as such, both it and its characters reflect at least some semblance of reality.īut with Rhythm Thief eschewing social commentary altogether, Phantom R is free to do away with any semblance of reality.
The rebellious tone of this performance is immediately reminiscent of Jet Set Radio and the youthful countercultural spirit that made it so famous, but there is a difference. Following Napoleon’s revival and the introduction of Phantom R, the narrative begins with Phantom R and his shadow doubles (more artistic devices than actual characters) defiantly dancing in front of the Arc de Triomphe. However, the story also does a decent job of foreshadowing the jouissance that the rest of the game is going to flesh out. Safe as this may be, the game’s awareness of that fact allows it to use these tropes to imbue the experience with a noticeable amount of humor and levity, not to mention the slightest bit of nostalgic charm. You’ve got the big heists, the babies left abandoned on somebody’s doorstep, the hero infiltrating the big gala, the ancient conspiracy, etc. As if to balance this out, his lack of professional experience makes him more incompetent and thus more prone to failure than his father.įrom this description, it should be pretty clear that the majority of Rhythm Thief is a pastiche of every pulp fiction trend from the last century or so. Unlike his father, Charlie is far more personally invested in catching Phantom R. The major players include: CharactersĪnother secondary antagonist and Inspector Vergier’s son, Charlie is an independent investigator who appears midway through the story with the intent of bringing Phantom R to justice. A lot of this is relayed to the player through conservatively animated but neatly executed animated sequences. In a short amount of time, he finds himself embroiled in an exciting conspiracy involving royal bloodlines, ancient treasures, and a clandestine army looking for the secret to conquer the world.
It begins with art student Raphael adopting the identity of Phantom R in the hopes of finding clues to his missing father’s whereabouts, but events escalate from there. The story (and a significant part of the game’s format), for example, takes a number of cues from Professor Layton. Yet not all of the game’s sources of inspiration are quite that old, or even from Sega. It knows where to seek inspiration in Sega’s catalog of games, and the modifications it makes to their groundwork result in a game that’s bursting at the seams with style and flair. Considering the legacy preceding this game, you might be inclined to think of Rhythm Thief as the culmination of Sega’s musical efforts – and you’d be right. Radically different games they may be, but they all espouse similar message of transcending our immediate situation in a pure celebration of everything life has to offer.Ĭut to 2012 and the release of Rhythm Thief and the Emperor’s Treasure. It reached a peak during the Dreamcast era, home to games like Samba de Amigo, Space Channel 5, Rez, and even Jet Set Radio.
This love affair continued well throughout the 90s, fueled by things like Michael Jackson’s (potential) involvement with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Tempo‘s early attempts to revive 70s spirit. Shortly after the Sega Genesis’ release, they enlisted the help of Michael Jackson in the form of Moonwalker, believing his style of music summed up the nascent console’s promises better than games alone ever could. You can see that fascination as early as OutRun, whose smooth jazzy beats were just as important to the game’s tone as its visuals and mechanical components perhaps even moreso. These tracks tend to evoke a rapturous feeling of celebration which has always gone hand in hand with Sega’s fascination with action and the sensation of movement. The formula’s proven a success, and not just because the resulting music always proves so catchy and iconic. While by no means universal, Sega games on the whole have a consistent musical influence: start with a retro 70s disco base, infuse it with some jazzy flair, and filter it through plain old pop music. Anyone familiar with Sega’s catalog of games knows how indispensable music has been to the company’s vision.
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