Sure has been some unfortunate news for Sega as of late with the closure of several Sega studios. This comes as a massive dent that will cause them to become a much smaller player in brick and mortal retail markets globally as they make a larger push for digitally distributed Sega products. Considering that a lot of Sega’s success came from arcade games, or games that encouraged quick play, it’s a move that makes sense. But it is unfortunate for some of the quirkier titles that have been coming from Sega will not see as wide of a mainstream exposure. Not to mention a number of hard working individuals are no longer working for the company. As always, our condolences to all those involved. Anytime there’s a major closure is sure to generate some really depressing and unfortunate situations.

Sega is not out of the retail market completely, and Sega is willing to play the best cards that they have on hand. Until those major changes make their way, we do have a number of retail games to look forward to. Namely games like Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure are still on track for their debut. The game has already been released in Japan and the UK, however those in the US can now check out the game through Nintendo’s eShop for the NIntendo 3DS.

The demo comes with three rounds with unique mini games for each one. The game makes use of the touch screen, face buttons and (Not used in the demo version) the gyro sensor. Unlike most rhythm based mini games, the control scheme for the songs act as a familiarity as their use will differ for each round (or song.) Although you may find yourself having to replay certain stages as they require memorizing patterns. Some not as obvious as others the first time around, especially in the second round named “Looting to Louvre” where you have to match the pose of the statues to avoid the guards. It took a second playthrough to notice that the glowing hues put on the statues determine not only which pose to hit at the bottom of the screen, but the timing queues when our hero Raphael approaches a statue changes based on it’s pose. It works, but for those who are color blind may have some difficulty reading the poses on each statue as the tempo will also increase in speed overtime. There are onscreen ‘guides’ which will help assist with your timing. They can be freely turned off to allow to see the animations on the top screen. The other mini games featured make it easier to let you know how to time each action appropriately. But again, more than one playthrough will be enough to understand the controls which make for easier chances to net A ranks. As for the music, it’s better to just let you listen to the music itself. Hope you’re up for jazzy swing music, because I sure am. I’m terrible at explaining music, so just let the song below speak for itself, really. Also there are a few references to other rhythm-based Sega games in the mix as well.

It’s going to be tough from here on out for games like Rhythm Thief to make their way to store shelves, but even after playing the demo I feel that the game is going to deliver a unique experience. Why not take this time to check the game out for yourself?

[Source: Nintendo Press Site]