Smooth criminal

“Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure” may be the umpteenth packaging of the basic rhythm-game formula, but the formula has never been packaged so well. If nothing else, Paris has never been rendered so beautifully in a video game.

“Rhythm Thief” casts you as Raphael, by day a boy, by night a boy in a costume who makes a sport of art theft. With his dog Fondue by his side, Raphael, transformed into alter ego Phantom R, makes stealing art seem like the most fun thing in the world. Perhaps it’s because every heist promises Sega-style madness, like Raphael fleeing across the Parisian rooftops chased by cops on roller skates.