Lupin The Third Treasure of The Sorcerer King

As a fan of the Lupin anime for many years, Im happy to see one of the illustrious thiefs gaming romps make it Stateside...even if the game itself is a bit of a letdown. To its credit, Treasure offers a well-written (if typical) Lupin story, stars the TV shows English dub cast, and matches the visual style of the anime nicely. But I won’t be blinded by fanboy-ism this is an average adventure game that feels pretty dated by modern standards. Stiff, robotic controls present the game’s biggest hurdle. Most action sequences are a joke, as gun battles consist of standing still while firing at a bad guy who is five feet away. Even a few awkward attempts at stealth fail to add flavor to this bland gameplay stew. Also, the gameplays too reliant on noggin-scratching puzzles youll often wander around until you eventually stumble on the right path or clue to progress. Overall, Treasure is passable Lupin fare for diehard fans, but it probably won’t win any new ones.

Like its hero, this game wears many none-too-convincing disguises. Theres a lot of faulty stealth game-play, some shooting, and a dash of gadgeteering. But underneath that, it’s an old-school adventure game, where everything is part of an extravagant puzzle for example, a Cup-O-Noodles expiration date is the code to unlock a door. Lupin wouldve been better if we were free to roam around in true adventure-game fashion, hunting for clues without the headaches that tacked-on fighting and sneaking cause.

It’s always nice to see an anime game that doesnt outright embarrass its source material. Someone out there was serious about pleasing Lupin fans: The script and music deliver 100 percent original anime quality, and every place you go brims with that authentic James Bond-gone-bad Lupin feel. The game itself (a mix of Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil) is just above average the controls are more fiddly than an Irish wedding but the hide-and-shoot gameplay and fun puzzles are engaging enough to keep anime freaks playing. As a Lupin maniac, I feared the worst...and came out decently satisfied.