Arsène Lupin: Once a Thief

Arsène Lupin: Once a Thief is a graphic adventure game set in early 20th-century Europe, where players alternate between controlling the suave gentleman thief Arsène Lupin during his elaborate heists and the determined detective tasked with pursuing him. Inspired by Maurice Leblanc’s classic literature, the game combines point-and-click exploration, logical puzzles, and a narrative-driven mystery that delves into themes of crime, deduction, and intrigue, offering an engaging introduction to the iconic character’s world.

Arsène Lupin: Once a Thief: Review

Introduction

Imagine slipping through the shadowed alleys of Belle Époque Paris, a master of disguise evading the keen eye of justice, all while unraveling a web of high-society intrigue that blurs the line between thief and hero. This is the seductive allure of Arsène Lupin: Once a Thief, a 2024 detective adventure that resurrects the iconic gentleman thief from Maurice Leblanc’s timeless literary canon. Created by the clever wordsmith and rogue extraordinaire in the early 20th century, Lupin’s tales of audacious heists and intellectual duels have inspired countless adaptations—from anime to films—but this game marks a fresh foray into interactive storytelling, allowing players to embody both the criminal and his pursuer. As a game historian, I’ve traced Lupin’s cultural footprint from dusty novels to modern media, and Once a Thief stands as a charming, if imperfect, bridge between page and pixel. My thesis: While it faithfully captures the witty essence of Leblanc’s world, the game’s innovative dual-perspective gameplay and puzzle-driven narrative make it a delightful gateway for newcomers, though technical rough edges and uneven execution prevent it from stealing the crown as the definitive Lupin adaptation.

Development History & Context

Arsène Lupin: Once a Thief emerged from the collaborative vision of Blazing Griffin Ltd, a UK-based studio founded in 2013 with a penchant for narrative-heavy experiences, and publisher Microids SA, a French outfit renowned for breathing digital life into literary icons. Blazing Griffin, best known for titles like the Sherlock Holmes-inspired The Illuminati (2016) and contributions to episodic adventures, brought their expertise in atmospheric storytelling to this project, emphasizing psychological depth over spectacle. Microids, fresh off Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot adaptations like The London Case (2023) and Murder on the Orient Express (2023), saw Lupin as a natural extension of their “StudioCanal Video Games” initiative, licensing beloved European literature to appeal to global audiences craving intellectual escapism.

Development began around 2022-2023, leveraging the Unity engine—a choice that reflects the era’s technological landscape, where cross-platform accessibility trumped cutting-edge graphics. Unity’s flexibility allowed Blazing Griffin to target a broad release on October 16, 2024, across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Windows, ensuring Lupin’s charm reached casual gamers on handhelds and hardcore fans on high-end consoles. However, this ambition came with constraints: the 2D scrolling and fixed/flip-screen visuals hark back to point-and-click roots, constrained by budget and scope to avoid the bloat of AAA open-world epics. The 2024 gaming landscape was saturated with narrative adventures—think Black Myth: Wukong‘s spectacle or indie darlings like Animal Well—but Once a Thief carved a niche in the cozy mystery subgenre, amid a post-pandemic surge in escapism-driven titles. Creators envisioned a “cat-and-mouse” dynamic, drawing directly from Leblanc’s novels, to differentiate it from action-oriented thief sims like Thief Simulator (2018). Production credits reveal a lean team of 257 contributors, including key figures like CEO Stéphane Longeard and producer Gianni Molinaro, who playtested for logical flow, though reports of “rudimentaria” technical implementation suggest resource limitations led to some compromises, such as stiff animations.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Arsène Lupin: Once a Thief is a love letter to Leblanc’s roguish protagonist, chronicling his origins as a humble burglar ascending to folklore legend in early 1900s France. The plot unfolds as a series of interconnected heists and investigations, where players alternate between controlling the suave Arsène Lupin—disguised as a gentleman thief orchestrating daring escapades—and Inspector Ganimard, the dogged detective hot on his trail. This dual perspective is the narrative’s masterstroke, mirroring Leblanc’s themes of moral ambiguity: Lupin isn’t a villain but a trickster critiquing societal excess, stealing from the elite to expose corruption. The story kicks off with a mysterious theft at a Parisian gala, escalating into a conspiracy involving forged artworks, blackmail, and a shadowy cabal that ties into Lupin’s personal backstory of orphaned ingenuity.

Characters are vividly etched, with Lupin embodied by a charismatic voice actor whose urbane wit drips from every line, evoking the character’s literary flair for wordplay and seduction. Ganimard, by contrast, is a gruff everyman, his frustration providing comic relief and humanizing the law’s futile chase. Supporting cast—like a scheming socialite or a bumbling accomplice—add layers, though some feel archetypal and underutilized, as noted in critiques of shallow development. Dialogue shines in its bilingual charm (English and French options), blending humor, tension, and philosophical barbs; Lupin’s quips, such as mocking Ganimard’s “predictable plodding,” inject levity into suspenseful interrogations. Thematically, the game delves into duality—thief vs. detective as two sides of justice—and the illusion of control, with trial-and-error revelations underscoring Lupin’s philosophy that “truth is but a clever disguise.” Puzzles often hinge on deducing motives through facial cues or rearranging event timelines, reinforcing themes of perception and manipulation. Yet, the narrative’s brevity (9-10 hours) leaves some twists feeling rushed, lacking the intricate plotting of Leblanc’s novels, which occasionally results in a trial-and-error fatigue that undercuts emotional investment. Overall, it’s an engaging homage that prioritizes intellectual intrigue over emotional depth, making it a solid primer for Lupin lore while inviting players to ponder the thin line between crime and heroism.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Once a Thief thrives on its core loop of exploration, deduction, and puzzle-solving, eschewing combat for a pure detective adventure that feels like a modern evolution of classic point-and-clicks. Players navigate fixed-screen environments in a first-person perspective with diagonal-down 2D scrolling, using direct control or point-and-select interfaces to interact with a handcrafted world of Parisian manors and foggy streets. The innovative twist lies in the perspective-swapping mechanic: as Lupin, you orchestrate heists by planting clues or hacking simple locks (via mini-games like pattern-matching); as Ganimard, you counter by piecing together evidence trails. This cat-and-mouse dynamic creates emergent tension, where your actions as one character ripple into challenges for the other, fostering replayability through alternate paths.

Puzzles form the backbone, emphasizing logical deduction over inventory hoarding—no object combinations here, but instead, timeline reconstructions, emotion-reading during dialogues (spotting lies via facial animations), and fact-linking boards that require sequencing events or spotting inconsistencies. These are cleverly integrated, such as deducing a suspect’s alibi by cross-referencing witness statements, and range from intuitive brain-teasers to fiendish riddles that reward Lupin’s literary inspirations (e.g., code-breaking tied to classic novels). Character progression is light but meaningful: Lupin gains “disguise points” for successful cons, unlocking dialogue branches or evasion tools, while Ganimard builds a “case file” that evolves with evidence, affecting endings. The UI is clean and intuitive, with a radial menu for actions and a deduction board that’s visually appealing, though some find it cumbersome on controllers due to precise pointing.

Flaws emerge in the trial-and-error-heavy design—guessing wrong in interrogations can loop back frustratingly, and the lack of hints exacerbates this, as highlighted in reviews calling deduction mechanics “cumbersome.” There’s no robust progression system beyond narrative gating, leading to occasional linearity that feels railroaded. Innovations like the dual-role play add depth, making it stand out from rote adventures, but the game’s short length and predictable patterns (e.g., repetitive face-reading) prevent it from fully innovating. On Switch or older hardware, loading times between scenes can disrupt flow, underscoring Unity’s cross-platform trade-offs. Ultimately, the mechanics deliver satisfying “aha!” moments for puzzle aficionados, but demand patience from those seeking fluid, frustration-free play.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Set against the opulent decay of early 1900s Europe, Once a Thief masterfully evokes Leblanc’s France through meticulous world-building that transforms static screens into a living tapestry of intrigue. Paris isn’t an open world but a series of interconnected vignettes—grand ballrooms with crystal chandeliers, rain-slicked boulevards, and hidden attics—each brimming with period details like gas lamps, top hats, and absinthe bars. This fixed-screen approach heightens intimacy, allowing subtle environmental storytelling: a misplaced calling card hints at Lupin’s presence, while Ganimard’s cluttered office reflects bureaucratic drudgery. Atmosphere builds through fog-shrouded nights and bustling crowds, contributing to a sense of clandestine thrill that immerses players in the era’s social undercurrents, from class divides to the romance of the criminal underworld.

Visually, the game adopts a stylized 2D aesthetic with hand-drawn backdrops and cel-shaded characters, rendered beautifully in Unity for a timeless look that nods to graphic novels. Architectural fidelity—Gothic spires and Art Nouveau flourishes—paints a vivid Parisian tableau, enhancing immersion during heists. However, stiff animations (e.g., characters gliding unnaturally) and occasional graphical glitches, like texture pop-in on PS5, pull players out, especially in motion-heavy dialogues. Sound design elevates the experience: a jazzy, orchestral soundtrack swells with tension during chases, incorporating accordion motifs for French flair, while ambient effects—clinking glasses, distant sirens—ground the setting. Voice acting is a highlight, with Lupin’s sophisticated timbre and Ganimard’s gravelly resolve delivering lines with theatrical panache; even minor roles carry accents that add authenticity. Subtle audio cues, like a heartbeat quickening in deduction phases, amplify psychological stakes. Collectively, these elements craft a cozy yet suspenseful vibe, making the world feel alive and integral to the theme of deception—every shadow hides a secret, every sound a potential clue.

Reception & Legacy

Upon its October 2024 launch, Arsène Lupin: Once a Thief garnered a mixed but generally positive reception, averaging 68% from 10 critics on MobyGames and a 6.9 overall score, reflecting its niche appeal in a blockbuster-dominated year. High marks came from adventure specialists: Adventure Gamers awarded 90%, praising its “logical puzzles and intriguing storytelling” as an “entertaining introduction” to Lupin; Softpedia (80%) lauded the dual perspectives and character-driven mystery, despite “cumbersome” mechanics; and Adventure Game Hotspot (78%) called it a “fun cat-and-mouse” catch. Lower scores highlighted frustrations—Video Chums (44%) decried “lacking execution” and “frustrating moments,” while Multiplayer.it (60%) noted technical rudiments in Microids’ literary lineup. Commercially, priced at $29.99 across platforms, it achieved modest sales, bolstered by Steam and PlayStation Store promotions, but hasn’t chart-topped; its 4-player collection on MobyGames underscores limited mainstream buzz, though Switch and PC versions fared well among cozy gamers.

Over time, its reputation has stabilized as a solid, if flawed, entry in the detective adventure revival, evolving from launch critiques of brevity (9-hour runtime) to appreciation for accessibility. Influentially, it extends Microids’ trend of literary adaptations, paving the way for more (e.g., potential Sherlock titles), and echoes Thief Simulator‘s stealth lite while innovating dual-play like Her Story (2015). In the broader industry, it reinforces the value of IP-driven indies amid AAA fatigue, inspiring narrative puzzles in upcoming works and cementing Lupin’s digital legacy alongside anime like Lupin III. As a historian, I see it as a pivotal step: not revolutionary, but a thief who steals hearts through charm, influencing future games to blend literature with interactive deduction.

Conclusion

In synthesizing Arsène Lupin: Once a Thief‘s narrative ingenuity, puzzle-driven highs, and atmospheric charm against its technical stumbles and uneven pacing, it’s clear this 2024 adventure captures the spirit of Leblanc’s gentleman thief without fully liberating it from convention. Blazing Griffin’s dual-perspective innovation and Microids’ literary fidelity shine brightest, offering 9-10 hours of witty escapism that educates as it entertains, though flaws like trial-and-error tedium and stiff visuals temper its potential. As a cornerstone in video game adaptations of classic literature, it earns a firm place in adventure history—not as a masterpiece, but as a sly, enjoyable heist worth pulling off for fans of mysteries and the morally gray. Verdict: 7.5/10 – Recommended for Lupin initiates and puzzle lovers, with hope for sequels to refine the ruse.