Game Reviews

Ric Ricoco: International Art Thief

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Ric Ricoco: International Art Thief

Like a caricatured Thomas Crown Affair, Ric Ricoco: International Art Thief is all about swiping as many million dollar works of art by circumventing ceiling-mounted camera and patrol guards. Ric has no need to be dashing and debonair, though, since he has the help of his girlfriend Nancy in pursuit of priceless paintings enclosed within high security museums.

Completing each of ten stages is a matter of stealing enough artwork to meet the monetary goal. Time is not on your side, however, seconds frittering away as you rush to grab valuable paintings. Picking them off the wall is only the first step, as securing the goods means passing off paintings to Nancy through an open window.

Holding a finger to the screen moves Ric in his slinky sneaking suit across the 2D stages. Various actions like grabbing a portrait from a wall, descending a level using an escalator, or calling a lift are done by tapping buttons that contextually appear. It all works well, leaving the gameplay to hold up this heist.

Ric Ricoco comes to iPhone following an original release as a web-based Flash game, and it shows. The game, while straightforward and instantly accessible, possesses no depth. There's nothing more to Ric Ricoco's robbery then bypassing a few security cameras and calling the lift so you can escape with your prizes.

Actually, you don't need to bother avoiding the cameras because there's virtually no penalty for getting caught. An alarm sounds and the screen turns a startling crimson, while a few seconds are shaved off the clock.

What's the point? You might as well just traipse through levels at leisure, picking up artwork until you achieve the designated dollar amount. Removing ten seconds from the clock isn't punitive enough to discourage getting caught.

A few cute elements such as posing Ric as a statue to fool patrolling guards lend the game charm, but these don't provide the depth needed for lasting play. You can burn through the game in about half an hour, with little to pull you back for more. This is unlikely to steal much of your time.

Ric Ricoco: International Art Thief

Too shallow to seize much of your time, Ric Ricoco needs a more sophisticated design in order to steal away a full recommendation
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Tracy Erickson
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.