Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief

About

Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief is a single player action adventure game with mystery and historical themes. It was developed by Blazing Griffin and was released on October 17, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Witness the Origins of a Legend - Experience Arsène Lupin's transformation from humble burglar to folklore hero in Arsène Lupin: Once A Thief, a detective adventure game set in the early 1900s.

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81%

Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews

story11 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

Faithful and engaging adaptation of Arsène Lupin stories with good narrative and character voices.
Stylish, charming artwork and well-designed isometric environments with pleasant music.
Varied puzzle deductions, including mind maps and dialogues, providing a relaxed and accessible gameplay experience.

Gameplay is repetitive and sometimes frustrating due to unintuitive puzzles and excessive backtracking.
Interface and controls are clunky with awkward camera rotation, small clickable areas, and no manual save system.
The game is relatively short and lacks replayability, with occasional bugs and technical issues.

story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
55%
10%
The story is praised for its faithful yet fresh adaptation of Arsène Lupin's character, offering an engaging, stylish, and layered narrative that appeals especially to fans of the original works. While generally considered solid and enjoyable, some players found the story length short (around 8 hours) for the price and noted that prior knowledge of the books enhances appreciation. Overall, it delivers a fun, well-told detective adventure with good dialogue and voice acting, though occasional pacing and progression issues were mentioned.
- “The thing I really liked was the story being accurate to 'Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Thief' (but with some changes, of course). I think they did a great job in adapting it into a game!”
- “Arsène Lupin – Once a Thief is a stylish, story-driven adventure that invites players into a playful reimagining of Maurice Leblanc’s legendary gentleman thief.”
- “The developers got permission from Leblanc's family estate to tell this story, and have clearly researched all of his books.”
- “But other than the story, I feel like the game is a bit lacking... ≈8 hours is too short for a game that costs 30 dollars.”
- “While the story was good, it wasn't great.”
- “Microids could have had a winner here if they had focused more on plot and gameplay instead of sound effects and their own arrogance.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The gameplay primarily involves exploration, clue-finding, and light puzzle-solving, but many find it repetitive and occasionally frustrating due to unclear objectives and clunky mechanics. While some appreciate the point-and-click style and narrative charm, the short runtime and lack of complexity may leave players wanting more depth and better pacing. Overall, it offers a relaxed experience but may not satisfy those seeking intricate or engaging gameplay systems.
- “The gameplay is nothing new, but it's well-done, even if occasionally steps can be a bit opaque.”
- “Gameplay leans toward a relaxed blend of exploration, deduction, and light puzzle solving.”
- “I like the gameplay, especially the point-and-click approach, art, and music.”
- “Both gameplay and controls could be better, especially the gameplay because it gets really annoying to walk around all the map two or three times looking for a clue, just for the "clue" to be a random unrelated observation on an item you already clicked twice. Because you didn't click on another item before clicking on it, Arsène "the smartest guy in the room" Lupin doesn't say what I needed him to say 20 minutes ago.”
- “30€ for roughly eight hours of repetitive gameplay is a bit too much.”
- “In 'Poirot First Cases', 99% of gameplay was the deduction boards, which got a bit tedious.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
Users generally praise the game's bright, colorful, and charming artwork, describing the graphics as beautiful and visually pleasing. However, some note that the graphics are not outstanding compared to similar games and mention minor issues with game mechanics rather than visuals. Overall, the artwork is a strong positive aspect, enhancing the experience.
- “The visuals are bright, colourful and very pleasing.”
- “The graphics are beautiful.”
- “A point-and-click adventure that is well-structured from start to finish, Arsene Lupin – Once a Thief offers a variety of puzzle deductions with charming artwork, good dialogue and excellent voice-overs.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music is consistently praised for its jazzy, caper-style vibe that perfectly complements the game's mischievous tone and art style, enhancing the overall playful experience.
- “Accompanied by a jazzy, caper-style soundtrack, the presentation captures the mischief and wit that define the franchise.”
- “The music is great, the isometric scenes are fun to rotate and explore, and the supporting cast just begs to be fooled by Lupin.”
- “I like the gameplay (especially the point-and-click approach), art, and music.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere effectively captures early 20th-century Parisian intrigue with warm lighting and detailed backdrops, complemented by simple yet expressive character models that enhance the narrative style.
- “Character models are simple but expressive enough to fit the narrative style, and the overall atmosphere evokes early 20th-century intrigue with warm lighting, textured backdrops, and a sense of Parisian sophistication.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in Arsène Lupin is praised for being graceful and well-integrated, enhancing the character-driven adventure and celebrating its iconic protagonist effectively.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect in "Poirot First Cases" is mostly centered around repetitive deduction boards, which many users found somewhat tedious over time.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly without crashes, freezes, or significant bugs.
- “That said, it runs smoothly—no crashes, freezes, or major bugs.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates excellent stability, running smoothly without any crashes, freezes, or major bugs.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is considered somewhat too easy to complete and lacks significant replayability, limiting players' motivation to revisit it.
- “Probably a bit too easy to finish and does not have much replayability.”

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7h Median play time

7h Average play time

7-7h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief is a action adventure game with mystery and historical themes.

Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck and others.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief.

Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief was released on October 17, 2024.

Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief was developed by Blazing Griffin.

Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief is a single player game.

Similar games include Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot: The First Cases, Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders, Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring, Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis, Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express and others.

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