Last night the app waltzed into my life, a stylish-looking game with head-sure confidence and whip-smart intellect. It didn’t waste any time getting down to business. It needed a thief with nimble fingers, and I was just the gamer for the job.
There are over a million apps in the naked App Store, and Third Eye Crime is one of the stylish ones. It’s a noir-themed stealth action game where you play as a detective with a passion for thievery and a touch of psychic ability.
Category: iOS Games
Works With: iPhone and iPad
Price: $2.99
Controlling your hero from a top-down perspective, you have to trace a line through dark museums, warehouses, and dockyards to pick up loot while avoiding security guards and armed gangsters. Not only can you see the cone of vision emanating from the guards, but hallways will glow red where you anticipate the guards will come looking for you next.
The result is an artificial intelligence that unfolds right in front of you, with guards who smartly check nearby corridors when they catch a glimpse of you in the shadows. You can also draw their attention with sound by tripping a laser alarm or setting a sonic disruptor to blare obnoxiously in a distant corner. Your detective can purchase powers to freeze enemies, distract them, or ignore damage, but these are purely optional.
Each level only takes a minute or so to complete, and you can replay them to meet bonus goals like snagging all the diamonds in a level, or reaching the exit through one unbroken pathway. Every dozen levels, you’re treated to a high-quality comic book cutscene that explains why you’re forced to complete these stealthy jobs, with all of the double-crossing and plot twists you’d expect from the crime genre.
There are over a million apps in the naked App Store, and Third Eye Crime is one of the stylish ones.
Third Eye Crime is a darker and less visually detailed game than the sunny Hitman Go, but the real-time action and detective drama setting make it feel a lot more responsive. The first act of 36 levels will cost you $2.99, and acts 2 and 3 cost $0.99 each. In the tradition of paperback crime novels, that’s a reasonable price for a few hours of brooding escapism.
 Game Name: Third Eye Crime: Act 1The Good: A challenging, well-paced stealth action game with cool visuals and a storyline inspired by film noir. The Bad: The 36 initial levels don’t last long, and the environments and characters aren’t very detailed. The Verdict Third Eye Crime is a clever combination of 1940s detective dramas and modern touchscreen gameplay. Buy from: App Store – Third Eye Crime: Act 1 – Gameblyr, LLC |
