Phantom Thief Sylphy (PC)

While the term “phantom thief” seems to imply a thief who can avoid detection like some sort of ghost, those who fall under the title often deliberately make a spectacle of taking from the rich or bad people of the world, even dressing in extravagant attire despite their line of work involving stealth. Phantom Thief Sylphy decides to take this a step further though, the curvaceous heroine dressing provocatively as she seems to relish the kind of attention it brings. In her self-titled erotic adventure not only do the villains acknowledge her efforts for a certain type of attention but Sylphy herself seems to enjoy finding ways to sneak intercourse into her thieving missions. In a way, Sylphy herself is just as eager as prospective players to get to the adult content, an appropriate angle since she is the player character.

Phantom Thief Sylphy’s adventure involves her setting out on three distinct missions, her green-haired girlfriend Voyeur serving as mission control to help the player with the task. Sylphy finds herself infiltrating areas with valuable goods like a museum or mansion not only with the goal of acquiring something valuable while leaving an impression but also getting to the heart of a sequence of mysteries. During her work breaking into and stealthily navigating her target locations though things can go awry, and while some of the specific lurid fantasies featured in the adventure can put potential players off inherently, Sylphy herself seems to be interested in such set-ups herself so during the erotic scenes most players will come to the game for the focus seems to be on pleasure rather than any uncomfortable topics. Surprisingly enough though the targets of Sylphy’s thievery can sometimes be rather despicable with some heavy subjects if you stop to think about them, human trafficking and a cult being the focus of two of the missions. The game doesn’t dwell on the darker implications but also doesn’t shy away from them, so while the overall tone is light, the lewd content isn’t the only adult subject matter found in Phantom Thief Sylphy. Unfortunately it is also a prequel so it doesn’t wrap up every element it introduces, but the specific missions at least have their own conclusions.

The main attraction of the game is definitely Sylphy herself, to the point that the moment you meet her, a column taking up about a fourth of the screen will appear to the right with her image always present. Sylphy herself is rendered via Live2D, a program that allows for a 2D illustration to continuously move and react in a way that implies three-dimensionality and seems more lively than a mere still image. For the most part Sylphy will stand in place, her presence negligible as you focus on the stealth, puzzles, and occasional action that makes up the actual gameplay on the rest of the screen. However, if you do wish to look over you’ll find her idling with a rather wry smile and light blush befitting her alluring personality. While she will react to things like succeeding at the simple lockpicking minigame with a little bit of movement, the main reason this character model exists are for the erotic scenes and the situations where her outfit changes.

Sylphy essentially has a health system as measured by her own clothing, her purple corset and accessories breaking off when she gets caught by an enemy like the guards stationed at her target locations. She does have a set of stun batons you can charge back at base that can incapacitate foes instead of lead to clothing damage, but each lost item is reflected on Sylphy’s character model and there can be stretches of the game where she finds herself completely naked for an extended period. If she is in the buff when attacked by an enemy, this often leads to some lurid situation. The save system is generous, allowing you to save most anywhere and warning you to save beforehand for the few areas you can’t, so you can actually indulge your curiosity and get caught on purpose to see the unique animated scene. Some outcomes are just game overs without any intercourse while others will actually put you where you need to be or give you a chance to get back into the action after, but there is a decent variety of situations and positions in a game that will take you about three hours to complete.

While there are no voices, the animation during the scenes is certainly high quality and usually features a small progression on top of the looping content. Sylphy is always front and center as the focus and some scenes even break the bounds of her little box to give a larger area for the scene to play out, and while the writing isn’t particularly wordy, it does give the scene the appropriate context and serves as a decent supplement to the visuals. Some of it is reused for later scenes though and you might see a similar position resurface later down the line, but Phantom Thief Sylphy knows those moments starring its voluptuous protagonist will be the highlight for many and introduces a few different contexts and setups to keep things fresh.

Unfortunately, the game itself does seem to have a few little bugs, but thankfully nothing that is ever too damaging to the experience or can’t be fixed simply by exiting and restarting the game. Sometimes Sylphy might find herself in an altered state after an event, removed clothes being the most common, but if you load a save she can still carry over that alteration despite not looking that way at that point in the game. Luckily none of these altered states are too extreme and usually aren’t a bother to have stick around, but other times the character model can disappear entirely. Luckily the game isn’t too intensive and loads quickly so exiting and reentering the game can be done quickly, although sometimes I had to start a new file, finish watching the open cutscene, and then load a different save file to make her reappear. Other little quirks like being able to repeatedly reopen open doors or triggering an event in an odd way don’t truly detract from a playthrough. For example, Sylphy can encounter a minotaur in a labyrinth by heading to the left and spotting it, but if she heads to an area on the right and triggers it to leave its spot, you can still trigger her dialogue for meeting the minotaur back where you were meant to even after he’s long gone.

One thing that does make Phantom Thief Sylphy more interesting than a procession of well animated erotic encounters involving its heroine is the fact that gameplay between them isn’t just filler. Infiltrating areas actually requires figuring out small puzzles, timing your movement to sneak past guards or outrun enemies, and the utilizing of items properly to make progress. Sylphy comes equipped with a grappling hook she’ll need to use to move around the environment without getting caught, some guards can be baited away from where they are patrolling so you can slip by after, and getting through certain areas can involve some decent problem solving. Stealth and chases feel the most abundant and the game tries to change up how they’re executed, the minotaur always patrolling the labyrinth section for example but another portion of the game involves a mad dash through a maze while avoiding new pursuers lying in wait. There is a slide puzzle, but luckily if you aren’t into this less than thrilling puzzle type there is a workaround available. Inventory puzzles, memory tests, and the puzzle format where you can’t step on the same tile twice actually require some figuring out so the gameplay portion isn’t just a cakewalk to facilitate a tour of Sylphy’s erotic encounters. Making progress through an area’s sequence of events can be rewarding simply because you solved the puzzle or passed a trial that pushed back against you some, but none of them are so complex that it feels like you would get stuck on them for too long unless you overlook something.

THE VERDICT: Phantom Thief Sylphy prods the player’s brain a bit on top of providing titillating content. The puzzles aren’t too involved but they do keep the player occupied with something lightly interesting between the well animated erotic scenes. The stealth and action continue to add a dash of decent variety to the game, Phantom Thief Sylphy making navigating interesting and just challenging enough to be a fine supplement but still allowing players interested in the adult content to reach it without too much trouble. It has some technical issues that could use ironing out but aren’t too hard to ignore or circumvent, so while it might not draw in players on the merits of its simple gameplay alone, those drawn in by the sultry heroine Sylphy will find a game that provides decent activities between the salacious scenarios.

And so, I give Phantom Thief Sylphy for PC…

An OKAY rating. Phantom Thief Sylphy does a fine job assembling some context for the adult scenes that serve as its primary draw, the action and problem solving achieving a decent level of depth that allows for the player to push through them while still feeling a small tinge of challenge. You will need to figure a few things out and time your movements right and the fact these moments aren’t just pushovers helps to keep the player from feeling like they’re participating in filler content. The labyrinth near the start of the game in particular feels like it could fit right into a game based around its puzzles more since it has some interconnected ideas and a small range of challenges to overcome. While Sylphy’s continued presence on the right side of the screen can sometimes dampen the thrill of the more lurid situations since she’s been standing around naked for a fair bit of time, the animated scenes, while short, are given the love needed to serve as payoffs to the work you put into getting that far in the game. A post-game gallery does allow you to view them all without their context but the story and adventure around those moments isn’t a complete write-off. The villains are worth taking down, Sylphy’s humor and flirty nature provide good lead-ins to the more exciting action, and progress is earned even if the obstacles aren’t too difficult to overcome.

Whether or not someone finds the lead attractive certainly feels like it will make or break the experience for them since she’s given so much of the game’s focus, but Phantom Thief Sylphy mixes things up a bit so basic arousal isn’t the only appeal. It’s an erotic adventure with a fine balance between interactive play and lurid animations. While it’s a little rough at parts and doesn’t contain a complete story due to its nature as a prequel, if you do find the Phantom Thief Sylphy sexy just like she wants you to, there’s a bit more to enjoy in this simple experience than just her appearance.