The word 'was' in Rebel Twins' newest iOS offering Daddy was a Thief is worrying. It suggests an unhappy end for a man down on his luck who goes to extraordinary lengths to provide for his family. Once again we're probably reading too much into a simple arcade experience, but sometimes even the simplest word choices in a game's title can spark the imagination.

You play the titular Daddy who has just robbed a bank, has jumped to a nearby building, and must escape by planting his posterior through as many floors as possible. It's like Elevator Action with no car to escape in on the bottom floor. Swiping down will butt stomp your way through the ground, while swiping up will jump... although you don't really need the jump, as the butt stomp sends Daddy jumping to get enough momentum to make it through the floor in the first place. Each floor will either have a resident (be they cop, crook, or old lady), and piece of furniture, or the dreaded shrink ray, which will cause you to double your efforts to make it through the floor to avoid the deadly stinger missiles being fired at the building in order to take you down.

Some of the objects help you, like slamming on the fridge will give you a protective bubble, and slamming on the tub will plummet you down a few floors. Sooner or later you'll get to a casino mini-game where you bounce around like a pinball, trying to hit all the light switches, and obtain the riches within. Sooner or later you will die, and then you gain experience for the gold obtained throughout your run. All the shop items are locked behind these experience level walls, and then require gold to purchase (and they can be unlocked early with a lot more gold). Rather than add to the experience, these upgrades seem there as an obligation, as they don't really do much to enhance the game.

Now if you've played Crumble Zone, you know that the Rebel Twins know their sound design, and Daddy was a Thief is no exception. There is a satisfying crunch when you blast through a floor, that does become a little overbearing, but it is accompanied by a whistling tune that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It makes our concern about the title earlier seem all the more strange, but keep in mind that it is impossible for Daddy to make it out of this predicament alive. I guess this simple arcade experience tells us that even with a song in your heart, crime never pays.