# Trials of the Thief-Taker — Bounty hunting in London, 1729

> Interactive historical fiction text-based adventure game set in 1729 London. (iPhone/iPad app by Choice of Games LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trials-of-the-thief-taker/id1256617054 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Choice of Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/348940935)
- Category: Games, Books, Adventure, Role Playing
- Price: $4.99
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 16 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 28 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2017-08-09
- Data updated: 2026-06-01
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trials-of-the-thief-taker/id1256617054/reviews.md

## What is Trials of the Thief?

In London, 1729, before they had police, they had you: thief-takers, hunting criminals for cash! Fire a flintlock and sip gin in the age of powdered wigs. Will you grow rich catching smugglers and highwaymen, show mercy, or become a crime boss yourself?

"Trials of the Thief-Taker" is a 140,000-word interactive historical adventure novel by Joey Jones, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

As a thief-taker, paid by the court or hired by the victims of crime to recover property and, for an extra price, bring the culprit to justice, you'll stalk your prey across the misty commons and narrow rookeries of 18th-century London. Lead a gang of unwashed ruffians (or stalk the streets alone) as you apprehend highwaymen on lonely roads, and root out crooks and counterfeiters in inns and coffeehouses. Through cunning, force, or suspicious connections, you will find your mark.

You may strike a blow for justice, making a name for yourself and bringing good people to your cause. Or you can create the crimes you intend to solve, stealing the goods you'll be paid to recover, bribing prison guards to let your associates go, building your criminal empire while everyone lauds you as a hero.

Be quick or cautious, proper or disreputable, generous or mercenary...it's all in a day's work for a thief-taker.

Load your flintlock! There are thieves to take.

• Play as male, female, or as a woman disguised as a man; gay or straight.
• Make your way through a world ruled by manners, harsh laws, and lurking treachery.
• Run an empire of crime or establish the first police force...or both at the same time!
• Capture, befriend, or romance corrupt officials, escape artists, courtiers, highwaymen, smugglers and grave-robbers.
• Immerse yourself in Georgian lingo: learn the difference between a cove and a swell, a blue pigeon and an ark ruffian.
• Play the high-stakes dice game Hazard in the gaming houses of Covent Garden.
• Make your way with your silver tongue, a good horse, your street smarts or with two fists flying.

25% off until August 16th!

## Key features

- Interactive text-based adventure
- Historical setting in 1729 London
- Player choice impacts story
- Character customization (gender, orientation)
- Romance and relationship options
- Playable dice game (Hazard)

## Recent user reviews (7 of 7)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trials-of-the-thief-taker/id1256617054/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Action & Adventure and fascinating historical content!

*2021-08-08, version 1.0.2*

This is a gamebook of excellent prose and painstaking attention to detail, which will leave you with a better understanding of 18th century London life. Almost as good as hopping in a time machine. Highly recommend!

### 4/5 — A complete package

*2018-09-10, version 1.0.2*

I will give this one 4.5/5 if I can. This is a complete package. This game feel complete compare to some other COG games. However, it has a common issue with a lot of other COG games: the ending part is rush. 

You can easily tell that the last 2-3 chapters out of 10 chapters are going fast and the decision becomes way easy. You choose to become the crime leader, you will become one. It doesn’t have the resistance to make any decision at the end part while in the early you have 50/50 chance to not being able to catch thieves, which make it more realistic and fun.

Overall complete and fun. I just wish the author either extend the later chapters to make it feel more complete or cut some chapters and detailed other chapters instead.

### 4/5 — Very solid and very replayable

*2017-08-20, version 1.0.0*

I'm going to have to disagree with some other reviewers. I had a very fun time with this one. The major point in its favor is how many choices there are in this game and how they all interact with each other is pretty great. 

I've now played three times. The first I played as a corrupt money grubber, the second time I played as Falstafian drunkard who always tried to do the right thing be damned the consequences, and the third time I played as a self-righteous fighter for the law. Not only did such decisions give me (obviously) very different endings, but decisions built upon each other and each play through led to vastly different subplots and threads. 

So often I find that many of these choice games barely register your choices and so I was very pleased with how dynamic the story was in taking into account of my decisions. 

Its not quite deserving of a five. The characters are generally thinly sketched, but this is a game about role playing and I found it fun and well worth the download.

### 5/5 — Excellent

*2017-08-16, version 1.0.0*

Relatively short but absolutely brilliant.

### 5/5 — Excellent

*2017-08-11, version 1.0.0*

Just like a Choose Your Own Adventure book but more engaging.  Solid writing and good choices

### 2/5 — Misleading Description

*2017-08-11, version 1.0.0*

The description implies that romance options are available, and that the story goes far more in depth than it truly does. I played this story through 6 times- same basic story each time and NO romance. Disappointed...

### 2/5 — Interesting concept, lack of depth

*2017-08-11, version 1.0.0*

Not a bad game, though it did feel rushed and lacked the depth of other choice of games. The relationships felt shallow, the romances were almost nonexistent in many respects, and I didn't care for my character the way I have in the past with other interactive fiction games. It was an interesting concept that felt as if it lacked the depth of a complete experience.

## Frequently asked questions about Trials of the Thief

### What is the gameplay like in Trials of the Thief-Taker?

Trials of the Thief-Taker is a text-based interactive fiction game. Your choices drive the narrative, allowing you to pursue justice, build a criminal empire, or a mix of both in 18th-century London. It features no graphics or sound, relying entirely on your imagination.

### Can I play Trials of the Thief-Taker offline?

As a text-based game that relies on player input and narrative progression, Trials of the Thief-Taker is designed to be playable offline. Once downloaded, you can immerse yourself in the story without needing an internet connection.

### What platforms is Trials of the Thief-Taker available on?

Trials of the Thief-Taker is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It is designed to run on Apple's mobile operating system.

### How often is Trials of the Thief-Taker updated?

The latest version of Trials of the Thief-Taker is 1.0.8, which was last updated on January 8, 2026. This indicates a history of updates, suggesting ongoing support and potential improvements from the developer.

### What is the price of Trials of the Thief-Taker?

Trials of the Thief-Taker is priced at $4.99. There was a 25% discount available until August 16th, making the price potentially lower during promotional periods.

### Does Trials of the Thief-Taker have ads?

Yes, Trials of the Thief-Taker contains advertisements. While it is a paid application, the presence of ads is noted in its data.

### What age rating does Trials of the Thief-Taker have?

Trials of the Thief-Taker has an age rating of 12+. This suggests it is suitable for players aged 12 and above, likely due to its historical themes and potential for mature content within the narrative.

### How does the story in Trials of the Thief-Taker change based on my decisions?

Your decisions in Trials of the Thief-Taker significantly alter the narrative's direction and outcome. You can choose to be a righteous thief-taker, a cunning criminal mastermind, or even a corrupt official, with each path leading to different consequences and story branches.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.0.8 — 2026-01-08

You can now choose a font in the Settings menu. Switch to Helvetica for crisp sans-serif text, or try the OpenDyslexic font, designed against some common symptoms of dyslexia. If you enjoy "Trials of the Thief-Taker", please leave us a written review. It really helps!

### 1.0.7 — 2023-06-27

Bug fixes. If you enjoy "Trials of the Thief-Taker", please leave us a written review. It really helps!

### 1.0.6 — 2023-04-28

Now you can disable touch slide controls in Settings. If you enjoy "Trials of the Thief-Taker", please leave us a written review. It really helps!

### 1.0.5 — 2021-10-25

Bug fixes. If you enjoy this game, please leave us a written review. It really helps!

### 1.0.3 — 2021-09-24

Upgrading features.

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## More apps by Choice of Games LLC

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- [Choice of Zombies](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/choice-of-zombies/id494073073)

All apps by Choice of Games LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/348940935

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-01.*