Sega of Japan has revealed that its fun 3DS rhythm based adventure game Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure will be getting an iOS release this winter and surprisingly, it’ll be a Free-To-Play title.

Despite being a free download however, certain areas of the game will be locked off and players will have to pay a fee to unlock them. Although how much of the game will ultimately receive a toll is unknown at this point and it’s also only confirmed for Japan as of now.

But we do know the game will be playable at the Tokyo Game Show, so if Chad and Craig happen to drop by the Sega booth, I recommend they give it a try.

Seriously, given how addictive this game can be, giving it this a F2P business model is a really smart (so smart that it’s sinister? Dun Dun Dun!) decision on Sega’s part and should generate a nice profit for the company once it busts a move on the Japanese App Store.

As for the possibility of a western release, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sega confirms it sometime after TGS.

Sources: Sega Japan via Joystiq