Sly Cooper is an interesting series, to say the least. I cannot say whether or not it was the very first platformer to meld platforming and stealth mechanics together, but I'd be a damn liar if I said it didn't set the bar at its highest. The cast and writing were clever, the cel-shaded environments were enormously detailed, and the controls flowed seamlessly with the action in the game, not to mention the bold risk the developers took in the sequels with expanding the levels into wide-open, spacious hubs, which paid off big time. Unfortunately, due to the ever-rising popularity of Sucker Punch's other sleeper hit, InFAMOUS, Sly and his gang were abandoned after the PlayStation 2 era.
Being a huge fan of the games myself (they were originally on my list of Top 5 Favorite Franchises of all time, so that should tell you something), I sat with anticipation, eager to see if Sucker Punch would continue the Cooper Gang's zany adventures, but hadn't heard a word for years. Then E3 2011 came around, and I got my first glimpse of the almighty fourth iteration of Sly Cooper. I care less about the announcement of the Vita, the dozens of sequels, and even The Last of Us; Sly Cooper was all that was on my mind for the next couple of years.
Then I heard Sucker Punch wasn't behind the wheel anymore. And that the game would place a heavier emphasis on using costume abilities. At the time, I wasn't worried about Sly being placed into the hands of Sanzaru, the new developer, but a few months later I played Halo 4, which was developed by 343 Studios, a branch formed by Microsoft after Bungie dropped the Halo license. Everyone else praised Halo 4 to high heaven... but dammit, I tried the game myself, and it left an awful taste in my mouth. I so, SO desperately wanted to enjoy Halo 4, but there were just a bunch of design mishaps that really bogged down the experience for me. The writing wasn't nearly as stellar or clever, the menus were bulky and unwieldy, and the expansive firefights were toned down to cramped, symmetrical rooms and areas. Even my will to play the game's multiplayer left me after a little while, and Spartan Ops, as ingenious and pristine as it was, wasn't enough to save the lacking single-player and multiplayer experiences.
This really got me worried about Sly 4's success, because 343 Studios had dedicated a good amount of time and effort into Halo 4 and it ended up being mediocre in my eyes. I feared that Sanzaru would repeat history (no pun intended) and follow suit with Sly 4, but at long last, the game is here. Has Sly Cooper been knocked down to average status, or will it defy my expectations? Well, it's time to get out our encyclopedias and see if Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time proudly marches into gaming history.
There are things that I love about Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, and things that I am rather perturbed about. To at least keep some semblance of order within this review, I'm going to revert to the ol' "Good/Bad" system that I chose when making my first ever review on this site. Let's start with the things this game did right.
Good: Oh, LORD, it feels so good to see Sly Cooper again. This time, however, you'll notice there's something a little... different about his appearance.
Sly's clothes and gear have been enhanced in terms of polygon count, the lighting has been improved drastically, and his facial and body textures have been replaced with a more fur-like skin. I gotta say, I really like this new look for Sly. It makes it easier to tell his species, and allows for more detailed emotional output from his animations. Bentley, Murray, Carmelita Fox, and the rest of the assorted cast put on a great fresh coat as well.
Which is another point I'd like to bring up: The animations in Thieves in Time are outstanding. Compared to the jittery, odd nonsense we saw in the first Sly Cooper installments, the characters slip around fluidly and look more lively than ever. It really builds upon the cutscenes and the gameplay more than the first three.
It's not just the character models that look gorgeous, either. The world hubs are large and act as very effective eye candy. Compared to the dirty coat of paint we're used to seeing, it's very refreshing to look at the environments in this game, which are bursting with color and littered with atmospheric structures that really set the mood for each time period you visit. In short, this game really transitioned well in the graphics department. I was quite pleasantly surprised.
The control scheme is largely the same as it was in past installments, with some minor tweaks to keep the experience fresh. Sly sneaks around by default, and he can whack at stuff with his cane, balance on roped and pointy protrusions, climb up pipes and assassinate enemy guards with a couple of button presses. His arsenal now includes a set of abilities that can be utilized by donning certain costumes, which range from deflecting fireballs with heavy samurai armor to creating tightropes to walk across by shooting arrows at distant targets with an archer's tunic. These new costume mechanics are solely restricted to Sly, and some of them are rather clever, while a good portion of these costumes take from some of Sly's past moves, such as his Feral Pounce, and tweak them ever so slightly. I