Sly Cooper Thieves in Time Review -It's Time - Nerd Age
Feb
19
19
Sly Cooper was a series long thought dead. After releasing Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves on the PS2, developer Sucker Punch moved on to focus on next-gen darling, inFamous. While fans may have been worried that it was not Sucker Punch handling Sly, the folks at Sanzaru have proven themselves more than up to the task.
The Story of Sly Cooper Thieves in Time
The Series focuses on Sly Cooper and his merry band of thieves. A dastardly plot is afoot. The pages of the Thievious Raccoonus, the Cooper family how-to guide for all things thieving, are mysteriously becoming blank! Time to hop into your souped up van and travel in time to right this terrible wrong. You’ll slide, climb and sneak around open world environments collecting all manner of treasures and money, while restoring Sly’s family name in the history books.
The Charm of Sly Cooper Thieves in Time
I loved meeting up with Sly and his affable friends again. The story and characters are just as charming as ever, with the voice actors doing admirable work. The graphics are updated without ever losing the look that fans are familiar with. It feels like a Sly Cooper game through and through. The platforming is effortless and relaxing, and while switching costumes to open up new methods of getting around can slow down your movements, they add a bit of variety to the levels.
Collectibles return in this installment and a lot of your time can be spent roaming around the well designed, open areas. It’s easy to get around, and grabbing valuables from around the map and from the pockets of enemies was a joy.
Some Old Problems with Sly Cooper Thieves in Time
Not everything is sunshine and roses however. Not only did Sanzaru manage to bring PS2 platforming back, but they included the ludicrous load times from the era. Expect to see the loading screen frequently and for long stretches of time. There is also an inexplicable use of motion controls, which one might have hoped we had all moved beyond.
Sanzaru makes a heroic effort to emulate the previous installments, but in doing so loses its own voice. Expect very little innovation here. Playing as Sly or his ancestors is fun and entertaining. Playing as either Bentley or Murray is mostly a dull exercise to get to the next Sly mission. Not much has changed, nor would the fans really expect it. Rarely is a game that hinges on nostalgia this successful. This is not a game burdened by accessibility to those unfamiliar with the series.
The Sly Cooper Thieves in Time Vita Version
Very little is lost when playing on the Vita. It is slightly more glitchy than the PS3 version, but it isn’t often or bad enough to really cause problems. The graphics are great. Some buttons have been replaced with touch “buttons” but their placement is well enough out of the way to not distract you, and convenient enough to be selected quickly when needed. My biggest complaint is that motion controls are even more irritating on the device since you are no longer just moving a controller, but the screen as well. These are minor complaints however, and if you would rather play on a portable device Sanzaru did a great job of translating the experience onto the Vita.
The Last Word on Sly Cooper Thieves in Time
If you are interested in reliving your past glory days with Sly and the gang, you owe it to yourself to pick up Thieves in Time. And at the price point of 40 USD, why wouldn’t you? There are many games with less content and fun that retail for higher. It even includes the Vita version at no cost through Sony’s Cross Buy program. Sanzaru has nailed all that made Sly a classic platformer. Hopefully there is more to come from the series and Sanzaru. I can’t wait to join Sly and his pals for another heist.
Score: 4/5
