Sly 4, more appropriately known as Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, is not a Sucker Punch game. Could have fooled me. Sanzaru (I had to look it up too, they handled Secret Agent Clank and Sly Collection) has taken the reigns and cranked out a nearly indistinguishable successor to Sucker Punch’s Sly Cooper trilogy. Indeed; the look, sound, and feel of the Cooper gang is delightfully intact in Sly’s first outing since 2005.
Sanzaru didn’t seem like the ideal developer to revive Sly. Sanzaru’s Glen Egan explained that his team developed a Sly 4 prototype and pitched it to Sony. Much to their surprise (and no doubt satisfaction) Sony granted them the green light to proceed with the project. After a dry run with The Sly Collection last fall, it appears they’re ready for their first all new entry on a console platform.
From the first frame, Sly moved like Sly. Light on his feet and nimble in the shadows, his unmistakable creep appears to have been lifted straight from the PlayStation 2 classics. His appearance, specifically his facial animation, has received a significant overhaul. It felt a bit incongruous at first, but such are the pains of crawling into the next generation. Regardless, detail added in Murray’s considerably ripped physique and Sly’s agile frame were readily apparent.
Thieves in Time’s gameplay was quick to follow the classic Sly template. In our brief demo Sly was seen sneaking around guards, edging over ledges, and climbing up lamp poles. Murray also made an appearance to dispense some physical punishment, but his segment was brief. Bentley was heard but not seen (it was a rescue mission, after all), although it would be foolish to assume he wouldn’t make an appearance at some point.
When it came to business, Sanzaru was ready to take a few leaps in the gameplay department. It was passively mentioned that all of Sly’s classic abilities would return, but layered on top would be several new moves. Most of these arrive in the form of costumes, not unlike Mario’s suites. A pirate-looking costume, for example, allowed Sly to slow down time while a samurai-ish suit of armor allowed Sly to reflect fireballs back at a boss.
A bit of narrative was present if not vague. Pages of the Thievius Raccoonus have been vanishing, which is obviously troublesome. Sanzaru wouldn’t elaborate on their Thieves in Time moniker but time travel, of some sort, is likely a means of reacquiring Sly’s prized family heirloom.
Sly Cooper’s return is past due, but Thieves in Time is set for release in 2012.
