Unlike those series, which prioritise frenetic combat and explosive action, Sly’s adventures favour stealth and puzzle-solving.
He steals jewels, artifacts, and a decent chunk of your time!
Yet, with four mainline adventures under his cane-toting belt, which one is the best?
And how do they fare against one another?
Slap on your thief masks it’s time to find out.
Enjoy, Cooper Clan!
“How to fill it?”
Obvious moneymaker in hindsight, right?
Bentley’s Hackpack, however, is utterly unremarkable.
Hackpack will pass a lazy afternoon, but little more than that.
That’s a mouthful and a half, to start.
Not the best childhood for our protagonist, all things considered.
These platformers are now old enough to have unexplained backache.
Your journey, then, begins ten years later.
Difficulty spikes, and thus frustration, abound.
Hence, it was no stranger to the universe, and picked up the slack most admirably.
As the title would perhaps indicate, Sly and the gang face a threat from across the temporal plane.
In doing so, he’ll render them a laughingstock and ensure the Thievius Raccoonus is never written.
More than you could ever play in a lifetime, that’s for sure.
Gameplay-wise, this is every bit as competent a follow-up as you could ask for.
Sly 4 is sadly let down by some narrative and character failings, however.
To no avail; Sly’s cane is the only key that can unlock the vault.
Will you be impersonating guards with a hilariously awful Italian accent?
Knocking over a ferris wheel?
Steering an RC car through a labyrinth of lasers?
The expanded cast is also welcome.
About the only criticism one could muster is that, well, it isn’t Sly 2.
Major additions to the formula include stealth attacks, vent crawls, and pickpocketing.
This time around, Sly’s friends are more than just set dressing.
Both Bentley and Murray are playable, and deliver wholly unique gameplay experiences.
Guns - and fists - blazing, every time.
JRPGs are alive and well.
but there were just so many of ‘em for PS2.
The environments, too, are drastically more extensive than they were in the previous title.
Uh, raccoon away…?
Just don’t mention that one mission with the sleeping bears.
Gameplay-wise, nothing’s really changed.
Lovely little hand-drawn animations accompany the title screen as you pick which adventure to go on.
Top marks, Sanzaru!
