In theSly Cooperseries, players step in the shoes of the titular anthropomorphic raccoon, with a compelling blend of humor, stealth, and platforming action, as Sly and his gang of thieves perform heists across a variety of exotic locations around the world. The first titlelaunched on the PS Plus catalog in June 2024,becoming the most played debut of a classic in the PS Plus Premium range.Due to this, fans and newcomers to the series were anticipating the addition of its sequels, which are now scheduled to be added in early December.
Sly 2: Band Of Thieves Introduces Semi-Open Worlds
Sly 2: Band of Thievesevolved significantly from the originalSly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. The first game followed a linear level design, whereasSly 2introduced semi-open hub worlds. Each of these environments are full of secrets, enemies, and opportunities to pull off mini-heists, with the player even free to take on levels as they desired on many occasions. These detailed cel-shaded worlds include urban Parisian streets, an Egyptian museum, the jungles of India, and many more. In addition to these expanded environments, the overall gameplay was significantly improved.
The core stealth mechanics ofSly 1were dramatically refined in the sequel, as players could now track and pickpocket guards, in exchange for upgrades to make Sly and his gang more powerful. Sly could now seamlessly hide in the shadows, scale rooftops, and navigate the world intuitively. The combat was improved too, as Sly’s friends Bentley and Murray were now unique playable characters, with more gadget-based and brute strength approaches respectively.These improvements earnedSly 2critical acclaim on release, cementing itself as one of the most memorable PS2 platforming titlesand one of the best stealth games.
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves Has Lots Of Unique Mini-Games
Sly 3 Features Constantly Fresh Ideas
Building on the excellent open-world structure of its predecessor,Sly 3expanded on the level design and gameplay even further. Retaining the unique geographical locations per level,Sly 3introduced a plethora of engaging mini-games. This includes biplane dogfighting, pirate ship battles (not unlikeAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag), RC car driving, and several more.These mini-games aren’t filler, they’re essential to the completion of levelsand are therefore thoughtfully integrated. These breaks from stealth and action constantly bring fresh and dynamic mechanics toSly 3’s experience.
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The three main characters fromSly 2return, along with four new playable members of the Cooper Gang, and Inspector Carmelita Fox.This diverse cast of characters all have their own unique gameplay and abilities,as the overall plot ofSly 3revolves around assembling the world’s best thieves to raid Sly’s family vault. These characters include the mind-controlling Guru, the tech whiz Penelope, as well as returning villians from previousSlygames, Dimitri and The Panda King. Bringing back old characters reflects on the overall themes of legacy and was an excellent way to wrap up the trilogy.
How The Sly Trilogy Holds Up Against Other Platformers
Sly Benefits From Timeless Graphics and Gameplay
The early 2000s was a goldmine forexcellent platforming titleson the PlayStation 2, with the aforementionedJak and Daxter, as well asRatchet and Clank,Spyro,Crash Bandicoot, andRayman,as just a few other cartoonish contemporaries. TheSly Coopertrilogy stands out in comparison to these titles due to its evolving gameplay, stylish visuals, and engaging humor.Every game in the series built upon the core stealth mechanics, and the semi-open world level design with innovative mini-game challenges consistently felt fresh and well-thought-out.
Sly Cooper 2 received aMetacriticscore of 88 for its PS2 launch, whereasSly 3received a score of 83 onMetacritic’s aggregate.
Due to the vibrant cel-shaded art style of theSly Cooperseries, the games have aged very well and feel timeless. In comparison to the realistic graphics of its contemporaries in the PlayStation 2 era,the cartoonish art direction of theSlygames, along with its whimsical tone and clever writing, creates a unique and memorable trilogywhich players will be sure to enjoy in 2024. This will only be bolstered by their addition to the PS Plus Classics Catalog. Custom save files, visual presets, and gameplay rewinding will satisfy thedemand for theSly Cooperfranchise on PlayStation 5.
