Sucker Punch Productions is a video game developer that's practically synonymous with Sony and Playstation at this point. And while they were only formally acquired by Sony in 2011, their debut on Sony hardware came almost a decade earlier-and along with it, the debut of one of the Playstation 2's unofficial mascots. In fact, Sly Cooper & The Thievius Raccoonus was only Sucker Punch's 2nd overall game, which makes the game's success all the more impressive. And while Sly never reached the sales number highs of the other unofficial PS2 mascots (Jak & Daxter/Ratchet & Clank), it maintained a dedicated enough fanbase to warrant a trio of sequels, and is still a fondly remembered series to this day, and wishes for Sly 5 in any State of Play announcements are not uncommon.
As is befitting of a master thief, Sly Cooper mixes 3D platforming with stealth elements, which can involve sneaking around enemies, disabling traps, and cracking into safes. With its hand-drawn animated cutscenes, SC feels like something directly out of a Saturday morning cartoon, and the aesthetic is fantastic throughout. Levels are generally well designed, and the visuals are particularly impressive for a 20 year old game. Character design is fantastic too. From the main protagonist, to his partners in crime, to each of the bosses you'll encounter; the game is totally bursting with personality. It has just the right amount of over-the-top-ness to it where it comes off as charming and silly without taking itself too seriously, which is especially impressive for the time period, perhaps even more so than the impressive graphics. And befitting of his character, Sly is generally just as smooth to control, too, especially with the abilities you earn as you progress.
Sly Cooper's goal in this game is to steal back pages of his family's secret thieving manual, so it makes sense that for each boss he defeats, he gains a new technique with which to outfox his enemies. This is pretty standard for a 3D platformer, but where SC is unique is in its optional abilities, unlocked by finding collectables in each level. None of these optional abilities are required to beat the game, but it's a neat concept that allows for a surprising amount of variety in playstyle. Admittedly, while the levels are mostly well designed, they're also quite linear, so there isn't as much variety as there could be, and many of these collectable abilities are more style than substance. That's likely because the game, even with only mandatory abilities, is pretty easy to beat, and most enjoyment of it will come from its slick aesthetics and character, rather than its challenge.
Even then, it's a pretty short game, and even a 100% run will likely wrap up in less than 10 hours. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if all of its levels were utilized effectively, but as the game goes on, it leans more and more on mini-game type levels, which are at best generic, and at worst, just annoying. More importantly, though, they lack the feel and ambiance of the main levels, and generally just feel like filler. Especially frustrating is the final area, which, instead of being a test of everything you've learned so far, is essentially a mini game collection. The game loses a lot of momentum towards the end, and that's a shame, because while the final level is one of the best in the game, the overall end game experience is likely to feel a bit bittersweet. But to be fair, it's not only the final levels that fumble Sly Cooper's theme. It certainly portrays itself as a stealth-focused game, but there is rarely any consequence-or, indeed, incentive-to try to play stealthily. The levels that prioritize sneaking around enemies instead of defeating them are the better parts of the game, but it can feel a bit disjointed when the gameplay doesn't often match the game's stylistic theme.
Still, while Sly Cooper might not be the most immersive title, it certainly has enough charm and wit to entertain you for the majority of its short runtime. And when it really leans into that comic book vibe-the cutscenes, the hammy villains, the smooth talking protagonist-it's a blast to play. It's certainly easy to see why Sly became an icon of the early and mid 2000s, and even if there's a bit too much fluff and a bit too little meat in his debut, it's still worth experiencing in the modern day. Even if Sly Cooper's gameplay wasn't always able to live up to the style of its presentation, it provided enough fun to get players invested, and enough engagement for them to imagine themselves in the shoes of the thieving mammal for years to come.
As is befitting of a master thief, Sly Cooper mixes 3D platforming with stealth elements, which can involve sneaking around enemies, disabling traps, and cracking into safes. With its hand-drawn animated cutscenes, SC feels like something directly out of a Saturday morning cartoon, and the aesthetic is fantastic throughout. Levels are generally well designed, and the visuals are particularly impressive for a 20 year old game. Character design is fantastic too. From the main protagonist, to his partners in crime, to each of the bosses you'll encounter; the game is totally bursting with personality. It has just the right amount of over-the-top-ness to it where it comes off as charming and silly without taking itself too seriously, which is especially impressive for the time period, perhaps even more so than the impressive graphics. And befitting of his character, Sly is generally just as smooth to control, too, especially with the abilities you earn as you progress.
Sly Cooper's goal in this game is to steal back pages of his family's secret thieving manual, so it makes sense that for each boss he defeats, he gains a new technique with which to outfox his enemies. This is pretty standard for a 3D platformer, but where SC is unique is in its optional abilities, unlocked by finding collectables in each level. None of these optional abilities are required to beat the game, but it's a neat concept that allows for a surprising amount of variety in playstyle. Admittedly, while the levels are mostly well designed, they're also quite linear, so there isn't as much variety as there could be, and many of these collectable abilities are more style than substance. That's likely because the game, even with only mandatory abilities, is pretty easy to beat, and most enjoyment of it will come from its slick aesthetics and character, rather than its challenge.
Even then, it's a pretty short game, and even a 100% run will likely wrap up in less than 10 hours. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if all of its levels were utilized effectively, but as the game goes on, it leans more and more on mini-game type levels, which are at best generic, and at worst, just annoying. More importantly, though, they lack the feel and ambiance of the main levels, and generally just feel like filler. Especially frustrating is the final area, which, instead of being a test of everything you've learned so far, is essentially a mini game collection. The game loses a lot of momentum towards the end, and that's a shame, because while the final level is one of the best in the game, the overall end game experience is likely to feel a bit bittersweet. But to be fair, it's not only the final levels that fumble Sly Cooper's theme. It certainly portrays itself as a stealth-focused game, but there is rarely any consequence-or, indeed, incentive-to try to play stealthily. The levels that prioritize sneaking around enemies instead of defeating them are the better parts of the game, but it can feel a bit disjointed when the gameplay doesn't often match the game's stylistic theme.
Still, while Sly Cooper might not be the most immersive title, it certainly has enough charm and wit to entertain you for the majority of its short runtime. And when it really leans into that comic book vibe-the cutscenes, the hammy villains, the smooth talking protagonist-it's a blast to play. It's certainly easy to see why Sly became an icon of the early and mid 2000s, and even if there's a bit too much fluff and a bit too little meat in his debut, it's still worth experiencing in the modern day. Even if Sly Cooper's gameplay wasn't always able to live up to the style of its presentation, it provided enough fun to get players invested, and enough engagement for them to imagine themselves in the shoes of the thieving mammal for years to come.