The fourth game in the Sly series after a long break. After the hiatus from Sly 3, it was hard to imagine that a new game for the PS3 will be made. Sanzaru Games is the developer that made this happen, after taking over from Sucker Punch and the result is a familiar Sly experience. I was wary at first since I preferred the first Sly game rather than the mission based, open world of Sly 2 and 3 but Thieves in Time isn't too bad and does a lot of things well. Perhaps it took too much inspiration from the original games as the structure remains very much the same. You go from hub world to hub world and then play as Sly, Bentley, Murray or Sly's ancestors to complete missions. It's formulaic and you know what to expect.
The constant change of characters means there is variety but also if you don't like a particular character or their levels, tough luck. It will become annoying when you're forced to play through them anyway. As an example, I dislike it whenever I have to use Bentley, his sections are either minigames or where he does exploration, he's weak and cannot defeat enemies yet he isn't as nimble as Sly (meaning he can't run away as effectively). The game is linear as there is often only one mission available at any one time (I can only recall at one point where two missions were available). There are a few easy platforming sections and a lot of minigames. The minigames are ones we have seen before, like Bentley's twin-stick shooter hacking game. However, the minigames add in some new aspects to make it more interesting.
The game forces upon you some motion control but it isn't as bad as it sounds. They aren't too common and it's not horrible on the Vita. I can't say for the PS3 version as using a controller might make it more unwieldy. The only awkward section where it uses motion controls is when firing an arrow. Once fired, you change the direction of the arrow through tilting but it is too sensitive and unorthodox in these areas such that it will take multiple attempts to get accustomed to it. This mechanic gets aggravating when you're forced to use it for a boss battle. It was unwieldy and frustrating to use, you could use the right stick for aiming but the sensitivity is way too high with no way to adjust it. Needless to say, you will repeat certain sections of the fight many times because the developers thought it was a great idea to have the boss damage you when you miss.
The control scheme will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played the original games. There are front and rear touch controls since the Vita lack some buttons compared to the PS3. The rear touch is utilized well, toggling the compass on and off. The front screen does things like pull your binoculars out and switching costumes. It's good for the most part until the point where you have to quickly switch between costumes, such as in boss fights. The touch mechanic isn't as responsible as traditional button input, causing some lag and in the bosses where speed is key, you will be damaged. Thankfully, checkpoints are generous enough to not make this too much of an issue. However, it is still unfortunate and somewhat annoying. Other familiar things include the ThiefNet to purchase power ups/abilities/moves, many of which you would already have encountered before.
Pickpocketing returns and it's as fun as ever, stalking a guard and then stealing money or rare item, then you finish them off with a silent obliteration. There is a huge cast of playable characters but like in previous games, the maps are designed for Sly or his ancestors thanks to the numerous climbing spots. Murray, Bentley and Carmelita requires jumping pads in order to get anywhere vertical and it feels like a huge limitation when playing as them. The story continues directly after Sly 3 which is awesome. Sly ends up having to time travel into the past and save his ancestors from being erased as he discovers the antagonist who is stealing treasures in the past, to bring the present. The humour interspersed throughout the game is great and it makes the story all the more enjoyable. Bentley isn't as annoying this time around but the constant cutscene intrusion will break the immersion of the game.
Every time you finish off a section, a cutscene happens, that's not to mention the load times. While the game doesn't take too long to load, it's noticeable and the frequency of the loading screen makes it all the more obvious that you're spending a considerable amount of time waiting for the game to finish loading. The game also starts to become more predictable as you realize you will be repeating the same things at each locale. You will time travel to another period, scout out the area, save Sly's ancestor and defeat the boss. The cutscenes either take in the form of animated slideshows (like a comic book) which looks crisp and bursting with character or the usual animations rendered by the in-game engine. The boss battles are okay but feel dragged out for way too long. It's your typical "learn the pattern of the boss" formula.
The problem here is that each boss battle is long enough to make you feel bored. You just want it to end as it is fairly repetitive. While on the whole, the game is easy, it does get annoying later on in the game. There are the aforementioned arrows but the game outstays its welcome in the final episode in which it feels artificially extended, filled with minigames you've played through many times already. It gets aggravating when the game decides to throw an annoying boss battle at you, plus annoying trophies (even though they're optional, if you're a trophy hunter, some of the requirements are painful). The final boss battle is the most disappointing of the lot. Without spoiling too much, it is basically a series of quick time events. Considering there were no QTEs in anything before, it was an unusual choice and destroyed the moment of the boss battle.
While many reviews have mentioned that the Vita version was inferior in terms of graphics, it is still stunning. Of course it is not going to look as pretty as the PS3 version since the hardware is not as powerful. Thieves in Time's environments are impressive, the character outlines are sharp and animations fluid. The large open world is amazing and you will be surprised that something this large in scale was possible on the Vita. The graphics look great and you can't help but admire how beautiful everything is. The voice acting is top notched but you will notice that while the same voice actors are used, their voices has aged and it will take a short while to accustom to it. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a fun and enjoyable game, harkening back to the classic gameplay of the past generation. There are no cons in terms of gameplay (whether it be controls or frame rate) by playing Thieves in Time on the Vita. I heartily recommend giving Sly Cooper a go.
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