The Sly Collection

The Sly Collection is a brilliant compilation that offers three of the best 3D platforming games ever made. Playing as the thieving raccoon Sly Cooper, each of these three adventures features exciting movement, lovable characters, and some thrilling stealth gameplay. The fantastical levels and colorful graphics make this trilogy a fulfilling experience for both new and old players. With few annoyances and a heap of enjoyable gameplay, The Sly Collection is a perfect package for anyone who fancies stealthy fun with old school challenge.

Main Game Features

• Includes the first three games in the trilogy
• Remastered graphics
• Bonus mini-games

Story

The Sly Collection includes the first three games in the series, including Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. Starting with their origin in the first game, the series follows the adventures of Sly Cooper and his band of thieving sidekicks, including the turtle Bentley and the hippo Murray.

Coming from a long line of thieves, Sly must first take down the Fiendish Five gang to recover his family's ancient book of mystic secrets. In the second game, Sly and his crew attempt to stop the revival of his arch-enemy Clockwerk. By the third game, the gang is jumping through time to finally repair the ancient book.

Overall, the story in the Sly Collection is full of interesting characters and riveting plot lines, with a solid narrative and memorable lines. Each sequel expands the universe in significant ways, leading Sly through various areas across the world. Funny, dramatic, and packed with action, Sly's adventure is one of the most memorable of the era. We especially enjoy the jokes from Bentley and Murray, which help keep the story light and kid-friendly.

Gameplay

While the three games in this package offer various mechanics and features, the overarching concept is the same. You play as Sly Cooper, a sneaky raccoon and thief with the ability to jump across rooftops and fight enemies with his cane. Similar to more serious stealth games like Splinter Cell, players must guide Sly through a series of open-ended areas, collecting coins and other collectibles. Progressing through various themed levels, you'll also have to defeat enemies with melee combat while dodging their attacks, as Sly has limited health and lives.

In the second and third games, you are also given the ability to control Sly's friends, including Bentley and Murray. These characters have their own control style and abilities, offering different combat strengths and levels of health. You can also gain new abilities by discovering hidden safes around the world. The third game even introduces sections intended to be played with 3D glasses on, but these are optional. You can also enjoy competition with your friends in four different offline multiplayer modes.

Conclusion

Overall, the Sly Collection is a three-in-one package that every fan of stealth games should play. There's a nice progression across the three games, as the franchise graduates from linear levels to hub and open-world style stages. The variety of gameplay styles and a slew of collectibles to find makes this a fun game to play time and time again.

Pros

• Excellent world design and characters
• Successful mixture of stealth and action
• Easy-to-learn gameplay concepts

Cons

• Each game is a bit too short
• Cliffhanger ending
• Awkward motion controls