Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

"Compulsively easy"

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus, or Sly Racoon to give it its less ridiculous European name is an excellent platformer. Ostensibly a 2.5D platformer in the vein of crash Bandicoot, it offers back to basics fun without the difficulty that slows down progress on such games. Its lack of any notable difficulty means that it won't take long to finish either. So, a linear, easy platformer that doesn't last too long? Sounds an awful lot like the Disney film tie-ins that are thrown at us about twice a year...

But fear not because Sucker Punch (Previously responsible for the excellent Rocket on the N64) obviously know how to make a platformer. Although the incredible ease with which it can be finished means it ends sooner than I'd have liked, the simplicity, straightforwardness and forgiving nature of the whole thing only increases the charm it has. It is not a lengthy game, but I can't imagine enjoying what there is of it much more than I did. Not all games need to be 40+ hour epics and, while I hope a more elaborate, challenging sequel is on the way, this reaches respectable heights without having to stretch itself out too far.

Sly Racoon opts against starting the game with some opening FMV. Instead, wearing its Metal Gear Solid parodies on its sleeve, it throws you straight onto the rooftops of Paris, with the credits slowly fading into view as you take control of Sly. Bentley the turtle, your nasal-voiced, curmudgeonly, technical friend comes in over the codec (and you can move the heads on the codecs, just like in MGS) to explain your opening mission and run through some of the moves. Once you have snuck your way into the Parisian police office and stolen the police file on yourself, your main quest and Sly's back-story becomes apparent.

Sly is the latest in a long line of thieves from the Cooper family. For years the Coopers have stolen from only other criminals (This IS a kid's game) and compiled their thieving techniques in an encyclopedia called the Thievius Racoonus. But years ago, when Sly was just a child, a gang of miserable, rotten thieves called the Fiendish Five broke into the Cooper home, stole the Thievius Racoonus and killed Sly's father. Armed with the new knowledge in the police file (It for some reason contains the whereabouts of the first fiendish five member) Sly and his friends Bentley the turtle and Murray the flustered, but cheerful Hippo set out to piece the book back together and bring down each member of the fiendish Five. Of course, being a thief, Sly has the law on his tail. The law comes in the form of the sassy Carmelita Fox, a desperate, determined Fox (what a surprise) who has been tracking Sly for years. She will turn up every now and then to try and gun you down, before engaging in sexual tension-heavy banter with the amusingly self assured Sly.

The game's structure is basic and linear but pleasant. There are five hub worlds each with seven levels. At the end of each level is a key, collect seven to fight the boss (One of the Fiendish Five), who will divulge the location of the next gang member after you defeat them, granting access to the next hub world. Getting through the levels doesn't pose much of a problem thanks to the forgiving design. And since all of the levels are very short, it means they can play around with gimmicks without becoming tiresome or repetitive, and backtracking for missing items is never too much of a chore.

One thing that Sucker Punch should be commended for is creating an exciting and always vibrant challenge that isn't actually much of a challenge. While the game is very easy, it never truly seems that way since there is always so much going on, and everything you do looks deceptively fancy and complicated. For a game that uses a one hit kills system (With extra hit horseshoes lying around or achievable by collecting 100 coins), it is barely ever frustrating. It is impossible to get bored by anything, since all of the game's many ideas and design elements flash by so quickly within each level that you are constantly being assaulted with new ideas and obstacles.

Of the thirty-something levels on offer, nearly half of them are mini-game levels. Most of these are inventively presented shooting challenges ranging from speeding around in a boat collecting piranhas to power your flame thrower which is used to light the surrounding candles to killing chickens while avoiding their mutated, angry parents (I dare anyone to show me a distressed chicken in a game that isn't funny). Also of note are the racing levels in which you control Murray in the van. Hilariously, Murray gets attacked by drag racers every time he leaves the van for an ice cream, and he must race them in order to obtain a key. There are also levels where you must protect Murray with your sniper-vision gun as he makes a run for the key, or challenges such as blasting crabs away from falling treasure in your missile-equipped submarine. I can't think one mini-game level that wasn't great fun, some of them are actually quite difficult and many of them are truly intense (Which is quite a contrast with the rest of the game). Other developers could learn from Sucker Punch on how to integrate mini-games so they enhance the main experience, rather than dilute it. It is encouraging that there are developers still thinking ''What would be fun to play?'' rather than ''what extreme sport can I tenuously link in with the main quest?'' in making games like this.

That isn't to say that the main platforming levels are dull in comparison, because they offer their own fair share of thrills. They are basic platform hopping and enemy-whacking affairs with satisfying and visually staggering design. The whole game seems to mainly take place on rooftops, thin walkways and window ledges. At many points you will be catapulted ten stories high or crash through the glass roof of a previously hidden room in order to progress. It is touches like this that gives the simple challenge a more unique feel. You are never exploring, always hiding and ambushing, which lends a great deal of character to the proceedings.

In what is the best touch in the game, though, you are able to receive a new ability in each level. Barely hiding in every level are 20-40 'clues', which are basically bottles with little bits of paper in the neck. Collect all of the clues in a level are you are able to open that level's vault. Inside the vault will be a page of the thievius Racoonus that will teach you a new thieving technique or add abilities to your sniper-goggles (You will eventually be able to identify enemies and breakable objects with the goggles). Knowing that something new awaits you in every level is more than enough incentive to hunt out all of the clues, and it is exciting to discover what the game will reward you with next. When you have collected all the clues, you must approach the vault and enter the code manually (Bentley will tell you the code after a proud comment like ''The encrypting system for this safe was no match for my superb hacking skills''). This may sound like a tedious, unnecessary waste of time (Why not have the safe just explode open when you have all the clues?), but I actually found it to be a nice little build up of tension before you get what you've been waiting for, and you get to enjoy the routine of Bentley drawling about his abilities before inputting the code.

Whereas I find that most 3D platformers (Naming no names, Donkey Kong 64) introduce new abilities only to make the game more complicated and difficult, Sly Racoon pulls it off perfectly. Each of the stealth moves are assigned to the circle button are context sensitive (When you are near a thin ledge, pressing circle will have you sidle along it, while it lets you slide across rails when you are near one of them) and all of the other special moves are designated to the triangle button, and you can scroll through them using the shoulder buttons. Instead of complicating things, the new abilities only mean that Sucker Punch can make the levels more dynamic and varied the further you get into the game. The more moves you learn to avoid the deadly searchlights, the more difficult they become to avoid. And other moves lend a pleasing sense of drama and showiness to what is actually very simple to perform. Leaping from one mile-high, needle-sized point to another, with twirls and dives in the air that are almost balletic, looks arrestingly stylish and grand. But all you have to do is jump and press the circle button.

Many of these moves add to what I suppose is the game's gimmick: stealth. While this is certainly not the 'stealth action' title you might have expected from the hype (It is no more than a platformer with sneaky bits), it does have moments of calm and tension that separate it from other platformers. Often stealth is not necessary to overcome a situation, but it is less risky to take the quiet route. And it feels like quite an achievement after performing a pretty extravagant stealth routine, such as sidling around chandeliers, leaping across wooden beams and pouncing on your enemy from above. Rather than lots of precision jumping, the game instead focuses its efforts on avoiding searchlights, and there is almost always more than one way to do so. Rather than being gimmicky as it seemed in previews, the stealth slant actually gives the game a mysterious, quiet attitude and provides nearly all of the more thoughtful moments.

An unexpected highlight of the game is its boss battles. none of them very difficult at all, but all of them inspired and delightfully presented. Most of them are pattern-based and heavily intense, but what is most striking is the way that the Fiendish Fives' character has been put into the fights. The big butch character charges around unpredictably, machine guns blazing, while the martial arts, slightly Buddhist Panda prefers to keep you at a distance with fancy displays of fireworks. The best boss fight in the game, though, is Ms. Ruby who challenges you to a Parappa-style rhythm battle. It is presented with such an urgent atmosphere and with sound patterns that are really rousing and that are made by you that it is immediately catapulted onto my shortlist of favourite boss battles ever.

The game's massive appeal is often down to the game's absolutely resplendent graphics. The characters in the game are subtly cel-shaded, which gives them a shadowy, but still cartoony look. They are animated larger than life and their character is evident in everything that they do. From the way Sly swishes his tail about to the shock with which the guard dogs react when they wake up and shake their heads about in panic. The style of the characters in less generic than in Sony's other big hitters, Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank, and neither of those were particularly mundane in the first place. Everything looks as if it was designed with care and with atmosphere in mind. In the seedy Las-Vegas-style city levels, the enemies are sleazy card-dealers while in the snowy east they are exaggeratedly choreographed ninjas.

The levels are nothing to sniff at either. They all hold impressive dimensional detail, with valleys stretching convincingly underneath the cliffs you sneak across, and neon-lit hotels looming over the rooftopcs you leap around. Sly Racoon has a painfully detailed, lushly shaded style that really sets the mood for the game. The fact that every single one of the levels is set at night makes the game look a lot more unique than other platformers, and gives it a more ominous edge.

Much of the game's character and ambience also stems from the sound. Sucker Punch's music in Rocket was gloriously cheesy, and while it is not as evident here, you can still sense the shameless tackiness under the mellow beats. Especially in some of the instrument choices made (I swear I can hear an accordion in some of the tunes). While some would argue that it is just bad music, I think it makes the experience more light-hearted and charismatic. The voice acting is also excellent. Sly is perfectly cast to come across as cool and ever so slightly conceited, while still being likable. The best voice-overs in the game come from Bentley and Murray who are both so lovable due to their obvious deficiencies (Bentley is a bit stuffy, Murray is eaily panicked and excitable) that they have to be two of the most appealing characters seen in a videogame. Whoever voices Carmelita fox also deserves credit for turning what should be a villain role into something a bit deeper. When you finally escape from her chase, you can really feel the frustration that she does from letting what has been her main target for year slip away. And you feel kind of sorry for her.

But, and it's a very big but, you'll have the game beaten within a week. Which means, unless you are a rabid platformer fan (As I am), it is definitely not worth buying as you could see it all through in a rental. A big surprise to me however, are the time trials, which ask you to speed through the level in a time limit. Succeed in this and you will be provided with developer's commentary on that level, which is an excellent reward. However, these time trials are so hideously difficult that even after literally hours of trying across the many levels I only managed to complete a handful of them. The commentary is worth hearing, for sure, but I doubt many people will bother trying to get them due to the immense difficulty level. It comes as quite a shock considering how effortless most of the rest of the game is.

Sly Racoon then, just stops far too short to be considered a true classic. Its short length is not, however, enough to keep it from being a great game overall and the variety and fun it offers means that it will undoubtedly be a game I play over a few times. Sucker Punch are clearly a developer to watch, and if you ARE a huge platformer fan, then you can bump this score up to a 9. It seems unfair that many will miss an unmissable game just because it is easy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/08/03, Updated 02/08/03