The Sly series's first Sucker-Punch-less entry can be best described as 'confused but got the spirit'. It's clear that, by and large, Sanzaru Games has the best intentions with Thieves in Time and that this isn't just a quick and dirty cash grab for them.
Gameplay-wise, Thieves in Time is fine. It's certainly safer than the acrobatics of Sly 3, and the platforming, while still satisfying at times, is not quite as smooth or seamless as in previous entries. To be clear, I don't really have a problem with Sanzaru taking a safer route for their take on Sly. It feels like an amalgamation in many ways of elements from all three games prior, which makes sense given that they want to appeal to long-time fans as much as possible. However, as a result, it all kind of meshes together quite awkwardly, and no single part of its gameplay structure stands out as exemplary.
There's also an overabundance of Bentley's hacking sections and mini-games this time around. The former is particularly egregious, as although they change things up by providing three different types of gameplay for the hacking sections now, they increase the frequency of hacking sections as a result. In the previous two titles, hacking was something you had to do at key intervals that were few and far between, so it never really got in the way too much. Here, however, it feels like you're doing it on every other level. Again, the new gameplay types for it do give it a fresh spin; however, that starts to wain when you're playing these sections so often.
It's also not doing itself any favors by having several segments dedicated to the gyro in the PlayStation controllers. It's an acceptable gimmick the first time, but not so much after a dozen more.
As you may have already heard or read, probably the biggest mark against Thieves in Time is how it handles the story and characters. Again, there are parts of its narrative that are decent, if a bit derivative of past Sly Cooper story traits. That being said, this entry seems all too keen on reestablishing the status quo and seemingly undoing much of the characters' development from the past games. As many have put it, the recurring cast become flanderized, reduced to one-note archetypal versions of themselves, almost like parodies. There are flashes of depth, sure, but then it's quickly back to goofy, wacky business as usual. It's really a shame, after what Sly 3 brought to these characters, to see them written like this.
And yes, that one controversial plot point is indeed mean-spirited and unearned in the grand scheme of things, being an addition mostly for the sake of dramatic effect and little else. But then, it's been discussed many times before, in greater depth, and by people much more eloquent than myself, so it doesn't really bear repeating at this point.
Thieves in Time is an understandably safe entry, arguably too safe—with some misplaced narrative and gameplay concepts here and there. Honestly, it's not that bad, but the things it doesn't do well, it really commits to, leaving the whole thing feeling a bit slapdash in places. It's close to being a decent game, but it's held back by some baffling decisions along the way that nearly bring the whole thing down as a result.
5/10
Gameplay-wise, Thieves in Time is fine. It's certainly safer than the acrobatics of Sly 3, and the platforming, while still satisfying at times, is not quite as smooth or seamless as in previous entries. To be clear, I don't really have a problem with Sanzaru taking a safer route for their take on Sly. It feels like an amalgamation in many ways of elements from all three games prior, which makes sense given that they want to appeal to long-time fans as much as possible. However, as a result, it all kind of meshes together quite awkwardly, and no single part of its gameplay structure stands out as exemplary.
There's also an overabundance of Bentley's hacking sections and mini-games this time around. The former is particularly egregious, as although they change things up by providing three different types of gameplay for the hacking sections now, they increase the frequency of hacking sections as a result. In the previous two titles, hacking was something you had to do at key intervals that were few and far between, so it never really got in the way too much. Here, however, it feels like you're doing it on every other level. Again, the new gameplay types for it do give it a fresh spin; however, that starts to wain when you're playing these sections so often.
It's also not doing itself any favors by having several segments dedicated to the gyro in the PlayStation controllers. It's an acceptable gimmick the first time, but not so much after a dozen more.
As you may have already heard or read, probably the biggest mark against Thieves in Time is how it handles the story and characters. Again, there are parts of its narrative that are decent, if a bit derivative of past Sly Cooper story traits. That being said, this entry seems all too keen on reestablishing the status quo and seemingly undoing much of the characters' development from the past games. As many have put it, the recurring cast become flanderized, reduced to one-note archetypal versions of themselves, almost like parodies. There are flashes of depth, sure, but then it's quickly back to goofy, wacky business as usual. It's really a shame, after what Sly 3 brought to these characters, to see them written like this.
And yes, that one controversial plot point is indeed mean-spirited and unearned in the grand scheme of things, being an addition mostly for the sake of dramatic effect and little else. But then, it's been discussed many times before, in greater depth, and by people much more eloquent than myself, so it doesn't really bear repeating at this point.
Thieves in Time is an understandably safe entry, arguably too safe—with some misplaced narrative and gameplay concepts here and there. Honestly, it's not that bad, but the things it doesn't do well, it really commits to, leaving the whole thing feeling a bit slapdash in places. It's close to being a decent game, but it's held back by some baffling decisions along the way that nearly bring the whole thing down as a result.
5/10