Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time images appear from the shadows

Sanzaru Games unloaded a fresh batch of screens and concept art from Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, illustrating a handful of locations from Sly's first heist on PlayStation 3. The images show off just two of the themed worlds from the time-jumping sequel, including a Japanese village and a medieval carnival. Design-wise, it appears Sanzaru isn't veering too far from Sucker Punch's established style, but man if Sly and his crew aren't looking pretty in their first full PS3 outing.

The fourth game in the Sly Cooper series, Thieves in Time finds Sly, Bentley, Murray, and Dimitri leaping through time to recover the Thievius Raccoonus book while assisting Cooper family members in various eras. GR had a chance to check out the aforementioned Japan and medieval settings in last month's preview, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time GR Gameplay demo.

Late week, Sanzaru Games kicked the promotion of its sequel up a notch overseas with the launch of the Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time treasure design contest. As detailed over at the UK PlayStation website, artists of all skill levels are invited to submit their concepts for Sly Cooper's “ultimate item of bounty” for a chance to win a PlayStation Vita and have their treasures recreated in the game. The developer gave no word North American fans will be looped in on the contest before the game lands later this year.