Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Future Games Show
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Future Games Show
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Dying Light: The Beast
  • Borderlands 4 review
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
Stealth Games Ghost of Yotei co-director says only 10% of Sucker Punch would be really excited to develop a new Sly Cooper game: "It's been a long time since Sly Cooper's come out"
Lego Batman
Action Games The stealthy spirit of Arkham Knight returns in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, and I never believed a Lego game could pull this off
Hollow Knight Autumn Preview
Action Games Hollow Knight Silksong hands-on: 2,379 days after its reveal I finally played the elusive Metroidvania, and it is absolutely worth the wait
Key art for Planet of Lana 2 shows Lana and Mui looking out at a landscape.
Puzzle Games I can't get enough of the cute cat-like companion in this puzzle platformer, even if some block pushing is a little business as usual
Styx Blades of Greed logo with the goblin styx and future games show logo
Stealth Games Styx's stealth action goblin tricks get shown off in the first gameplay trailer for Styx: Blades of Greed
Hollow Knight Silksong
Action Games 2 hours in, and Hollow Knight Silksong is already making me feel like I'm playing Dark Souls for the first time again
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Action Games This Metroidvania-tinged old-school 2D action game is more than another Sega retro revival: it's the highlight of my Summer Game Fest
Ghost of Yotei gameplay showing Atsu sitting on her horse between bright pink cherry blossoms, looking at a distant fortification built against a mountain
Action RPGs I asked Ghost of Yotei's creative directors all of my burning questions, and I don't want to get your hopes up but Sucker Punch's sequel sounds like feudal Red Dead Redemption 2
Ruffy runs across the ocean on wooden crates in Ruffy and the Riverside, with the GamesRadar+ Indie Spotlight logo
Platforming Games Banjo-Kazooie and Paper Mario mix together in this delightful puzzle platformer that has me swapping textures to solve puzzles by changing the world
Ghost of Yotei mask in bloodied snow
Open World Games Ghost of Yotei "isn't going to rush you through anything" and "focuses on player freedom more than any game Sucker Punch has ever made," with clues and activities for all play styles
Hershel Wilk jumps from a boat to solid ground in Zero Parades, with the GamesRadar+ Autumn Preview frame.
RPGs Some of Disco Elysium's best ideas are still around in Zero Parades, but the CRPG thriller has an almost impossible task ahead of it
Bubsy wears his new white shirt and red tie outfit in Bubsy 4D within a spaceship, with the GamesRadar+ Autumn Preview frame
Platforming Games Bubsy 4D is a 100% legit platformer for genre sickos like me thanks to the dev's surprisingly stacked portfolio of bangers
Infamous
Action Games Ghost of Yotei director says "I would love to work on more Infamous" and "see a trilogy re-release," but for now "Sucker Punch is a one game at a time shop"
Riding across a massive metal chain high above the ground in Sword of the Sea
Action Games Sword of the Sea review: "Joyous, fluid hoverboarding connects together everything I loved about Journey and The Pathless"
Onimusha: Way of the Sword preview screenshot from gamescom 2025
RPGs Onimusha: Way of the Sword is becoming my most anticipated game of 2026 but Sekiro fans should know it's not a difficult game – and that's OK
  1. Games
  2. Platformer
  3. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time preview - A blast to the charming past

Features
By Lucas Sullivan published 6 December 2012

Gotta go back in time

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Page 1 of 13
Page 1 of 13

Page 2 of 13
Page 2 of 13

Page 3 of 13
Page 3 of 13

Page 4 of 13
Page 4 of 13

Page 5 of 13
Page 5 of 13

Page 6 of 13
Page 6 of 13

Page 7 of 13
Page 7 of 13

Page 8 of 13
Page 8 of 13

Page 9 of 13
Page 9 of 13

Page 10 of 13
Page 10 of 13

Page 11 of 13
Page 11 of 13

Page 12 of 13
Page 12 of 13

Page 13 of 13
Page 13 of 13
CATEGORIES
PlayStation Platforms
Lucas Sullivan
Lucas Sullivan
Social Links Navigation

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them. 

Thieves can't really steal from other thieves--they can only liberate that which has already been stolen. Such is the practice of the eponymous raccoon thief in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, the fourth installment in the sneaky platforming series. Sucker Punch Productions moved on to other projects seven years ago and haven't touched the Sly franchise since, but rest assured that it's in good hands with the team at Sanzaru Games, who’ve maintained the whimsical spirit of this animal team’s collaborative heists.

We got the chance to play through the game’s prologue (essentially a tutorial) set in Paris, before getting out burgling mitts on the entire first episode of the game. The premise is as lighthearted as ever, and told through the same charming animated cutscenes as the previous games. Picking up where Sly 3 left off, the old gang of Sly, Bentley, and Murray reunites when it’s discovered that the pages of the hallowed Thievius Raccoonus, a manual for master thieves, are are mysteriously turning blank.

Bentley concludes that a time-traveling villain is behind it all, warping to the past and imprisoning the proficient thieves in the Cooper bloodline. With that, the trio rigs Murray’s hot rod-van hybrid to go back in time to restore history and the honor of the Cooper Clan. You better believe that the game includes Back to the Future nods, complete with a smoking, spinning license plate left in the wake of the first time jump.

You may like
  • Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time Ghost of Yotei co-director says only 10% of Sucker Punch would be really excited to develop a new Sly Cooper game: "It's been a long time since Sly Cooper's come out"
  • Lego Batman The stealthy spirit of Arkham Knight returns in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, and I never believed a Lego game could pull this off
  • Hollow Knight Autumn Preview Hollow Knight Silksong hands-on: 2,379 days after its reveal I finally played the elusive Metroidvania, and it is absolutely worth the wait

Playing through the first episode, set in 1603 feudal Japan (and appropriately named “Turning Japanese”), all the fun of the PS2 classics came rushing back to us. As with the previous sequels, all three members of the villain-robbing crew is playable: Sly’s an agile jumper who sticks to the shadows, Bentley uses his high-tech, handicapable wheelchair to hack consoles and knock out enemies, and Murray uses brute strength to plow through tough baddies. But, thanks to time-travel, a fourth character is playable in each era--whichever Cooper ancestor you’ve come to rescue, once you’ve freed him from captivity.

Sly’s great-great-Japanese grandfather, Rioichi Cooper, was the temporary addition to the crew, playing similarly to Sly but using dual canes instead of a single hooked staff. A renowned sushi chef and undercover ninja, Rioichi invented the Ninja Spire jump that’s so frequently used throughout the franchise’s platforming segments. But he also had access to a move all his own: the “Leaping Dragon,” which propels him great distances between perch points. This allowed for some great level designs that had us zipping between skylines, avoiding lasers and collapsing platforms as we went.

The modern-day Cooper wasn’t without some new tricks of his own, mainly through the introduction of a disguise system. Judging from what we saw in the gang’s hideout, each time period will have a unique suit of armor which can be worn in any era. To blend in with the Japanese surroundings, Sly stole the pieces to assemble a suit of comically oversized samurai armor. This let him do such nifty things as resist fire traps and reflect fireballs back at the cannons that shot them, as well as blend in with enemies that would otherwise beat him to a pulp.

Bentley and Murray also play significant roles. The brainy turtle Bentley still packs his sleep bombs and tranquilizing darts, and facilitated three amusing hacking minigames. The first was the typical strafe-and-shoot affair, the second was a comical side-scrolling shoot-'em-up starring a Rambo-looking Bentley, and the last was a nerve-wracking-but-enjoyable Marble Madness-style game using the controller’s motion-sensing Sixaxis functionality.

Murray provided equal parts bad-guy-walloping and comic relief, including a mission involving him dressed up in Geisha drag. This led into an uncomfortably long rhythm minigame in which the lady-like Murray danced onstage to the delight of some lovestruck enemies. While tip-toeing around enemies, each character (all voiced by the original actors) has little inner monologues riffing on what’s happening around them, adding to the cast’s lovability factor.

The level design is classic Sly: your hideout leads to a large hub world, where all of your missions take place. Overall stage designs are still top-notch, looking like the vibrant backdrops out of a Saturday morning cartoon, and they’re packed with hidden collectibles in the form of bottled clues, time-trial treasures, and floating Sly emblems. One of the levels had the most original obstacles we’ve ever seen in a video game: a hallway lined with sumo-sized cat dolls that smashed into each other with their electrified stomachs. Only in a Sly game could you find such a laugh-inducing deathtrap.

It all culminated in a classic boss fight with the episode’s big baddie: El Jefe the tyrant tiger (voiced by Nolan North, naturally). The battle perfectly captured what made the old Sly fights so fun, with exactly the right balance of difficulty, variety, and pattern recognition. It’s both the big and little ways in which Thieves in Time captures the same addictive, reliably enjoyable platforming of the PS2 classics that has us so excited for its release. Get ready to obsessively search for every last clue bottle when the game’s released on February 5, 2013, in the US and March 2013, in the UK.

See more Playstation Features
Read more
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
Ghost of Yotei co-director says only 10% of Sucker Punch would be really excited to develop a new Sly Cooper game: "It's been a long time since Sly Cooper's come out"
 
 
Lego Batman
The stealthy spirit of Arkham Knight returns in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, and I never believed a Lego game could pull this off
 
 
Hollow Knight Autumn Preview
Hollow Knight Silksong hands-on: 2,379 days after its reveal I finally played the elusive Metroidvania, and it is absolutely worth the wait
 
 
Key art for Planet of Lana 2 shows Lana and Mui looking out at a landscape.
I can't get enough of the cute cat-like companion in this puzzle platformer, even if some block pushing is a little business as usual
 
 
Styx Blades of Greed logo with the goblin styx and future games show logo
Styx's stealth action goblin tricks get shown off in the first gameplay trailer for Styx: Blades of Greed
 
 
Hollow Knight Silksong
2 hours in, and Hollow Knight Silksong is already making me feel like I'm playing Dark Souls for the first time again
 
 
Latest in Platformer
Donkey Kong Bananza screenshot shows DK looking shocked, with his hands in the air and eyes popping out of his head.
Donkey Kong Bananza is getting DLC that lets you explore DK Island, complete with a new roguelike mode that's available today
 
 
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Switch 2 edition is coming next Spring, alongside a multiplayer expansion with tons of co-op games to play
 
 
Upcoming video game movies: Mario, Princess Peach and Toad in The Super Mario Bros Movie.
Super Mario Galaxy Movie release date, cast, plot, and everything else you need to know about The Super Mario Bros. sequel
 
 
Mario riding on the back of Yoshi with an explosion erupting in the background during Super Mario Galaxy 2
Nintendo confirms Super Mario Galaxy 2 is finally coming to Nintendo Switch next month with the original game returning from its 3D All-Stars purgatory
 
 
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Daily Silksong News is dead, long live Daily Silksong DLC News: "This individual is quite familiar, don't you think?"
 
 
Entering Belljar in Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hornet sees its citziens strung up and suspended on silky string
Hollow Knight: Silksong will kick your teeth in, but one adorable singing bug makes up for it: "Sherma swimming and singing in the hot springs gives me the energy to get through the day"
 
 
Latest in Features
Man of Tomorrow concept art showing Superman and Lex Luthor teaming up superimposed over a group of heroes from the cover of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
Almost 90 years after Superman was first called the Man of Tomorrow, James Gunn is reviving the name for his big sequel
 
 
Pokemon Pokopia screenshot showing Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle all gathered around a Ditto in human form between two green trees
Pokemon Pokopia: everything we know about the Pokemon game that looks a lot like Animal Crossing
 
 
A screenshot of the upcoming Switch 2 game, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave with a character using a purple energy blast
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave – Everything we know about the strategy game's Switch 2 debut
 
 
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Downton Abbey helped me through the toughest times, but The Grand Finale feels like the perfect time to wrap things up
 
 
Hade 2 early access screenshots
After 105 runs in Hades 2, I suddenly unlocked three huge side stories I thought were bugged and I guess I'll be here 'til launch
 
 
Cronos tips
Bloober Team just teased its unannounced Switch-only horror game for maybe the first time since 2024, and my dream of seeing Nintendo get NSFW has been reignited
 
 
  1. Gwent: The Legendary Card Game box on a wooden surface, with cards visible in the background
    1
    There's now a real version of the Witcher Gwent card game, and it's just as engrossing as the original
  2. 2
    Borderlands 4 review: "Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy"
  3. 3
    This enormous exploration board game won't be for everyone, but it's a masterclass in narrative and sandbox gameplay
  4. 4
    Hollow Knight Silksong review: "Worth the wait and then some, this isn't just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it's fiddly at times"
  5. 5
    Cronos: The New Dawn review: "An unabashed mash-up of survival horror greatest hits, from Dead Space to Silent Hill, with plenty of its own gory ideas"
  1. Vera Farmiga as 'Lorraine' in The Conjuring: Last Rites
    1
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  2. 2
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet"
  3. 3
    The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made"
  4. 4
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  5. 5
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  1. Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams in Wednesday season 2 part 2
    1
    Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: "Ortega shines, but it's a zombie who steals the entire show"
  2. 2
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  3. 3
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  4. 4
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  5. 5
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...