So I completed the first sly cooper game a while ago on the HD collection for ps3 back in 2013.These were some of my thoughts at the time on what I felt was wrong and right.

Why you no forgive? Unforgiving!

At the time, this game felt unforgiving and unfair. The mechanics are simple: traverse Sly through each level by jumping platforms, facing foes and interacting with other pieces of environment by swinging, climbing and sneaking. Your typical platformer. Each level is pretty short with maybe 1 or 2 checkpoints. The part that felt unforgiving was Sly who had one hit point. Once your hit that's it, back to the start.

At the time this raged me lots, but you know it's not much different to classics like Mario! I found myself doing the same thing over and over considering the balance of enemy spawns means I died pretty easily. Yet through this repetition of play I found myself in a smooth rhythm meaning eventually parts I found impossible became 2nd nature and progression became more like a memory puzzle. It became addictive which is why these linear platformer can be so fun!

Classic Hub Worlds and Minigames

I feel like we don't see many hub world games these days. When I was younger I had great memories of my dad and I playing the 2nd sly game which is layed out much different to this one. Each world is based around a hub with series of portals which lead the player to individual objectives which results in them collecting all keys for said world. It threw me, compared to the 2nd game but it's nice how each level is an individual piece of game play. Some involve short platforming sequences or mini games with their own rules. If you found one too hard you could quit and return to it later. The joy of individual level selections in hub world's.

One of these mini games was a racing track, which proves the issues with these kinds of games. If your going to introduce new mechanics make sure they are refined enough for an enjoyable experience. The way the cars controlled was frustrating. It felt clunky and impossible If you missed a speed boost you may as well write the race off for winning, and winning was a requirement.

Climb All the Sparkly Things

Sly's core mechanic, which made the series stand out to me, was his range of moves. Sly can interact with anything in the environment which has a blue sparkly glow to it. Using his hook/cane he can swing, climb, hang, propel himself, balance, type-rope all around the environments! They used this a lot better in the "open worlds" of the sequels where you found yourself with multiple paths to your destination full of fun and platforming sequences! This sort of stuff is what makes adventuring through these platformy world's the best for me. Nothing I love more than a good adventure platform game with a fun action/timing mechanic.

Sneaky Sneaky Tip-Toes

My final point of things that stood out for me in this game / game series was the use of sound. A lot of Sly is about stealth. You can go head on at enemies but it's risky. You're usually better off sneaking behind foes, staying out of their torch light and attacking from behind! This way they don't alert the other guards too, another reason the platforming / blue sparkly moves are so handy to stay out of view. So an indication used in game is Sly's footsteps! As you get closer to an enemy the comical tip toe noise becomes higher pitched like those classic cartoons! It's subtle and really communicates to the player the risks they are facing as they reach their target. Get too close and the enemy will see you but close enough and you can attack without alerting anyone else. Also let's you know if you are near an enemy you didn't realize. Truly lovely touch.