Hi friends, I hope you’re all doing well!
Today I wanted to talk about the third game in the original trilogy of Sly Cooper games, Honor Among Thieves. I’ve done similar posts and reviews on both the first and second game respectively, which you can read as a precursor to this one!
Even as a kid, I’ve never beaten the third Sly game. I’d always gotten to a specific point in the game that I couldn’t get past, which I’ll cover later on in the post. So this was new for me! It does ride on the coattails of the second game since this was developed around the same time as the second game, so most mechanics won’t be that new. I’ll cover all of the changes regarding that at the end of the post.
As always if you haven’t played these games, a spoiler warning is in order because I will be talking about the levels and worlds in extensive detail as well as the plot elements. So let’s go!
It’s the Beginning of the End on Kaine Island!
We start the game at the end of it on Kaine Island, where it’s revealed that Sly wants to get a crack at the Cooper vault, where treasure troves left by his ancestors sit in waiting. However, he finds out that Dr. M, a maniacal mandrill, has taken the island captive, and is doing everything in his power to crack the vault by himself. With the help of many shadowed team members we have yet to meet, the gang confronts Dr. M and Sly’s life flashes before his eyes in the hands of a mutated primate, which thus kicks off our story.
I thought the title of this prologue was genius, and not to mention we actually start the game in a flash forward, with the rest being a flashback. Super cool way to set it up! The backdrop of the island was pretty cool, too and I liked the inclusions of all of the additional team members to the Cooper gang. It made me excited to learn more about what happened to lead up to this point. From here though, we launch into the leadup to this very moment, which is exciting!
Hazard Room
…Or so you think. See, in this game, Sly is launched into something called a “Hazard Room” which is essentially just a section of the game for tutorials on the three main people in the Cooper gang. I don’t even understand why this was in the game because #1, the first game launched you into it with tutorials during conversation with Bentley, and #2, the second game would have tidbits of Sly remembering out loud what to do. So why are we even introducing a tutorial in the first place?
The only upside is that I guess it was easy enough to complete.
Now we REALLY start the game in Italy
When we start the game, it is only with Sly and Bentley, as Murray left the gang after feeling it was his fault that Bentley became paralyzed from the waist down. Needing a full-fledged team for the Cooper vault mission, it was clear they needed Murray’s brawn back into the gang, and located him in Venice, Italy after learning he became a trainee under an aboriginal guru. Why he’s there is a mystery, but along the way, Sly and Bentley uncover a dastardly scheme spearheaded by mob boss Don Octavio, opera singer extraordinaire that turned to a life of crime.
This beginning level probably out of all three games is the most nostalgic for me. Not only because it’s the first and most enjoyable level scheme with all the buildings, but because you could do a multiplayer minigame here of Cops and Robbers, and I always played as Carmelita! But besides that, the music here is sweet, the buildings mixed with the water elements were excellent, and above all else, I enjoyed the mix between Italian culture and opera. A win-win!
I think my favorite mission has to be Guard Duty, just simply for the fact of Sly’s ridiculous disguise and the amazingly funny dialogue between him and Bentley after the second coffee house about the guard wanting his mother’s spaghetti dinner. Plus, the art decryption angle was a cool thing to put more depth to Sly’s family history and a nice fun minigame to play! Sadly, I have memorized where the codes are so they aren’t really challenging for me anymore, but I remember first doing them as a kid and finding them cool! But honestly, I think all the missions during this level were fun, so I can’t really complain about them too much! Playing as Carmelita was fun.
Tying in the hard conversation with Murray and Bentley to the boss fight was a genius idea, and even though this is your first level, the boss fight is actually pretty intense since it has multiple stages and Octavio’s agility and quickness to combat against. Plus, Bentley’s little segment with the opera was hilarious. The Master Thief Challenges in this level also weren’t bad, and I enjoyed doing them!
Rumbling Down Under to find Murray’s guru
Murray finally joined the team once again, but he was feeling guilty about ceasing his training with the Guru without asking permission. In order to clear Murray’s conscience, the gang set out to tell the Guru. On the way there, Murray told fantastical stories about the Guru’s ability to hypnotize and transform using his powers, and after careful consideration, discussed that he would be a good fit for the Cooper vault gig. Upon arriving in the town of Yuendumu, the Guru was nowhere to be found, instead replaced by a hefty crew of opal-miners.
With this mission, I felt like the map was a little weaker than its predecessor not because of the layout, because the layout was great, but the atmosphere. Since it was entirely based on the desert environment Australia is known for, it suffered a lot with variability and the whole vibe of the level. And I just felt like some of the missions were either lackluster or just meh. My favorite has to be the Lemon Rage mission because of the initial lemonade chugging contest, but the layout of the bar was fun to explore and the fight was fun. My least favorite mission has to be Big Truck, because those tires overheated way too much.
Other than that, I must comment on the villain of this entire level and what is likely bogging it down so much: which is a fucking mask. What the hell is that!? Granted, it’s probably the origin of my love for transformation sequences in media with the scene with Carmelita, but really? You couldn’t have thought up a power hungry opal mogul who is trying to suck the land dry? That would’ve not only been relevant to current events when the game was made but also would’ve been a compelling villain.
As for playing as the Guru, I found every aspect of that to be fun. I had no issues with his inclusion in the game, and I can see how Murray bonded with him. Easily the worst Master Thief challenge was Guard Swappin with the guru. It took the most perfect timing to get all 5, and once I hit it, I immediately switched that shit off.
The gang +1 sets off to the Netherlands!
After the Guru joins the gang, the team sets out for Holland, or more appropriately these days the Netherlands, to track down Penelope, a genius RC expert that Bentley meets online. Bentley asks her to join the gang, as they would likely need an aerial specialist to get inside the Cooper vault, but she declines, stating that if the gang beat her boss, the Black Baron, at the ACES competition, she may reconsider. With no time to waste, Sly obtained his pilot’s license via stealing and the gang got to work making the plane!
I love the entire vibe of them being a part of a dogfighting competition, and the whole idea of the setting being in the Netherlands. I find that whole area of Europe plus Scandinavia to be very interesting, so this definitely hit my sweet spot. I will say that this map is very gorgeous and easy to go through discovering. I had a brief moment in time where I was treasure farming for coins, which I found useful to do in this map above all others. The map, coupled with the grandeur of the hotel and aerial view of the map, was my favorite part of this level by far.
I think this level had a great balance between missions and the actual dogfights, which kept it interesting. My favorite mission by far has to be the very first one obtaining the Hidden Flight Roster. I loved seeing the inside of the hotel, the various cameos by Muggshot and Dmitri, as well as seeing Sly in his pilot outfit. It was really cool! Plus, scaling the castle at the end of it was dope. Every other mission was just meh, especially with Murray steering the boat in various missions. Though it was cool to control the wolf through the Guru.
The boss fight with the Black Baron was a great balance and employed a lot of the same agility that Octavio had, just on an aerial stage and with interfering guards. And the plot twist of Penelope being the Black Baron all along was great! I honestly did not see it coming as a kid. The Master Thief challenges this time around weren’t that bad, but the Castle Quick Climb one was a pain in the ass. I’ve never gotten caught by the Black Baron during the original mission, but I did here. Absolute bullshit.
A Cold Alliance is formed in China
After Penelope joined the team, Bentley determined that his demolitions expertise was not enough for the Cooper vault heist. Unfortunately, the best man for the job is a previous antagonist of the first Sly Cooper game: the Panda King. Sly, after lots of internal turmoil due to the trauma he inflicted on him and him having a part in murdering his family, begrudgingly accepted the initiative after learning the Panda King rehabilitated his life as a monk. The Panda King was not any more excited about the idea than Sly, but after discussing it and making a deal that he would join after the gang saves his daughter, Jing King kidnapped and in a forced marriage with General Tsao, a tyrannical ruler.
Let me tell you, it was a breath of fresh air not only to return to China but to have another Fiendish Five cameo after Muggshot. The layout and feel of this episode had the same nostalgia as the first China level in the Kunlun Mountains but had a way more expansive map and enemy engagement through their movements. Plus, the addition of Carmelita wandering around like in the first level gave it some more umph.
My favorite mission in the level is definitely Grapple Cam Break-In. I just love the idea of the grapple cams, and when you got into the building with Bentley, the breakables were just so fun to crack open. I do have a least favorite mission, and I think it’s my least favorite of the entire game. Look. I love the emotion present with finding the van again after it being frozen in Canada, but playing as the Panda King trying not to get Murray killed while he was dragging it was too much. His health meter really reminded me of those turret missions in the first game with Murray, which was absolute garbage. Why did we need to bring that back?
As for General Tsao as a villain and the boss fight, I thought his personality was insufferable. Definitely indicative of a stereotypical power-hungry garbage man forcing a woman into marriage. The boss fight itself was chopped up between two segments which I enjoyed, even though it was hard relearning how to defeat him on this playthrough. As you know, I’m gonna say the Sharpshooter Master Thief challenge was garbage, but the other ones weren’t so bad.
Dead Men Tell No Tales in Blood Bath Bay
After the Panda King joins the team, Dmitri rings the Cooper gang and calls in on that favor that they promised him way back meeting up in the hotel in the third level. He tells the gang about his grandfather, Reme, who was a pioneering deep sea diver proliferative in acquiring treasure until his gear was stolen by a pirate named Black Spot Pete. Dmitri wants to recover the gear with the gang’s help, and Bentley realizes that having Dmitri on board for the Cooper vault heist as a deep sea diver would help. So, the gang sets out to Blood Bath Bay to investigate.
I loved the entire vibe and layout of the map. I thought it was really unique that this map employed a split map idea of the actual on foot map versus the sailing map. Plus, the music in this level is super atmospheric. They also kind of fake you out on who the villain is until the mid point of the entire level, which is cool. I will say, this is where I always got stuck, which is hilarious since it’s the second to last level of the game, but I could never figure out the treasure hunt in the last level. With a little bit of adult brain, I figured it out. So that’s cool!
My favorite mission by far is the first one, The Talk of Pirates. I just love stringing together pirate insults to a poor old retired pirate who thinks that Sly is his old friend. It was so charming! My least favorite by far is the ship missions. This is simply because every time you sailed by a ship, you would toggle fights, even when trying to avoid them. It annoyed the hell out of me. That one, and the one with Murray in the boat. I just hate those controls. So thus all of the Master Thief challenges with the boat was my least favorite. Dmitri’s deep sea diving mission was fun, but a bit of a learning curve!
Then this introduces the treasure hunts in all of the other Master Thief challenges, which I thought was a nice touch. I really enjoyed doing all of them, and I think my standout is the first level’s! LeFwee as a villain was a little lackluster, but I loved that you were not the immediate gang and instead Penelope took him down, even though that boss fight was ass. It took me so long to understand how to do it. I had to have died like 20 times.
T-They did the thing! Title card level name!
Now, with a full team of certified specialists, it’s now time to flash forward to the future, where the Cooper vault heist is underway. However, Sly is still stuck in the clutches of the monster, and the gang needs to save him! Carmelita saves the day and saves Sly, but many of the other team members need to help save his cane, including the Guru hopping sharks, Dmitri deep sea diving, and Penelope disabling radar towers. Sly eventually gets his cane back and chases cowardly Dr. M around on his various monster accompaniments, and eventually gets into the vault while Bentley and Murray back him up. After exploring the vault, Dr. M follows him inside, and Sly beats his ass once and for all to end the game.c
I like that they focused on each of the individual team members when it came to the missions since Sly was out of commission. I will say though that out of all of the team member missions, Dmitri’s was the worst. It’s because the boss fight took so long to get used to in terms of the mannerisms of Dr. M’s sea creature he employed to do his bidding. But to be honest, getting used to hopping sharks was tough, too. The multiple boss fights were crazy in general, but I loved that they incorporated the plane in one of them.
The Cooper vault was as fantastical as I imagined it to be, which makes that mission my favorite. Although, going through it was a bit of a chore, especially since I had to get used to it and it would reset you right at the start. Which made the Master Thief challenge under time constraints even more annoying. But easily the worst Master Thief challenge of all time, in the entire game, is Road Rage. And the title is fitting. I must’ve done that challenge about 70 times without getting it because you can’t heal yourself and you have to get the timing absolutely perfect. It was bollocks.
The plot twist regarding Dr. M being a part of Sly’s dad’s gang was crazy, and then him knowingly doing this is so toxic. I never understood why he didn’t just stay the route of good and maybe get some of the treasure as consolation. It would’ve been even more fucked up if he was in the Fiendish Five. But I’m glad he got his ass beat in the end. That boss fight was a little intimidating, but easier than I thought it was. In terms of boss fights in the Sly universe, this one is definitely the easiest so far.
Game Mechanics
Now onto the game mechanics that changed in this game!
At the start of this mission, we get introduced to the safe mechanic via the vibrating of the controller as well as the 3D element during specific missions. Now, when you got this game on the PS2, it came with a cutout of 3D glasses. During certain missions, Bentley would prompt Sly to use “depth optimizer goggles” to go into missions, which would prompt you, the player to put on your 3D glasses provided. I usually never used them, but I humored them in the beginning, particularly in Venice.
During this game, they also introduced disguises not only for Sly but for Bentley and Murray. It was interesting to see the different costumes that they wanted to include in each subsequent level. In addition to that, instead of playing as the immediate gang, you got to play as Carmelita, the Guru, Penelope, Panda King, and Dmitri, which is cool! And then the joint missions were also great. The inclusion of the Master Thief challenges and Hazard Room was alright, but I could do without them, to be honest. Especially the time-based ones. I’m terrible at those.
I was a little sad they took away the clue bottles and treasures, but I understand why they did so because they added all of the other elements. Adding Bentley and Murray the ability to pickpocket was genius, and I was a big fan of that! Other than that, not much changed between the second and third game, which makes sense considering how far together they were developed!
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, I thought this was a solid game! It was definitely my favorite as a kid because of all of the fun elements compared to the second game, but I’d have to say I’d give it a little bit of a leg up. If I gave the second game a 9, I’d give this one a 9.5. And the first game is still the best.
What did you think of Sly Cooper’s third iteration? Let me know!
I hope you have a great day/night/morning/evening/afternoon or whatever time it is for you. Thanks so much for checking out my blog! Much love!
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