Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.
Sly 2: La banda dei ladri

“Rob a master criminal and you know you're a master thief.”

If the first chapter of the series, namely “Sly Raccoon”, referred to a more linear and immature platform game, not so much due to the game's minimal longevity but rather to the repetition of various identical missions, thus creating a static and repetitive gameplay with an “A-B point scheme” emulating another anthropomorphic ancestor (Crash Bandicoot), the second chapter “Sly 2: Band of Thieves”, produced in 2004 by Sucker Punch, distances itself from the ancient Australian marsupial, becoming more complex, renewing the gaming experience in multiple ways, and becoming the most mature platform in the Sony lineup compared to its illustrious contemporaries (Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Dexter).

After recovering all the pages of the “Thievius Raccoonus” (an ancient manuscript of the Cooper dynasty which notes the best theft techniques of every thief) and defeating Clockwerk the hate accumulator, who made the same manuscript a reason for survival and a source of life, Sly (a raccoon) and his gang consisting of Murray (a pink hippopotamus) and Bentley (a green turtle) return, finally cooperating together, to recover the parts of the still-functioning mechanical panoply of the robotic owl - stolen by the Klaww Gang.

A gameplay now varied and alternative, with different objectives from one another and a clear characterization of the characters where, the agility and graceful movements of Sly useful for “stealth” in reconnaissance phases for the final heist preparation of each chapter, are combined on one side by the clumsy stride of the plump and muscular brawl king Murry with whom we can have fun destroying obstacles and annihilating enemies without fear of alerting the guards, and on the opposite side, the lanky Bentley, the brain of the group, useful for the resolution of puzzles, sabotages, and hacking. The dynamic alternation of the various “quests”, thanks also to the purchase of various enhancements for each anti-hero through the new "Thiefnet" site, creates a balanced combination that peaks in the game's final missions, where we are called to use the entire Cooper gang at the same time.

The story unfolds in various “open world” chapters, where the exploratory component, absent in the first chapter, now dominates with medium-scale surfaces, all characterized by evocative and fascinating atmospheres. It ranges from the shadowy Parisian suburbs to the Indian forest and finally to the snowy Canadian woods, all well-structured regarding level design, maps valued in their entirety, especially when using Sly - now equipped with a paraglider - grips, hooks, and hiding spots are scattered throughout the territory. In the progression of the main adventure, also seasoned by various prelude and epilogue films at the beginning and end of each chapter, a sub-plot is noted (to which two comics 1-2) is added, lightly treating socio-political-environmental themes: corruption, spice trade (narcotics), and deforestation. The villains of each chapter (notably Dimitri, a hedonistic iguana art lover who became iconic enough to appear in Sly3 and Sly4) are marginalized, outcasts of a society that denigrates and does not accept them, deciding to seek revenge by overpowering and subjugating their own wolves. It is then no surprise that interaction is greater precisely with these subjects.

All this is aided by an expressively well-adapted dubbing with predominantly ironic dialogues through which it is easy to empathize with the various characters (good or bad, it doesn't matter) and a soundtrack sacred to the childhood of the ancient isthmus that fits well with the most varied situations, from shadowing to escapes, to fights and pickpocketing to grab coins or precious objects, involving and lulling the gamer throughout the entire gaming experience.

A unique video game in its blending of genres. Sadly forgotten, both by gamers and production companies. Now present only through sparse and sterile "easter eggs" in the most recent gaming productions.