Sly 2 Band of Thieves elevates the raccoon saga to masterpiece status. Team heists, charming open hubs and brilliant cartoon writing. Sucker Punch at the very top of its game.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player7+
Description
Japanese edition of Sly 2 - Band of Thieves released in 2005 by Sucker Punch, distributed as "Kaitou Sly Cooper 2." Players lead the Cooper Gang (Sly, Bentley, Murray) across five world cities to recover the Clockwerk parts. Open hub levels, timed missions and writing full of humor.
Kaitou Sly Cooper 2 review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
Cel-shading with bold outlines, nocturnal noir moods and cartoon animation: Sly's universe is a light, dark-toned cartoon. The crisp silhouettes and stylised settings compose an immediate playful elegance. This visual identity, lively and refined, has lost none of its mischievous charm.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Blending stealth, platforming and timed heists across several characters makes for a furtive adventure of delightful variety. Sly's gadgets, Murray's brawling and Bentley's hacking mesh together with exemplary fluidity. The whole thing stays readable, clever and perfectly paced, and this cartoon-charm gameplay has lost none of its punch with a controller in hand.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
This sequel widens the horizon with vast playgrounds where every heist becomes an operation to prep, infiltrate and execute with finesse. The regained freedom, the ever-present humour and the pinpoint handling make every mission a joy. Richer, cleverer and as stylish as ever, a platformer-burglary that brilliantly refines its recipe.
The Japanese version of the second Sly Cooper, opening the formula into larger levels and structured heists, a bit less widespread than the Western editions. This native edition appeals to collectors of regional variants of a well-liked stealth-platformer. Its interest lies in this local run and original packaging rather than marked scarcity, in a niche of studio fans.
Is Kaitou Sly Cooper 2 still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2004 on PS2, Sucker Punch's second project lifts the series by dropping enclosed stages for genuine open hubs to explore. The trio of Sly, Bentley and Murray split missions according to their talents, which enriches the multi step heists. The cel shaded art direction and the humour filled writing keep their shine, and the stealth gains flexibility. A peak of the trilogy, recommended for fans of platforming adventure and for lovers of heist games that reward planning and curiosity over twitch reflexes.
