If I were to describe, in simple terms, how this game works, it would sound like it sucks. Quick run-down:
The game requires you to repeatedly traverse a massive open world which is, from a gameplay perspective, mostly empty (i.e. very few things to interact with or respond to), collecting certain magical ingredients to create single-use magic spells. You use the spells to destroy these evil stone spikes and unlock one or two traversal skills. Every magic spell requires three ingredients, and you can't hold more than one of each type on you, meaning that, if an ingredient is required for multiple spells, you'll have to visit the place to get it repeatedly.
Some ingredients can be found basically all over the world, while others can only be found in one specific spot, which is particularly annoying since those are usually the ones you'll need multiple times, especially towards the late game. Certain ingredients require you to perform a simplistic minigame to collect (stuff like "follow the animal" or "simon says"), but they're mostly really shallow and basic. Some of them seem to involve just wasting your time for long enough until the game feels like you're worthy of the item or something, I swear.
There is little in the way of gameplay mechanics outside of just repeatedly going to the same places over and over again, and those places can be really effing far from one another.
On top of all that, the game has some camera jank and some character animation jank, which gives it a rather amateurish feel.
So you can see how, in terms of surface-level mechanics and format, this game had everything it needed to be a terrible slog. Despite all that, surprisingly, it is actually one of the most satisfying and enjoyable experiences I've had with a videogame in years! So, what gives?
First and foremost, the world composition is beautiful. Huge sprawling mountainous areas, forests, flower patches, lakes, beaches, all rendered in this rather effective low-resolution texture style which, thanks to its simplicity, allows the render distance to be really high, leading to several screenshot-worthy views of beautiful landscapes. This is all accompanied by a phenomenal ambient soundtrack, one of Lucas Paakh's strongest suits, that really ties the game's atmosphere together.
Second, traversal itself is inherently enjoyable. Sly already moves relatively fast from the very start of the game, allowing you to effortlessly zoom through the world in an exhilarating pace. You eventually unlock a powerup that makes you even faster, multiplying the fun ten-fold. Sly controls more like a vehicle than a normal platformer character, with the tank controls and what not, but it works in this game because you're supposed to be going super fast anyway.
This simple combination of a beautiful scenery and satisfying traversal mechanics single-handedly turns this game into a super satisfying and fun experience despite its numerous shortcomings.
Furthermore, the game doesn't condescend you by giving you a laundry list of locations to go to, allowing you to explore and discover stuff at your own pace, and even figure out the little minigames to get ingredients without a text popup telling you what to do. There are the occasional hints you can get from William when you meet him in the field, but they never straight up give it all away and, as far as I know, they never apply to the ingredient minigames.
So all in all, it is surprising that a game that had everything to fail is actually really good. It does require a rather patient mind, though, so do remember that if you plan on getting it.
