William and Sly

William and Sly Review

2. I Like it a Lot, About Games, Adventure, Genre, Puzzle, Rating, Review, Steam review Leave a comment

Game: William and Sly
Genre: Adventure
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer|Publisher: Lucas Paakh | 2 Left Thumbs
Controller Support: Full
Price: US $24.99 | UK £20.99 | EU € 24,50
Release Date: February 26nd, 2024

Review code provided with many thanks to 2 Left Thumbs.

William and Sly is a 2024 open-world adventure game developed by Lucas Paakh and published by 2 Left Thumbs. It is a 3D retelling of the famous “William and Sly” Flash games.

A cozy scene from 'William and Sly' shows a 3D-rendered cabin interior where a character with dark hair and brown clothing kneels to address a small, attentive fox. The room is warmly lit, with a rustic red lamp casting a soft glow, and outside the window is a view of autumn trees and mountains. A bookshelf filled with books and a pumpkin hints at a studious and seasonal setting. On the red carpet, golden swirls add to the room's charm. Dialogue text on the screen reads, 'I ALSO MADE YOU A MAP WHILE I WAS SURVEYING. CAN FOXES EVEN READ MAPS? I BET YOU'LL JUST EAT IT...' with a prompt to press B to continue. A counter in the top left corner shows '0/467,' suggesting an element of collection or achievement within the game. Published on: LadiesGamers.
How about a map?

Premise

I admit, I’ve never played the original games, but if you are interested like me, you can pick them up for free on Steam here. The new game – William and Sly, is about a duo travelling by a magical cabin through space. The game begins in a new space – a wild mountain landscape filled with ancient ruins, flower bushes, and mushrooms. We play as Sly, a small but very fast fox whose primary goal is to find as many mushrooms as possible, but also collect essences of different flowers and destroy cursed pillars with them. Along the way, Sly meets a dark enchantress, and we must untangle her evil machinations.

A serene landscape from 'William and Sly' captures the essence of a peaceful meadow with a vivid rainbow arching in the stormy sky. The player's view is through the foliage, highlighting a lush environment with green grass, autumnal trees in the distance, and mountain peaks that touch the horizon. A small, fox-like creature is subtly visible among the tall grass, indicated by the glow of its eyes and the slight disturbance in the vegetation. In the upper left corner, a counter reads '7/467,' suggesting ongoing exploration and collection within the game. The overcast sky and the bright rainbow create a contrast of calmness and vibrancy in this virtual world. Published on: LadiesGamers.
Looking for a pot of gold.

Gameplay of William and Sly

William and Sly is pretty straightforward in terms of gameplay; we play as Sly, the fox, and move with WASD on the keyboard and space for jumping. The camera view is changed through the mouse. The keyboard/mouse is my preferred way of playing, but I found the gamepad to be more comfortable for this game, mainly because of the camera view.

We have to find mushrooms and destroy curses by doing combinations of “essence” in different colors. Each curse needs its own combination. Once you discover a cursed pillar, it will appear on the map with the necessary combo. For example, the blue essence of rhubarb rose and fern was required for one of the cursed pillars. Each flower and mushroom emits a glow you can see from the distance. Once you collect the correct combination of flowers, a green guiding light will lead you back to the corresponding pillar. It’s a great idea since the playing area is enormous. Essences can also give you upgrades.

In 'William and Sly', a ghostly apparition of a figure in a flowing dress appears before the player in a sunlit meadow. The ethereal figure seems to be a woman with a peaceful expression, adorned with flowers and gazing directly at the player. A shimmering orb rests in her hands, and the image is rendered with a blend of transparency and vibrant colors, giving a mystical appearance. Surrounding her are grassy fields dotted with pink flowers, and a lush tree line in the background. Dialogue text overlays the scene: 'How interesting to encounter another MIND out here in the wilderness. BUT YOU'RE JUST A FOX! That's strange...' A prompt invites the player to press B to continue. In the upper left corner, a red icon with the numbers '10/467' implies a goal or collection count. Published on: LadiesGamers
The Dark Enchantress

Moving through the landscape is easy and fast; falling does not damage Sly, and he can run very fast without stopping and jump really high. In fact, if you are looking for a realistic fox sim game, this is not it. At later stages of the game, you can even fly.

In the upper part of the screen, we have a counter for mushrooms, and we need to find 467. The playing area is, as I said, huge. It’s also very varied – mountains, flower fields, caves and rivers. All of this is accompanied by a serene soundtrack and nature sounds. The game would be more of a walking simulator if it weren’t for the dark enchantress and her occasional servants stirring trouble. That being said, our opponents are easy to dodge and escape. Nothing too stressful here.

William and Sly have a New Game+ feature, which allows you to start a new game with all the upgrades. Since you meet William in different spots throughout the game, you can also interact a bit with him. It would have been lovely to have more such interactions.

A whimsical forest glade from 'William and Sly' is scattered with oversized, vibrant mushrooms in hues of orange and white. Some of the mushrooms release a flurry of sparkling particles, adding to the magical feel of the scene. A variety of smaller fungi and lush greenery surround them, with a soft, misty background of rolling hills. The foreground shows tall grass, partially obscuring the view of the protagonist, a small fox indicated only by its pointed ears and curious eyes peeking out. The game's counter at the top left corner shows '37/467', likely representing a collection objective. The image evokes a sense of enchantment and exploration in the game's natural world. Published on: LadiesGamers.
Now that’s a big pumpkin!

Some Side Notes

As mentioned above, the original William and Sly Flash games are accessible on Steam if you want to check them out. The new game also has a demo so that you can try it.

William and Sly have Steam achievements but no trading cards as of yet. It has basic audio and video options and an “I can’t move” option if you get really stuck. It also has a direct link to a novel by the developer that serves as a prequel to the games.

Conclusion

William and Sly is a cozy and relaxing game about exploration and mushroom hunting. It offers a perfect escape for a few hours for any fan of cozy games and foxes.

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot. I like it a lot

 
           

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