An Opera of Fear is the first episode of Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. Sly Cooper and Bentley go to Venice to track down Murray and convince him to return to the gang. The main antagonist of the episode is the local Italian Mafia Boss, Don Octavio.
Plot[]
The Setup[]
Getting inside the Cooper Vault will take a team of world-class thieves, a group of specialists, each contributing their own special talent. It was clear that Sly and Bentley needed Murray back in the gang. Not only were they missing their lifelong friend, but his brute strength helps get the gang out of over a few scrapes in the past.
After the events with Neyla's Clockwerk hatred, Murray blamed himself for Bentley's injury and decided to leave the team. Sly and Bentley tried to reason with him, but going out on his own is something he needs to do.
The Guru sends Murray on his walk.
Murray said he wants to find his spiritual center. They found out that he ended up in the Australian Outback, where he studied a mystic art called the Dreamtime, taught by an aboriginal guru. From all accounts, things went pretty well and Murray was sent on a walkabout to places all around the globe to complete the training.
He eventually ended up in the beautiful Venice city of Italy, but what was he doing there? Well, that's a mystery. Sly just hoped that Murray steered clear of the local mob boss named Don Octavio.
Octavio performs opera in front of a live audience.
Growing up, Octavio was a real neighborhood celebrity, well known for his opera singing. However, just as his career was about to take off, musical tastes changed. After losing most of his fans to rock music, he became the leader of the Venetian mobsters and had plans for making everybody enjoy opera again.
Even though Sly knew that heading onto Octavio's turf was dangerous, it'd be worth it for a chance to make things right with Murray.
Police HQ[]
Bentley decides to start their search for Murray at the police headquarters, just in case they might have captured him, or at least are aware of his presence in Venice. Bentley points out that the Venetian police station can be distinguished from other buildings by the large dome on top of it. Despite this huge impression, Octavio's forces are the ones patrolling the streets rather than the cops. Sly notes this and manages to find an entry point into the station through the vent on the top of the giant dome roof. However, the dome was covered in glazed tile, making it almost impossible to climb up. Sly sees that a rope connected the roof of the police station to a nearby apartment, and that the side of the rope could be reached by bouncing on top of a gondola. Sly reaches the top of the dome, and crawled inside.[note 1]
After crawling into the police station, Sly works his way through the ventilation system, down to the bottom floor. He exits a vent next to a jail cell, which he thinks is holding Murray. Upon calling his friend's name, Sly finds out that it's not Murray in the cell, but Dimitri, a member of the now-defeated Klaww Gang. Dimitri, who would rather see Sly get arrested than tell him where Murray is, yelled for the cops nearby.[note 2] To calm Dimitri down, Sly rationalizes with Dimitri; if he gets thrown into jail, no one will be there to bust Dimitri. Dimitri tells him that even if he does manage to get the cell door open, he'll be caught on the way out anyway and will get a bigger punishment for trying to break out.
Realizing that Dimitri has a point, Sly thinks of a way to get him out quietly after he opens the cell. He eventually comes up with a plan: he'll distract the cops, and while they're all focused on him, Dimitri can simply just walk out the door. Dimitri completely agrees with this indirect act of revenge. He reveals the location of the cell key to be in the head cop's office.
Sly quietly crawls over to the head's office, whom he sees is Inspector Carmelita Fox, to steal the key. As he did so, Carmelita is giving a presentation to a group of mercenaries about a tar pollution situation, which they know Octavio is behind, but without direct evidence. After stealing the key, the lights, having electrical problems, start flickering on and off. To avoid being seen, Sly hides under a table in the room when the lights flickered on, and makes his way back to the cell when they flicker off. Once at the cell, he removes the lock on the cell door. However, the cell has another lock, a dial. Using his perception, Sly maneuveres the dial and unlocks the final lock. Once Dimitri is out, he tells Sly that Murray will be waiting at Rialto Bridge,[note 3] Then, Sly gets the cops' attention, while Dimitri sneaks out the front door.
Inspector Fox chases Sly outside, where she "praises" his nerve to show up in her squad room. After establishing that she has hardened since their last encounter, Carmelita chases Sly as he bounces and runs across gondolas. He eventually makes his way to the Rialto Bridge where, as Dimitri said, Murray is waiting. To lose the Inspector, Sly and Murray jump into a manhole and sheltered in the sewers, later emerging from one nearby.
Once alone, Sly talks with his old friend, whom he finds to have taken his new Dreamtime training to heart. Sly tells Murray that he and Bentley need him back on the team, and that Bentley doesn't blame Murray for his wheelchair. Murray refuses, saying that his Guru told him to "lose himself and not return until the black water ran pure". Although Sly is confused as to what Murray meant, Murray declares that he's on a real spirit quest. Sly has Murray tell him everything, and Murray begins his story... after a gum request. Afterwards, Sly makes it back to the safe house and relays the information to Bentley.
Into the Depths[]
Octavio's opera house is his base of operations. If Sly can get Bentley in there to one of the Octavio's computers, he should be able to hack into the security systems and get information on his operation. As the front door is not safest point of entry, they both meet up near a hatch on the side of the building, and head inside through there.
Once inside, Sly and Bentley find a double-button security door blocking their path. They are able to open it by pressing the green buttons simultaneously. After opening the first one, they come to another and open it the same way. Then, they come to a larger area filled with water with boxes and gondolas floating in it. There is a door on the other side. Unfortunately, the boosters on Bentley's wheelchair aren't enough to get him across the water to the door. Sly finds a way across to the door and activates a switch that drops a couple of extra crates for Bentley to jump on.
With Sly at the door, Bentley returns the favor with a well-placed bomb to the door. After heading up a flight of stairs, the duo comes across another room, this time with two 4-inch thick bullet-proof plexiglass walls blocking the way ahead. Bentley tells Sly that his bombs won't make a dent. Sly crawls through a vent in the side of the wall and emerges past all walls. He activates a switch which opens the doors between the walls. Bentley goes through, and destroys another reinforced door. Heading down a flight of stairs, they reach another synchronized security door, and open it with success.
Sly and Bentley finally reach a control room with an old Worlitzer-700, something Bentley can splice into easily. However, as soon as Bentley starts hacking the device, he's hacks into a delay switch, telling Sly that the "dinosaur" has teeth. Octavio's reinforcements start piling into the room. Sly easily takes them out as they come, while Bentley continues hacking. Once Bentley is done, he and Sly exits the premises, and now have information about Octavio's schemes.
Octavio Snap[]
Sly and Bentley need photographic evidence that Don Octavio is behind Venice's tar epidemic. With photos catching him in the act, the cops will be able to prosecute him and put an end to his operation. As the two are talking, the Don comes into sight and begins pumping tar into a nearby fountain. Sly takes a photo of him, after which Octavio heads off and Sly follows.
Octavio pollutes both a birdbath and a water wheel pouring into the canal, before arriving at and polluting an aquarium full of fish. Snapping photos of all three, Sly is prompted by Bentley to continue following Octavio to see what "heinous crime" he will next commit. Octavio arrives at not another valve, but a Ferris wheel. After getting on it, the Don makes a call, which Sly eavesdrops on by hanging onto the side of the Ferris wheel car.
The person on the other end of the line is Giovanni, the presumed creator of the Ferris wheel. Octavio tells him how the Ferris wheel is pumping the tar fast and that nobody expects a thing, but that he is unsure if it will be enough "to get things ready for [his] opera recital." Giovanni confirms that it will, and Octavio proclaims that there will be opera fans again, "one way or the other."
Octavio hangs up and heads off on other business, which allows Sly to break open the Ferris wheel's control panel. Bentley arrives shortly and rewires the engine, causing it to speed up. The wheel breaks off of the hub and crushes one of Octavio's goons in the process.
Canal Chase[]
Bentley finds out that Octavio hired the Blue Viper Gondola Gang to dispose of Inspector Carmelita Fox, who is on her daily patrol. Bentley contacts Sly about it, and while Sly makes his way to the rendezvous point, Bentley hot-wires a police gondola. Once Sly made it, the two of them set off in the gondola, with Bentley controlling the turret while Sly drove.
The canal Bentley and Sly are chasing the Vipers in is packed with other boats and obstacles, so they need to mind their surroundings during the chase. After defeating the Viper trio, Sly and Bentley return to the dock. Carmelita is completely unaware of what transpired, and finishes her patrol without incident. As Carmelita returns to the police station, she comments on how she has another uneventful patrol, to the point where it is "too quiet" for her tastes.
Bentley warns Sly that they are only making their operation more difficult by saving Carmelita once the duo return to the dock. Sly agrees, but he reminds Bentley that she has been a help to them before.[1][2] Bentley also points out that Sly has a thing for her too. While Sly admits it, he changes the subject by telling Bentley that he will stash the police boat somewhere safe, as it can come in handy for later.
Run 'n Bomb[]
Bentley takes over a fireworks stand and starts putting together some explosives to free the balloons, while Sly meets up with him at the stand. Bentley explains that the explosives have relatively short fuses, so Sly will have to carry the explosives and sprint to the balloons before they explode. The first balloon is at Octavio's opera house. Once Sly destroys the mooring, the balloon flies off into the sky. Sly returns to Bentley, who gives him a more powerful explosive with a longer fuse, as he has farther to run. Sly runs the bomb to a balloon near the police headquarters and blows it off its moorings. In the process of it flying off, Bentley explains phase two of the explosion: the wind will carry the balloon into an advertisement hoisted onto a tower. When it crashes, the combustible gases from the balloon will ignite and blow the sign to pieces. Unfortunately, the wind dies down, and instead of causing "Hindenburg part 2", the balloon's rope gets caught on the sign. Sly climbs up the tower to dislodge the rope manually, which leads to the sign exploding.
Bentley then tells Sly to return to the stand, as he has an even more powerful bomb to use. However, just as Bentley is about to finish the instructions, he is interrupted by someone trying to break in. Alarmed by his sudden calls for help, Sly rushes to Bentley’s aid and finds him in the hands of Octavio who reveals that his mole cops in the police headquarters picked up Sly's pictures of him polluting Venice's water supply before the real ones saw them. After Octavio gets unsuccessfully threatened, he decides to take Bentley hostage and eventually kill him. Sly chases him across town until they reach the opera house, at which point Octavio surrenders Bentley and flees into the building. Octavio promises that they will pay for attempting to foil his plans. With Bentley relatively unharmed, he and Sly return to the safe house.
Guard Duty[]
The blueprints to the tar-pumping station are hidden in a painting in each of Octavio's allegedly legit coffee houses. Bentley explains to Sly that because Octavio's tar-pumping Ferris wheel got destroyed,[3] he goes all out on security, having each of his guards checking up on each other. Therefore, to avoid raising any suspicion, this job requires a unique approach. Sly has to don a Venice disguise and pretend to take the shift of each guard at the front doors of each coffee house, so that Bentley can head inside and swipe the blueprints. Each guard will ask Sly for a password, so Bentley will relay the hacked password to Sly, who has to quickly answer correctly to avoid detection. But if he messes up or takes too long, his cover is blown.
While standing on top of a building above the first coffee house, Sly puts on the disguise and relieves the guard at the door. Once the guard left, Bentley heads inside and finds the art decryption lock. Bentley cracks the code and snags the first blueprint.
Sly and Bentley head for the second coffee house. There, Sly don his disguise again and relieves the second guard, who is eager to eat his mother's spaghetti later on. While Bentley heads inside and steals the second blueprint, Sly ponders about what the guard said and declares that they will get something to eat after the mission.
Now there is only one coffee house left to hit, located across from the police station. After Sly gives the guard the correct password, the guard decides that there is not enough evidence that Sly is a guard. The guard asks Sly to tell him what his nickname is; he explains that he is the only guard with the name Tony B. and that he is a famous member of the mob family. Attempting to avoid answering the question, Sly responds that he is a new recruit from Rome. However, Tony counters that he is well known in Rome, claiming that he is "practically the mayor of organized crime in Rome". Sly pretends that his phone rang, telling Tony that it might be the boss calling, before leaving the post.
Bentley suggests using the disguise to ask the other guards about Tony's nickname. Sly searches around and asks the other guards, who reveal that Tony has a massive ego. Eventually, one of them tells Sly that Tony's nickname is "Tony 'The Killer' B". Sly returns to Tony and gives his nickname. After taunting Sly about being on duty during Carnevale, Tony leaves and Bentley enters the coffee house. But once Bentley snags the last blueprint, an alarm goes off, revealing that the blueprint is rigged to the alarm. The alarm attracts a lot of guards to their location, forcing Sly to take off the disguise and keep the guards away from Bentley. Now that they obtains all three blueprints, they rush back to the safe house to lose the guards.
Turf War![]
Octavio hires the Vincenetti Gang for protection during Carnevale, which promptes the Cooper Gang to find a way to get rid of them. Bentley leads a member of the Vincenetti Gang to the police station. Meanwhile, Sly knocks on the front door of the police station and insults the cops inside using his Italian accent. His insult brings Lt. Gronk out just as Bentley lured the Vincenetti goon to the station. Seeing the goon as the one who insulted him, Gronk attacks while Sly and Bentley quietly run away, and they observe.
Bentley predictes that with Gronk under fire, there was a 93% chance Inspector Fox will come out to help him and take out the whole Vincenetti gang in the process. Sly reflects on Bentley's development into a devious planner. Just like Bentley said, Carmelita comes out to help Gronk fend off the goons.
After taking out the Vincenetti thugs by the police station, Carmelita and Gronk rush to the other side of town to take care of more. Once all of the gang members on the other side of the city are taken out, more appear by the police station once again. Once they are defeated, Carmelita commends her lieutenant on a job well done.
With the Vincenetti Gang gone, there are less obstacles in the Cooper Gang's mission to sabotage Octavio's plans and get Murray back on the team.
Tar Ball[]
Bentley and Murray meet up near the canal. Bentley explains to Murray that in order to make "the black water run pure", he needs to destroy 6 tar drums around the city. Murray claims that he is done with his old ways and now follows a path of peacefulness. Bentley convinces him to help him by reminding him of the strong, outstanding hero he used to be. Murray apologizes about the Clock-La incident, claiming he did everything he could to save Bentley, but was not strong enough. Bentley tells him to get over it because he never blamed him for being crippled. The only thing he really wants is his friend back. Murray says he wants to help Bentley, but he promised his Guru that he stay in Venice and peacefully meditate until the water clears up. Bentley suggests he can help out peacefully by using his Aboriginal Ball Form to destroy each tar drum and will not have to worry about fighting anyone. Murray now accepts as long as it stays that way. Bentley returns to the safe house and Murray begins the task. Once all of the tar drums are out of the picture, Murray goes back to meditating while Sly Cooper and Bentley continue their operation.
Operation: Tar-Be Gone![]
- Destroying the tar vacuum
The first objective is for Sly and Bentley to get inside the Opera House and destroy the tar pipes. Sly uses his disguise on the guard standing at the front entrance. Once inside, he makes his way through a room, then a hallway leading to a double-button security door. Octavio comes through the door and, not recognizing Sly, asks him for a password. When said correctly, he orders Sly to pass it on to his other men that he does not want to be disturbed during his recital for any reason. Sly abides by his command and asks for assistance in getting the door open. Octavio helps him get the door open and tells him to be quick in there so he will not miss out on the recital.
Once inside and away from Octavio, Sly heads downstairs to the pump room and lets Bentley in through the side door. He then takes off his disguise. Bentley now needs to quickly destroy the six tar pipes in the room. Once done, the main tar vacuum will start to lose suction. As Bentley bombs each tar pipe, reinforcements show up and Sly fends them off, leaving Bentley to continue destroying the pipes. Once done, the two head outside for the next objective.
- The recital
Bentley must now get on stage with Octavio and sing in the recital with him. Meanwhile, Sly must cut the ropes to the chandelier to drop it on Octavio's head, which will allow them to swipe the demolition switch from him. Bentley confronts Octavio walking onto the stage. He tells him he cannot resist showing him up at his own talent. Octavio lets him perform and threatens to gut him when it's over. Bentley gets on the stage next to Octavio. Sly hops onto the top of the stage, ready to cut the ropes to the chandelier.
The recital now begins. As the two are singing, Sly starts cutting the ropes. Within each quarter of the performance, Octavio draws closer to Bentley, readying to finish him. Once the recital ends and right as Sly cuts the final rope, Carmelita crashes the party and shoots out the chandelier, before it hit Octavio. She tells everyone to freeze. One of Octavio's men arrive in a boat and Octavio hops in, still in possession of the demolition switch. Sly and Bentley hop into the police boat they used earlier[4] and chases after them. Carmelita starts shooting at them, then calls her mercenaries for an immediate helicopter pickup.
- Boat chase
Once in the canals, Bentley must shoot out Octavio's engine to disable him. During the chase, Carmelita shows up in her police chopper and tells them to stop their engines or she and her squad will be forced to use lethal force. They then double back to town. The chase continues and Bentley finally shoots out Octavio's engine, causing his boat to lose control and start swerving all over the place.
- Boss fight
When they return to town, their boat jumps the curve and crashes into the stage, bringing the whole thing down. With Octavio beat, Sly bargains with him, saying they will all ditch the cops together if he gives up his demolition switch. Despite spending 6 months to prepare the device, Octavio does not mind, stating he has more where it came from. Murray, who watched the incident from atop a building, comments on how cool the destruction was. Octavio shows him what cool really is and presses the demolition switch, which blows up a building on the outer edge of town. Octavio then approaches Bentley and knocks him out of his wheelchair. Sly asks Murray for his help as he has never seen anyone move that fast. Murray is still reluctant due to the promise he made to his Guru. Sly tells him the water will clear up any minute, and insists that they both of them take Octavio out. Bentley, slightly conscious, softly cries for help. Seeing him in pain is finally enough to break Murray out of his peaceful rut and draw the line. He even deliberately breaks the teeth on his necklace, proclaiming that he will use Octavio's spine as a floss. He jumps downs and gives Octavio a good punch, briefly knocking him unconscious.
Murray and Octavio engage in a fight. Octavio is too fast to be fought, unless the gang uses the tar to slow him down. Once half of Octavio's health is gone, the tar valves become empty and they must run to the police station to find another one. The fight then continues there. Murray finally knocks out Octavio, who then passes out. With the demolition switch in hand, Murray and Sly run back to get Bentley before the cops close in. Octavio is now defeated and the operation is a success.
The Getaway[]
Carmelita sits on top of a heavily-bruised Octavio.
With the fight over, Sly and Murray went back to help Bentley up. It was touch and go for a while, but they managed to sneak out right under Carmelita's nose.
Octavio is not so lucky on the other hand, as he gets 3 decades behind bars for sinking Venice's landmarks. He ironically finds success as a singer in jail. After all, most of his old fan base is already in the clink.
The gang's big score here was getting Murray back into the gang. Once he got on his mask and gloves, it was clear to everyone–most of all him–that "The Murray" has come back.[note 4]
Master Thief Challenges[]
| Challenge name | Description | Completed by |
|---|---|---|
| "Canal Chase - Expert Course" | Defeat the Blue Viper boats without taking significant damage. | Sly, Bentley |
| "Air Time" | Destroy all the tar reservoirs before time runs out. | Murray |
| "Tower Scramble" | Get to the top of the tower and knock the balloon free before time runs out. | Sly |
| "Coin Chase" | Collect 20 coins while keeping up with Octavio. | |
| "Speed Bombing" | Destroy the vacuum pumps before time runs out. | Bentley |
| "Octavio Canal Challenge" | Defeat Octavio in the Venice canals under time pressure. | Sly, Bentley |
| "Octavio's Last Stand" | Defeat Octavio before time runs out. | Murray |
| "Venice Treasure Hunt" | Using your Treasure Map, follow the clues to find the hidden loot. | Sly |
Trophies[]
PS3/PS Vita[]
| Image | Name | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Intimate Moments | Get close to Carmelita. |
|
Romantic boat ride | Complete the canal boat chase in Venice. |
|
Undercover Raccoon | Use a Sly disguise in Venice. |
|
Bentley Plumbing | Destroy pumps. |
|
Penny Pincher | Collect 500 coins. |
|
Coin Collector | Collect 1000 coins. |
|
Late Sleeper | Purchase the Alarm Clock on ThiefNet. |
|
Beat Down | Defeat Octavio. |
PS4/PS5[]
| Image | Name | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
|
The Muscle: Murray | Complete all jobs in this episode. |
|
Target Practice | As Carmelita, destroy 5 hanging signs in the Turf War job. |
|
Time to Cool Off | Defeat 3 guards with water traps. |
|
Slytly Awful Work | Fail to pass a guard with every disguise.[5] |
|
Let's Get Some Spaghetti | Complete all Master Thief Challenges in this episode. |
References[]
- ↑ Episode: The Cold Heart of Hate; Job: A Strange Reunion.
- ↑ Episode: Anatomy for Disaster; Job: Carmelita's Gunner.
- ↑ Episode: An Opera of Fear; Job: Octavio Snap.
- ↑ Episode: An Opera of Fear; Job: Canal Chase.
- ↑ Sly must unlock the Photographer & Pirate disguise to be able to earn this trophy.
Notes[]
- ↑ In the PS Vita version, when you enter the air vent, it will actually show Sly crawling through the vent to get inside instead of skipping to where he walks up to Dimitri's cell.
- ↑ Dimitri refers to the police as "politzia" when he yells for them, according to the subtitles. The actual Italian word for police is polizia, although Dimitri's misuse of the word may have been intentional.
- ↑ which is an actual landmark in Italy.
- ↑ Murray is always in his Dreamtime gear when this episode is revisited. That makes this the only episode in which he is never playable in his regular outfit.