The Golden Idol (Thieves in Time)

Lore & Background

In Thieves in Time, Clockwerk has seized control of a time machine and is systematically raiding history's greatest treasures, hoarding them in his ever-expanding collection. The Golden Idol is one such artifact—a prized piece of ancient craftsmanship that Clockwerk's agents have lifted from its original setting. For the Thieves' Guild, recovering it is both a professional obligation and a chance to prove that the Coopers can outmaneuver a foe who literally controls the flow of time.

The mission's location is steeped in the aesthetic of a bygone era, with ornate architecture, guarded courtyards, and layered vertical spaces that reward careful observation. Clockwerk's clockwork soldiers patrol the area in predictable loops, but their mechanical nature means they can be distracted, lured, or temporarily disabled using the crew's standard toolkit of smoke bombs, batarangs, and gadget-based interference.

Completing The Golden Idol is part of a larger arc in which the crew must recover multiple stolen treasures across different time periods to destabilize Clockwerk's temporal hold. Each recovered artifact weakens his grip on the timeline, making the heist not just a job but a step toward restoring history to its proper order.

In Their Own Story

The time machine shuddered to a halt, gears clicking in a rhythm that felt almost like a heartbeat. Sly adjusted his mask, peering through the viewport at the golden spires catching the low sun. Bentley was already at the console, fingers dancing over dials. "Alright, boss. We're in. Clockwerk's got a whole battalion of clockwork goons on the lower level, and the idol's in the vault at the top."

Murray grunted from the back seat. "So we go in, we get the shiny thing, we come out. Simple."

Carmelita, already pulling on her gloves, shot him a look. "Murray, it's never simple."

Sly smiled. "She's right. But it's never impossible either."

He hopped out onto the warm stone, the air thick with dust and the faint tick of distant mechanisms. The vault was three levels up. The idol was waiting. And Clockwerk, somewhere in the shadows of the timeline, was counting on them to fail.

Reader's Guide

Target: The Golden Idol, held in a vaulted chamber at the upper level of the mission area. The crew must navigate through patrolled lower and mid-levels to reach it.

Obstacles: Clockwork soldiers patrol in set routes across corridors and open courtyards. Their mechanical nature makes them susceptible to distraction (throwable objects, gadget noise) and to being temporarily stunned. Vertical traversal—grapple points, ledge climbs, and platforming gaps—separates the lower approach from the vault entrance. Some sections require Bentley's gadgets to disable barriers or open paths.

Story placement: The Golden Idol sits within the broader arc of recovering stolen treasures from multiple time periods. Completing it advances the crew's progress against Clockwerk's temporal hold and contributes to unlocking later, more complex missions.

What makes it memorable: The layered vertical design rewards players who explore side corridors and hidden alcoves rather than simply following the main path. Collectible gears and stars are tucked into optional routes, and a few hidden interactions (distracting a guard to reveal a shortcut, or using a gadget on a specific object) open alternate approaches that reduce the number of enemies encountered on the main route.

Tips: Scout patrol patterns before committing to a path. Murray's grappling hook is essential for vertical sections. Bentley's gadgets can disable certain obstacles that block the direct route to the vault. If you take a hit and lose a star, the checkpoint system lets you retry without losing all progress, but a clean run is more efficient.

Did You Know?

• Thieves in Time was developed by Sanzaru Games, the same studio behind the earlier Sly Cooper titles, marking a return to the franchise's original development team after a long gap between entries.
• The game's time-travel premise allows the crew to operate across multiple historical and futuristic settings, making each mission feel like a distinct heist in a different era.
• Carmelita Fox, originally an antagonist in the first Sly Cooper game, has evolved into a full member of the Thieves' Guild crew by the time of Thieves in Time.
• The PlayStation Vita version of Thieves in Time includes additional content not available on the PlayStation 3 release, including bonus levels and exclusive gadgets.