The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lore & Background

In the world of Sly Cooper, the Metropolitan Museum of Art represents the kind of high-security, high-prestige target that the Thievius Raccoonus catalogues for the Cooper crew. The museum's collection spans centuries of art, and the specific piece Sly is tasked with stealing is a canvas of particular value to the villain of the campaign. The building's layout—grand entrance hall, long gallery wings, a sculpture court, and a restricted upper-level vault—creates a natural progression from open stealth to tight platforming as the heist deepens.

The museum's security is a mix of patrolling guards, timed laser grids over display cases, and alarm-triggered response teams. Sly must use his mask to distract guards, his grapple to reach upper catwalks, and his quick, silent movement to cross marble floors without tripping pressure sensors. Bentley provides gadget support from a concealed vantage point, while Murray's presence in the crowd adds a layer of comedic misdirection.

The level's design philosophy mirrors the franchise's broader approach: the museum is not merely a corridor to the target but a space to explore. Hidden alcoves behind tapestries, a service corridor beneath the sculpture court, and a rooftop garden accessible via the building's eastern wing all contain collectible gears and hidden bonuses for players who look beyond the main path.

In Their Own Story

The evening rain had just stopped when Sly pressed his mask against the cold glass of the museum's east window. Inside, the grand hall glowed amber under a hundred recessed lights, each painting framed in gold like a small sun. He could hear the soft shuffle of a guard's shoes on marble, the distant hum of climate control keeping the canvases at a perfect fifty-five degrees.

"Bentley, I need a grapple anchor on the chandelier," Sly whispered into the comm. "Already mapped it. You've got a clean line from the second-floor balcony to the vault corridor. Just don't swing through the glass case in the Impressionist wing. I don't want to explain a shattered Monet to anyone." Sly grinned, rolled his shoulders, and slipped through the window. The marble was cold under his paws. Somewhere three wings deep, the target waited behind two inches of bulletproof glass, and the whole museum was holding its breath.

Reader's Guide

The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens with a sweeping grand entrance hall: polished marble floors, a central staircase, and long gallery wings stretching left and right. Guards patrol in slow, predictable loops, and the first stretch of the level is a straightforward stealth crossing—time your sprints between patrols and use the mask to pull a guard's attention off your path.

The main challenge shifts to verticality. A series of glass display cases, pedestals, and a large central sculpture form a platforming route up to a second-floor catwalk. The grapple is essential here: anchor to the chandelier above the hall to swing across a gap, then drop onto a row of tall vases that serve as stepping stones. A timed laser grid sweeps the Impressionist wing; you must cross during its off-cycle or risk triggering an alarm that floods the corridor with additional guards.

Collectibles are tucked into the museum's architecture: a cluster of gears sits behind a tapestry in the sculpture court, another is reachable only by grapple from the rooftop garden above the eastern wing, and a hidden bonus room opens behind a false panel in the service corridor beneath the main floor. The final stretch leads to the restricted vault, where the target painting sits under a single spotlight. Steal it, and the alarm blares—now it's a full sprint back through the galleries with guards in pursuit, Bentley calling out alternate routes as you go.

Did You Know?

• The museum level's indoor setting and vertical platforming design set it apart from the franchise's more common open-city and jungle stages, making the marble floors and glass cases a defining visual identity for the sta
• Bentley's gadget support is a recurring element in Sly Cooper heist levels, and in museum settings his vantage point is typically a concealed alcove or service room rather than an open rooftop.
• The Thievius Raccoonus, the in-universe book that lists heist targets, is the narrative device that justifies why Sly is stealing from a public institution like a museum rather than a private collection.
• Sly's mask-throwing mechanic, introduced in the first game, is particularly useful in enclosed museum spaces where a single well-placed throw can redirect a guard down a long, narrow gallery corridor.