Developer: Sony Platform: PSX Release: May 31, 1999. Genre: Adventure / Platformer Disks: 1 (407Mb)
Plot
Ape Escape starts off in The professor's laboratory, where he has been developing a time station for time traveling. But things go wrong when a simian he kept in his lab (Specter) gets ahold on one of his other inventions: the Peak Point Helmet.
The PP Helmet gives Specter an enormous intelligence, so the monkey proceeds and gives his fellow monkey companions some other helmets. Specter has an evil plan: use the time station to change the past so apes become the dominant race on the planet and humans their pets.
Fortunately for mankind, Spike and his friend Jake arrive just in time to prevent Planet of the apes from becoming true (nooooooooooo).
Gameplay and Design
Two things make Ape Escape different from any other platformer: the gameplay and how it uses the Dual Shock controller. To play this game you must have a dual shock controller (or a control with 2 analog sticks if you are playing the emulated version for PC).
The controls work like this: triangle, cross, square and circle is where your items are stored for quick access. So if you want to change to an item quickly, you just press one of those buttons (kind of like in Ocarina of time). With the left analog you move around and the movement with the right stick determines how we use our items. As those buttons are taken, we jump with R1.
We start with only two items. The Time Net which is like those nets cartoon use to catch butterflies, except when an ape is caught in it, it warps them back to the lab. The other item we get at the beginning is the Stun Clu, which is a club we use to soften the monkeys up a little to be able to caught them in case they are too aggressive and also to fend off regular enemies.
Now if for example we move the right stick from the left to the front, Spike will move his net in a curve movement from his left to the front. This adds a lot to gameplay because you can't just hit a button when near a monkey, but you need to see how to attack to do what you want to do.
Wax on, wax off Daniel-san
With the stun club for example if we make our stick go around in circles, spike will begin to turn around faster and faster with the clubs ticking out in some sort of whirlwind attack.
The character movement benefits also from the sticks. Depending on how much pressure we apply to the stick Spike will walk, sneak or run in that order. This becomes important, as monkeys will become aware of our presence if we don't sneak behind to catch them off guard with out Time Net.
Every gadget is unique and fits the crazy atmosphere that reigns in the game. We get slingshot, a sky flyer and even a Remote Control Toy Car among many other gadgets.
The slingshot for example is aimed in first person view and we pull the sling back with stick. The sky flyer must be turned around by making the stick go in circles to be able to hover a little to access new places and so on.
The other element I mentioned earlier was the gameplay. Ape Escape level design is very good and even though the game has some prehistoric elements from platformers (like collecting some items for points or to unlock new content) the monkey capturing and the puzzle solving are the main stars in Ape Escape. Each level can be completed in different ways depending on how we use our gadgets and that leaves a lot up to the player. Though sometimes there are mini levels introduced to try out a newly acquired gadget, usually levels give freedom to the character to reach the monkeys however he feels like.
The monkeys deserve a special paragraph as they are one of the best parts of the game. Each monkey has three different skills rated from one to five: Speed, Attack and Alert. Speed determines how fast a monkey will run when he sees us, Attack how aggressive he can get and Alert how soon he can become aware that we are coming from him.
This one could be caught using your bare hands
Using a monkey radar we can check this skill levels along with many other things: the monkey's name, his likes and dislikes and other kind of things. Sometimes the description has to do with something the monkey is doing and sometimes it's used in reference along with the name to famous characters.
So if for example we see a monkey with Attack 4, Alert 2 and Speed 5 we can run straight ahead to him, because he will fight us and even if we weaken him, he will run faster than us. So we must sneak. Depending on the stats, we see how we should proceed. Maybe not with the first monkeys but most definitely with the hardest ones.
If you are a graphic lunatic, then yeah, this game won't be good for you. But believe me, the gameplay and original design makes up for any graphic flaws it has. And the little cute monkeys too!
Even though the graphics are nothing spectacular, the game is full of details. From moving backgrounds according to the atmosphere (a meteor falling in the prehistoric levels) to the design of the platforms and our surroundings. The music is mostly J-Pop with some techno mixed in between, depending on the level, always along the wacky theme the game follows.
That's not very scary. More like a six-foot Turkey.
Mini-games
The big list of monkeys will keep you entertained for a while, even though you don't need to catch 'em all (like pokemanz) to win the game, I found myself doing so. The game also adds some mini-games that are unlocked after the collection of certain coins in the game.
The mini-games use fancy stick controls as well. The first one is a Ski game. Each stick represents one of our feet, so to turn me must move both sticks simultaneously to make a turn, sounds simple but it's hard. The game features 5 characters (Spike, Jake, Natalie, the Professor, and a monkey) and different racing tracks along with a tournament.
The second one is a boxing game. Each stick is one of your hands. By swinging the stick around we can perform hooks, a click on the stick is a jab and by pulling the sticks around we can block hits as well. Several characters also, winner advances, like super punch out.
10... 9... 8...
The third game is a space shooter where the left stick moves the ship around and the right stick controls the direction of our lasers. Power ups, and hordes of enemies swarming your way. The best mini game in my opinion.
Yay
Game design, gameplay and the controls.
Addictive.
The puzzles and the mini-games.
Nay
The graphics.
TeamLiquid CJ Entusman #1 (PM to become an Entusman) • Newest member: asl-ninja
boesthius United States. January 23 2009 18:50. Posts 3475
Man. I thought I was the only one who loved this game when I was younger.. This game is so awesome. Even today it's a total orgasm of fun. I recommend this game to everyone.
Yeah I remember playing this game with friends over a 3 day sleepover. So fun and a unique experience. Getting them all took forever though, probably longer than getting all the stars in Mario 64.
wat
imperfect Canada. January 24 2009 07:02. Posts 1037
For remember, that in the end, some are born to live, others born to die. I belong to those last, born to burn, born to cry. For I shall remain alone... forsaken.
IntoTheWow Argentina. January 23 2009 18:29. Posts 25192![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/logo10x7.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/pre_ape_2_med.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/12.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/pre_ape_1_med.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/rev_ape_3_med.jpg)
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