Ape Escape Review

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Taking full advantage of the dual analog sticks on the PlayStation, Ape Escape was released in 1999. Developed by Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, Ape Escape, would become one of the best franchises in the early era of PlayStation. Apes have escaped the circus and are powered with helmets that have cranked up their IQ, they’ve traveled back in time to change the future. It’s up to Spike to catch all the monkeys and return them to their correct era. We’re here to catch every single monkey in this Ape Escape review!

Ape Escape Plot:

Curse these damn dirty apes!

The Professor who is a local genius inventor has created a helmet that increases the IQ of the one who wears it. Somehow, this helmet has wound up in the hands of a white monkey in the circus named Spectre who puts it on and instantly becomes a “genius”. Not wanting to be a circus monkey anymore for people to stare at, Spectre frees himself and then mass produces similar helmets (although not as strong) and frees all the other apes from the circus.

Spectre comes for the Professor and ties him up along with his assistant and jumps in a time-traveling machine along with his ape army. He intends to have his apes travel throughout the past and change history making apes the dominant race and enslaving humans. The apes hide throughout time and begin trying to change the future.

Spike and Jake, who are kids and friends with the Professor head to his lab to see his new invention. When they see the Professor tied up, they realize something is wrong. The Professor explains the situation and enlists their help to go back in time and round up all the monkeys to be returned to their proper time.

At some point shortly after this, Spectre gets to Jake and brainwashes him into being on his side. Jake becomes Spike’s rival and tries to prevent him from stopping Spectre’s grand scheme. After Spike catches all the monkeys and defeats, Jake, he faces off with Spectre. Once he locates Spectre, the two of them battle with Spike capturing Spectre.

Spectre is returned to the Zoo and his helmet removed while Jake returns to his senses. All is back to normal and the monkeys are back in their rightful place. The closing moments have Jake and Spike racing each other to the Professor’s lab to see his newest invention.

Ape Escape Gameplay:

I’ve reviewed some games from my childhood that I loved dearly as a kid only to replay them and learn that they weren’t very good. I do my best to avoid nostalgia goggles when critically reviewing video games. Ape Escape is one game that was my favorite PS1 game as a kid, and I’m happy to say it holds up in this Ape Escape review for a variety of valid reasons.

First, the very nature of the gameplay is extremely addicting. As Spike, you will travel through different time eras all wonderfully designed with era-specific scenery and environments. Each level will have a required number of monkeys to catch as you explore. The first few levels require 3 to 5 monkeys to complete the level whereas the later levels might require 15. Each level will have more monkeys to catch than is required, which means you’ll be revisiting levels once you get new gadgets to further unlock or investigate areas.

You’ll start off in the prehistoric area filled with jungles and dinosaurs and work your way through time before landing in the present day. The final hub is a huge circus area with a variety of levels. Once you beat that section, the final level is a monster castle where Spectre resides. The difficulty ramps up with each era as there are more environmental hazards along with stronger monkeys that come equipped with weapons, extreme speed, or are just hidden very well.

To help Spike catch all the monkeys, you’ll be gifted gadgets from the Professor. These gadgets are implemented extremely well and control perfectly with dual analog sticks. Here are the gadgets and their effects:

Stun Club – Swing it to stun the monkeys or knock them down.
Time Net – Hit the monkey with it and you’ll catch them.
Hoola Hoop – Spin it around to gain extreme speed or knock monkeys down.
R.C. Car – Control it to access small areas for switches or run into monkeys with it.
Monkey Radar – It will direct you toward monkeys with a signal.
Water Net – Used to catch monkeys underwater.
Slingshot – Used to hit monkeys or switches, has three different types of ammo.
Sky Flyer – Spin it around to extend jumps or float up in the air.
Magic Punch – A boxing glove on a spring that breaks open boxes or stuns monkeys.

As you unlock each gadget, the professor will transport you to a tutorial training course for the gadget for you to master it. This is extremely helpful as it teaches you the proper ways to use the new gadgets before continuing your journey. Gadgets range from combat purposes to accessing new areas, or a bit of both.

Catching monkeys is the name of the game, and there is a ton to catch! A total of 204 monkeys are on the loose in Ape Escape. They all have different traits based on the color of their pants with some being extremely aggressive with weapons, or quick at running away. One of my favorite aspects was filling up the Monkey Book where you can look at in-between levels and read silly facts about the monkeys you’ve caught. It helped fuel the addicting factor and made the Monkey Book a trophy case for me to look at and see my hauls.

There are plenty of things to do besides catching monkeys which I did in my Ape Escape review. You can unlock mini-games to play by finding Spectre Coins at each level. These large coins are typically hidden or require a bit of thinking to get to.

Once you have a certain number of Spectre Coins, you can play a variety of mini-games including Monkey Skiing, which I never quite mastered, Monkey Boxing, which is very challenging but extremely fun, and a Monkey UFO game similar to old space arcade games. The boxing mini-game was one I spent hours on as a kid that required me to thrust the analog sticks up and down strategically.

Aside from the mini-games, the main game is broken up by challenges from Jake, Spike’s rival. You’ll race him in obstacle courses which are tons of fun and require the master use of some of your gadgets. The inclusion of the mini-games and obstacle courses really add to the experience of Ape Escape.

As you make your way through time and capture more monkeys, the difficulty curve will ramp up. You have a cookie meter that acts as health. If you get hit, you lose a cookie. I believe you can take five hits before it’s game over but there are always cookie jars throughout levels that spew infinite cookies when you find them. The real challenge in the later levels is the platforming. Timed jumps can be tricky and you’ll automatically lose a life if you fall off into the abyss. Making your way up Spectre’s Castle can be very difficult.

Once you have enough monkeys, you can face off against Spectre in a one-on-one fight. You can defeat him but he’ll escape. The credits will roll but you’ll have the option to keep playing. If you go back and capture every monkey in every stage, it will open up a new fight against Spectre where you can capture him for good which is the true ending.

During this entire journey is an incredible soundtrack of techno. It fits perfectly into the atmosphere as some levels have chill vibes, while others are frenetic and fast-paced as you think about the encounter you will soon face against Spectre. Sound effects are just as good as each enemy squeaks or make a noise when you hit them. Each gadget has unique elements, like pulling back on the slingshot you can hear the ropes tightening with the resistance. It’s all very well done.

Memories:
I have so many memories of playing Ape Escape as a kid. It’s my favorite PS1 game of all time. It was simple enough for me to understand and master, but addicting in nature. I already loved collecting monsters because of the Pokemon series that was at the height of its popularity and catching monkeys was just as satisfying as going through each level and hunting them down one by one.

My dad and I used to shoot his rifle on my uncle’s farm every now and then. I’d draw targets up and we’d shoot at them. A few times I drew big pictures of the monkeys from Ape Escape. The monkeys were always on my mind.

Aside from the main game, I spent hours playing Monkey Boxing. It was so much fun and I mastered it after playing it obsessively. I wouldn’t have the time today to play it but as a kid, I had all the time in the world. There were many Summer days that I spent playing Ape Escape and the game represents some of my most innocent childhood times. Life was great back then when all I had to worry about was what gadget to use to catch that monkey.

I didn’t beat the game as a kid. I caught all the monkeys except one. He was locked in a box that required the boxing glove and for some reason, I never put it together to use it on him. Eventually, I lost interest and put the game away for years. It wasn’t until I was in college when I randomly fired it up and played through it that I properly caught every monkey and defeated Spectre for the first time. A few months ago, I beat the game again in its entirety. It was just as good as I remember it and whenever I hear that music it takes me back to my childhood and that’s something that I can’t put a price on.

Ape Escape Review Score:

The best platformer on the original PlayStation. Its innovative controls with the dual analog sticks, masterful soundtrack, and addicting nature of catching ape after ape in a time-traveling quest are nothing other than a masterpiece. Ape Escape is timeless, and you’ll spend hours exploring and seeking out the naughty monkeys. This isn’t just a game to have in your library, it’s one you need to fully experience. Catch every monkey in the game, trust me, it’s worth it.

Ape Escape scores a perfect 10 out of 10.

What would you write in your Ape Escape review? What was the first game that you used dual analog sticks on? Do you have a favorite level in Ape Escape? What monkey was the toughest to catch? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Ape Escape. I’d love to read them.