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"The best PSX platformer ever! Would I lie to you?"

Finally the good 'ol Playstation is getting it's answers for some of the 64's biggest bragging rights. Crash Team Racing showed Mario Kart 64 how it's done, Syphon Filter has been likened to the greatness that is Goldeneye, and now Playstation owners have a great platforming title of their own to challenge Mario 64, it goes by the name of Ape Escape.

The graphics of Ape Escape are far and away the best found in a PSX platformer (even beating out the extremely good looking Crash Bandicoot: Warped), they’re bright colourful and very appealing to the eye. Thankfully the mistake of making the graphics TOO childish and cute, which has happened quite a few times in various other games, has been tastefully avoided in this case.
Technical-wise the graphics are pretty good, there is a fair amount of clipping (stand next to a wall and enter first person mode and you can see right through it) but apart from that there aren’t any noticeable flaws. There isn’t any pop-up to be found and the disappearing point ensures the player a good view of the surroundings, the graphics utilise the power of the Playstation to it’s fullest.
The backgrounds themselves are full of details, they really set the various scenes well and help the time travel theme along nicely. Whether you’re running through a level full of lush, prehistoric greenery or a dark, dank and spooky castle the graphics always represent the time frame well without being too serious. There isn’t a platformer on this console with surroundings that match the standards and details set by this one.
The characters show a fair amount of detail, but at the same time they suffer from a small amount of blockiness, there isn’t enough to deter a player from enjoying the graphics but it is there. The developers have done their best to make the monkeys look very cute and cheeky (just as all monkeys should) and you’ll be in hysterics every time you see one run away with a gob-smacked look on it’s face. The lead character isn’t as memorable as he should have been and because of this the monkeys steal the show, he has a nice amount of animations and they’re executed almost perfectly, if only he looked more like a mascot should.
Overall, the graphics of Ape Escape were a great technical feat. They seem more fitted to the Nintendo 64 but somehow the developers have pulled this off nicely. There are few flaws to be found and as a complete package Ape Escape is very aesthetically pleasing.

The sound is also very polished, each level has it’s own separate tune that is played in the background and from the large number of them only one or two have been poorly done. Even long time listening won’t diminish the enjoyment you get from listening to each of the themes. The majority of the songs are bright, peppy tunes that really perk up a player, this style of music complements the graphics in a big way and adds a lot to the whole atmosphere of Ape Escape.
There’s a large collection of wacky (and otherwise) sound effects located inside this game. They’re never out of place and work beautifully with the on-screen action, the monkeys sound pretty realistic and do an awful lot of screeching as you pursue them, this (and many other sound effects) adds a huge amount to the mayhem going on around you.
The biggest problem to be found with the audio is the voice acting, in the ways of corniness it’s equal even to Resident Evil. There’s a ridiculous pause between each line which kills any chance of listening in on a decent conversation and the delivery of the lines by the characters is even worse than (INSERT FUNNY COMPARISM HERE). You’ll be laughing very hard at the stupid things that they say and the stupid way that they say them.
Overall, Ape Escape wouldn’t be the same without the sound. The atmosphere is improved in leaps and bounds when you’ve got the music pumped up. Otherwise catching the cute little monkeys just wouldn’t be the same.

The gameplay couples originality with depth to make a fantastic time for everyone that plays the game. Being the first game to require a dual-shock it was always going to be a unique game, and thankfully for those that didn’t own one, the game was certainly good enough to warrant the expenditure.
The controls are certainly different from any PSX game before it. In Ape Escape the directional buttons control the cameras only, the four action buttons are used to assign your inventions to and the sticks of course control the movement of the hero. It seems like you have to push five buttons at the same time when you first play the game, but as time progresses you become more comfortable with this unusual set-up and playing the game seems like second nature, don’t expect to be a champion from the start though.
As you enter each level you’re given a certain amount of monkeys to catch (there’s always more than enough as you’ll have to come back later for some), all you then have to do is go in there with your net and track the little blighters down. But of course there’s more to do in each level, there are a number of “Specter Coins” in each level, finding a certain amount will unlock the three mini-games which are also a lot of fun and add to the overall enjoyment of Ape Escape.
Ape Escape certainly wouldn’t be the same without the collection of gadgets assigned to you, you get such beauties as the Remote Controlled Car, the Magic Punch and the Sky Flier. As you get each one you have to complete a practice level with it (a great way of getting acquainted with the devices) before returning to the main game. Quite a few of the gadgets (especially the little car) are a lot of fun to use and make catching monkeys just that little bit better.
The mini-games just ooze ingeniousness and really show how much time and effort was spent on the making of this game, there’s three of them, each fun to play and good to waste some time on.
- Ski Kidz Racing: In this game you choose one of the characters and race around a series of progressively difficult races. Each analog stick controls its corresponding ski, pushing them forward makes your character move.
- Specter Boxing: You choose a monkey and fight a series of battles with other boxing monkeys to determine the champion. Each stick controls the corresponding arm of the monkey. This one has the most depth because of the huge number of monkeys to unlock in the game.
- The third game is in the style of asteroids, you have to blow wave after wave of monkeys, pigs and spaceships away. The left stick moves your ship around and the right sends artillery flying in whichever direction it’s pushed.
There’s quite a few bosses to be found in this game (mainly giant robots of course), each one provides a good challenge and are a good climax to many of the levels. Some of the techniques for beating them do get repetitive but taking them on is still a bit of good fun.
Overall, the gameplay of Ape Escape retains the classic style of platforming whilst adding in quite a few unique features of it’s own, this game blends the combination of the two perfectly. It’s obvious that a lot of effort went into Ape Escape and all that hard work has certainly paid off, this game plays like a dream.

The lifespan of Ape Escape is positively huge, there’s so much to see and do during the course of the game. First you have to go through the large number of levels a first time and fight Specter at the end, once this task has been completed the levels have to be played through a second or third time to capture the remaining monkeys and Specter Coins strewn across them, THEN BEAT SPECTER AGAIN. You’ll then notice that you’re only at 85 percent in regards to progress and have to play through all the levels and get gold medals in them all. Couple all of this with the mini-games and a person will be playing Ape Escape for a very long time.

There is a huge fun factor to be found in this game. Running around after cheeky little monkeys will give players a surprisingly good and entertaining time. Some platformers fall into the trap of just basic running and jumping (and usually way too much falling) which can frustrate a lot of players, but Ape Escape luckily differs away from all of that and gives a much more rounded and enjoyable game t all that play it. But still, there are very few things that beat the thrill of chasing after primates with a club that looks decidedly like a light-sabre and a huge net.

Ape Escape offers a surprisingly good challenge to everyone that plays it. The graphics can deceive players into thinking they’re in for a soft, easy game, this belief will soon be shattered, as some situations can be quite difficult to figure out. There isn’t anything that can’t be worked out with a bit of extra playtime, but Ape Escape is certainly no walk in the park.

Overall, Ape Escape comes out a big winner, not only because it offers the unique control system never seen before in the Playstation. But because it offers some of the finest platforming moments (not to mention great depth in the gameplay area) you’ll ever experience and is a certainty to give all players one helluva’ good time.
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GOOD POINTS
- Fantastic audio/video components
- Gameplay full of originality and depth
- One of the coolest nemesis’ you’ll ever encounter in a platformer
- Is there anyone on Earth who doesn’t love cute, little monkeys?

NOT SO GOOD POINTS
- The control system will give some people trouble for a while
- Catching the monkeys can be a very trying experience, they can prove very agile and hard to net
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GRAPHICS – 9/10
SOUND – 9/10
GAMEPLAY – 10/10
LIFESPAN – 10/10
FUN FACTOR – 10/10
CHALLENGE – 9/10
OVERALL – 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/10/00, Updated 06/10/00