Retro Review: Ape Escape (PSN)

No ape can escape!

 

 Ape Escape was a fun little platformer by Japan Studio that recently went defunct, but its legacy of creating cult PlayStation classics like Gravity Rush, Siren, and Loco Roco still lives on. It follows the misadventures of a bunch of escaped monkeys that are planning on taking over the world, which already sounds pretty crazy. Ape Escape was one of the earliest games on PlayStation to require use of the dual analog stick controller back in 1999, which became the standard today. I've been subscribed to the PlayStation Plus service and the game caught my eye being a fan of charming platformers, so I decided to give it a look. How does it hold up?

 The game begins when a silver ape called Specter comes across a high-tech helmet that turns him super intelligent and evil. He then frees all the apes from Monkey Park and trashes the old professor's lab to activate his time machine, which sends Specter and his apes back time to enslave mankind. As hero Spike, you must journey through time to catch all apes and thwart Specter's plans. It was a wacky-but-entertaining story and oddly enough, I grew to like Specter and the apes a lot since their antics grew on me.

The apes are going bananas.

 Ape Escape is a 3D platformer where you play as Spike as you must collect hidden apes scattered in each level. You start off with a net and a stun club to catch the wacky apes. As you advance through levels, you'll unlock new gadgets that you'll need to use to better your chances of catching apes. The likes include a slingshot, scanner that pin points their locations, hula hoop that gives you a burst of speed, a propeller that lifts you to higher platforms, and RC car that helps gets inside tight areas to activate buttons and scare the apes.

Clunky-ness aside, the gameplay is neat.

 

 Level selection is plentiful given that you're going through time as you get to explore prehistory, the ice age, medieval times, and modern day. A memorable one was exploring a dinosaur's insides in the prehistoric era... which was weirdly filled with apes and hostile enemies. Some apes will be temporary be out-of-reach until you get a later gadget, where you can replay the stage and collect the remaining ones. The gameplay was fun, albeit repetitive since you'll be doing the exact same thing in every level. I still found the variety in levels and gadgets to be very involving.

 The controls were awkward at first since the jump button is mapped to the R1 button and the dual analog segments that have you using both sticks to row a boat and control a tank were be clunky at times. However, it's the camera that was the worst part as while you can adjust it, it will still move automatically and obscure your view, which led to apes spotting me and escaping and platforming becoming a chore. 

The game's diverse levels and gadgets were standouts.

 It took around eight hours to beat and the game doesn't overstay its welcome. There are bonus mini-games to play by finding Specter Coins hidden in levels and they include the likes of a boxing, skiing, and shoot em up games that make use of the analog sticks. Additionally, catching all 204 apes unlocks a secret boss fight and true ending for the game, so replay-value was rewarding. The PSN version of the game adds save states, a rewind feature, resolution adjustments, and screen filters to give the game a modernized touch as well. 

 No surprise, Ape Escape is an ancient game. Still, it has aged rather well for a 25-year-old PS1 game thanks to the charming artstyle, goofy ape designs, and cheerful backgrounds. The PSN version of Ape Escape runs well with high resolution textures and smooth frame-rate to boot. The voice-work is a product of the 90's with awkward dialogue and below-average performances. Thankfully, the soundtrack is fantastic. Filled with upbeat and catchy tracks, each level had a neat track that stuck with me. My favorites were the Title Screen, Time Station, Primordial Ooze, Molten Lava, Dark Ruins, Frosty Retreat, TV Tower, and Credits themes.

The presentation is packed with charm.

 Ape Escape was a great game that wasn't short on fun-factor and variety. Yeah, it's aged in many regards mainly with the annoying camera, but it remains one of the more interesting PS1 games I've played. Full of colorful levels and plenty of unusual apes, it's a must-play for platformer fans.