Today's DualSense controller owes much to the original DualShock. While Nintendo and Sega placed single analog sticks onto their controllers, Sony's offering (itself an evolution of their Analog Joystick and Dual Analog controllers) offered two sticks and built-in vibration features. These now-standard features would be widely supported across many PlayStation games, but most games would not require the controller. But Sony's Japan Studio set out to make a title taking advantage of the dual analog sticks for innovative gameplay, cresting the first game to require the DualShock controller: Ape Escape.
Ape Escape places you in the role of Spike, a boy caught up in an Ape uprising. Specter, a monkey from the amusement park, has gotten his hands on a Peak Point Helmet, an invention that boosts his brain power - and his desire to conquer the world. He and his fellow apes have commandeered the professor's time machine to try and rewrite history, and it's up to Spike to travel through numerous eras and catch those mischievous monkeys.
Modern 3D platformers typically use the left analog stick for movement and the right analog stick to control the camera. Ape Escape takes a different approach. Camera adjustments are done via the directional pad and a camera re-center button. Instead, right stick is used to control the various gadgets you use on your quest, and you select these tools by assigning them to the face buttons. Need to catch a monkey with your Time Net? Tilt the stick in the direction of the monkey. Swinging your stun club? Tilt the stick, or spin it around for a spinning attack. Charging up your Sky Flyer or Super Hoop? Spin that stick. Have an RC Car to drive around? Move yourself with one stick and the RC Car with the other. This dual analog control extends to other aspects as well, from the occasional vehicle segment to the three unlockable mini games.
Even as someone who played the Ape Escape games as a kid, these controls took time to get used to again. Jumping initially felt very awkward (a combo of getting used to pressing a shoulder button and it being a little slow), and I wasn't getting the best view of my surroundings. Each gadget also required a bit of learning to get used to, something the game facilitates with its mandatory training rooms. In truth, I never got used to those vehicle sections, even as I improved. But as I played more, the rest clicked. While I wouldn't always get the perfect camera angle (mostly down to early 3D cameras more than the camera input), camera control on the move was as simple as pressing the re-center button to get my bearings and using the first person look if I wanted a specific angle. Jumping became easier to pull off, especially with the Sky Flyer gadget. And speaking of those gadgets - you get a fun selection to play with! Some are focused on catching monkeys or attacking enemies while others are focused on movement or puzzle solving. You have a solid balance of new abilities being introduced every few levels, and levels would have a good mix of level specific hazards and gadget specific sections (new and old).
Your main goal is to capture a specific number of apes each level. These simian sensations are a combination of enemy and collectible, fighting your attempts to capture them with various means. Banana peels, rapid swings, laser guns, missile packs, UFOs, all sorts of stuff. Sure, you can run upto an early monkey and catch them with a swing of the Stun Club followed by your Time Net, but you can often get better results by sneaking up on a monkey or using a specific gadget to stun or reach them. While Ape Escape does feature more traditional enemies to fight, the 204 apes you can capture are the highlight, making for a fun spin on the collectathon platformer that was so common in the era. And if collecting monkeys ain't enough for you, there are also 60 Specter Coins hidden throughout the game (collect at least 40 of them to unlock all three mini games).
When you capture the required amount of apes, it's onto the next level, and you'll steadily progress through the game's 19 main areas and two bonus races against your hypnotized best friend. That's all it takes to roll the credits, but if you want to take down Specter once and for all, you'll need to catch every single monkey in the game. While you can clear some levels as soon as they are available, others require the use of gadgets from later levels, including a gadget that unlocks in the postgame. Luckily, going back through levels with a fully decked out Spike ended up being pretty fun. You have all sorts of new tools at your disposal to nab even simple apes, and the postgame gadget excels at combat (dealing double damage and having more range than the stun club), exploration (opening new areas or shortcuts in existing areas), and monkey catching (the extra range makes stunning them a lot easier). And if you really want to go above and beyond, there are optional time trials to get that 100% rating on your file.
Ape Escape definitely feels of its era, in both good and bad ways. We have some really charming 3D art, but we also have a pretty short draw distance. We have a delightful DnB/electronic soundtrack by Soichi Terada, but we also have some not so great voice acting in the U.S. dub. The control scheme is creative and innovative, but it isn't the modern standard and it definitely takes getting used to. But this is an adventure worth getting used to and one I recommend to any 3D platfomer fan who doesn't mind a little PS1 novelty and jank.
Ape Escape places you in the role of Spike, a boy caught up in an Ape uprising. Specter, a monkey from the amusement park, has gotten his hands on a Peak Point Helmet, an invention that boosts his brain power - and his desire to conquer the world. He and his fellow apes have commandeered the professor's time machine to try and rewrite history, and it's up to Spike to travel through numerous eras and catch those mischievous monkeys.
Modern 3D platformers typically use the left analog stick for movement and the right analog stick to control the camera. Ape Escape takes a different approach. Camera adjustments are done via the directional pad and a camera re-center button. Instead, right stick is used to control the various gadgets you use on your quest, and you select these tools by assigning them to the face buttons. Need to catch a monkey with your Time Net? Tilt the stick in the direction of the monkey. Swinging your stun club? Tilt the stick, or spin it around for a spinning attack. Charging up your Sky Flyer or Super Hoop? Spin that stick. Have an RC Car to drive around? Move yourself with one stick and the RC Car with the other. This dual analog control extends to other aspects as well, from the occasional vehicle segment to the three unlockable mini games.
Even as someone who played the Ape Escape games as a kid, these controls took time to get used to again. Jumping initially felt very awkward (a combo of getting used to pressing a shoulder button and it being a little slow), and I wasn't getting the best view of my surroundings. Each gadget also required a bit of learning to get used to, something the game facilitates with its mandatory training rooms. In truth, I never got used to those vehicle sections, even as I improved. But as I played more, the rest clicked. While I wouldn't always get the perfect camera angle (mostly down to early 3D cameras more than the camera input), camera control on the move was as simple as pressing the re-center button to get my bearings and using the first person look if I wanted a specific angle. Jumping became easier to pull off, especially with the Sky Flyer gadget. And speaking of those gadgets - you get a fun selection to play with! Some are focused on catching monkeys or attacking enemies while others are focused on movement or puzzle solving. You have a solid balance of new abilities being introduced every few levels, and levels would have a good mix of level specific hazards and gadget specific sections (new and old).
Your main goal is to capture a specific number of apes each level. These simian sensations are a combination of enemy and collectible, fighting your attempts to capture them with various means. Banana peels, rapid swings, laser guns, missile packs, UFOs, all sorts of stuff. Sure, you can run upto an early monkey and catch them with a swing of the Stun Club followed by your Time Net, but you can often get better results by sneaking up on a monkey or using a specific gadget to stun or reach them. While Ape Escape does feature more traditional enemies to fight, the 204 apes you can capture are the highlight, making for a fun spin on the collectathon platformer that was so common in the era. And if collecting monkeys ain't enough for you, there are also 60 Specter Coins hidden throughout the game (collect at least 40 of them to unlock all three mini games).
When you capture the required amount of apes, it's onto the next level, and you'll steadily progress through the game's 19 main areas and two bonus races against your hypnotized best friend. That's all it takes to roll the credits, but if you want to take down Specter once and for all, you'll need to catch every single monkey in the game. While you can clear some levels as soon as they are available, others require the use of gadgets from later levels, including a gadget that unlocks in the postgame. Luckily, going back through levels with a fully decked out Spike ended up being pretty fun. You have all sorts of new tools at your disposal to nab even simple apes, and the postgame gadget excels at combat (dealing double damage and having more range than the stun club), exploration (opening new areas or shortcuts in existing areas), and monkey catching (the extra range makes stunning them a lot easier). And if you really want to go above and beyond, there are optional time trials to get that 100% rating on your file.
Ape Escape definitely feels of its era, in both good and bad ways. We have some really charming 3D art, but we also have a pretty short draw distance. We have a delightful DnB/electronic soundtrack by Soichi Terada, but we also have some not so great voice acting in the U.S. dub. The control scheme is creative and innovative, but it isn't the modern standard and it definitely takes getting used to. But this is an adventure worth getting used to and one I recommend to any 3D platfomer fan who doesn't mind a little PS1 novelty and jank.
Hours played: 5
Gameplay: The camera movement was atrocious in Ape Escape. Blocks your view constantly and doesn't pivot quick enough. It made navigation difficult, especially on tight walkways. Falling off ledges was a common occurrence. The character movement is kinda slow. I enjoyed hunting down monkey initially. Exploration just wasn't that fun and getting knocked over constantly by enemies and apes became tedious and annoying. Having to switch which gadgets were active was also tedious. Too many instances where you only use them once in a level.
Music and visuals
The music was fine and not notably good or bad. Visually I enjoyed the saturated colors and streamlined world design. I think I big problem was that each area didn’t feel distinct enough and lacked character. This game could really use a remaster. I think if the visuals were improved with more particle effects, better textures, more detail in general, I would have enjoyed exploration more. There’s a fine line though because too much detail can become distracting and overwhelming.
The Minigames
I only played the skiing and boxing mini games. Both are unwieldy and irritating. They could be fun with a friend though.
I had to abandon this one because of the gameplay issues. Platforming movement is slow and doesn’t feel good, the gadgets are annoying to keep swapping in and out, the apes are irritating to capture, and the camera keeps getting in the way.
Gameplay: The camera movement was atrocious in Ape Escape. Blocks your view constantly and doesn't pivot quick enough. It made navigation difficult, especially on tight walkways. Falling off ledges was a common occurrence. The character movement is kinda slow. I enjoyed hunting down monkey initially. Exploration just wasn't that fun and getting knocked over constantly by enemies and apes became tedious and annoying. Having to switch which gadgets were active was also tedious. Too many instances where you only use them once in a level.
Music and visuals
The music was fine and not notably good or bad. Visually I enjoyed the saturated colors and streamlined world design. I think I big problem was that each area didn’t feel distinct enough and lacked character. This game could really use a remaster. I think if the visuals were improved with more particle effects, better textures, more detail in general, I would have enjoyed exploration more. There’s a fine line though because too much detail can become distracting and overwhelming.
The Minigames
I only played the skiing and boxing mini games. Both are unwieldy and irritating. They could be fun with a friend though.
I had to abandon this one because of the gameplay issues. Platforming movement is slow and doesn’t feel good, the gadgets are annoying to keep swapping in and out, the apes are irritating to capture, and the camera keeps getting in the way.
Story of my life actually