Ape Escape 3

"Okay, Who Flung Poo?"

Recent studies have shown that anyone who isn't entertained by monkeys is a soulless monster. Now, those studies haven't been done by world-renowned universities (actually, it was independent research done by… me), I think we can all agree monkeys are funny. Some might even say cute, though I can't classify anything that flings its own feces at others as “cute”. Regardless of what you call them, one wonders why more games don't feature monkeys as central characters. While that might be one of the universes great mysteries, Ape Escape is always there to fill the monkey shaped void in your life.

Ape Escape's story is as hilariously asinine as only something from Japan can be. Those silly simians are at it again, and are being led by a super-intelligent super-villain ape known as Spectre. Spectre's dastardly plan for world domination involves taking over the television networks and airing ape-only programming. While the idea of monkey TV sounds like a winner, it has the inadvertent effect of turning anyone who watches it into a mindless couch-bound idiot. But really, how is that any worse than reality TV?

Before beginning the game, players must choose between Kei and Yumi, who basically only differ in gender and the visual appearance of their morphs (which I'll discuss later). Both characters and their morphs have all the same abilities so the choice largely comes down to which character model the player prefers.

Ape Escape is a deceptively simple game. In fact, its entire premise can easily be summed up by saying “You catch monkeys”. What makes it special is the variety and lunacy of the situations the player encounters, as well as the gear used to tackle said situations.

Both characters start the game with a bare-bones kit; just a net and a stun club, which looks a bit like a stubby lightsaber. The name “stun club” is actually a bit misleading, as it is used for destroying enemies rather than stunning monkeys (who usually just get angry when hit by it). As the game progresses, Kei and Yumi will get access to more tools such as a monkey radar, which detects nearby monkeys, a RC car which can be used to prod monkeys out of hiding places and to hit switches, a slingshot and several other nifty gadgets.

These tools and weapons will be put to the test throughout the game as the monkeys aren't defenseless, nor are they stupid. They're generally very quick and can out maneuver the player, as well as being able to dodge the net as easily as a fly dodges a swatter. Most of them will even resort to attacking the player if they're harassed long enough and some even carry Uzis! The most dangerous are able to attack and make the character drop his or her weapon, then pick it up and use it. If they can get their hands on the net, they can even catch you, which results in a game over.

Both characters also have a unique power, called morphing. Each character has a total of seven morphs, each of which has their own abilities and ways of catching monkeys. These morphs often play a role in navigating the environments, such as the ninja, who can wall run, run across a tightrope and perform a gliding jump. The Genie Dancer morph summons a genie who can jump into certain vases and come out in another area, allowing him to hit switches. He also has the power to induce a dancing frenzy among monkeys which allows the player to catch them without a hassle. The big catch to morphing is that it is a limited power. Each character has a morph meter that slowly fills up over time and once filled allows a thirty second morph. This morph can be extended to a nearly indefinite period by picking up morph energy that drops from broken objects or enemies, but once the meter runs out the character reverts to normal form.

The unique twist to the game is that it is mostly analog control. The face buttons are used for tool hotkeys, the left analog is for movement and the right analog is for using a tool. For instance, with the club or net pushing the stick in a direction will cause the character to swing the weapon. With the RC car, the right stick controls it, and with the radar turning the stick causes the radar to pivot. While it certainly makes for a unique gameplay experience, it sometimes causes problems when trying to hit an object as it can be hard to line up the two objects.

In some levels, players will come across vehicles such as a giant robot, a rowboat and a go-cart. While the go-kart is easy to handle, the other two have some truly esoteric controls that take longer to learn and get comfortable with than the actual gameplay sequences that require them. For instance, when piloting robot instead of just pushing forward to move forward you have to push both analog sticks forward. Jumping requires pushing the analogs towards each other and turning involves pushing one stick forward and the other back. The rowboat is definitely the worst of the lot, as moving forward requires rotating both sticks at the same speed, or else the boat will start to turn. As the player gets used to these overly complicated controls, most of the nuisances associated with them start to dissipate. However, this analog control scheme inadvertently exacerbates one the games truly annoying problems.

Like a great many platformers, Ape Escape 3 has camera troubles. It is seemingly incapable of following behind the character and will just hover lazily in one area and slowly swivel or try to follow. With the onscreen action usually being frantic and chaotic, this becomes a consistent problem. And since the analog sticks are used for character control, that means the player has almost no control on the camera which means it's pretty much allowed to do as it pleases. There is a button that centers the camera behind the character, but that's only a momentary fix as it will drift away again as soon as you start moving.

Level design is probably the highpoint of the game as most of them are build around some sort of theme. Most of these levels end up being very satirical in nature and poke fun at nearly every Hollywood genre and cliche. There is a level that parodies horror movies, called “Monday the 13th” and contains areas that reference Jason Voorhees, the Exorcist and a hilarious segment that has the player sneaking through a hallway and into a bathroom in a spoof of the classic movie Psycho. Another is a western parody entitled “A Fist Full of Bananas”, which has all the elements of an old spaghetti western, just with monkeys as the cowboys and outlaws. There are plenty of other zany pop-culture references to be had, some of them subtle, others not so much such as a monkey in a telephone booth that suddenly bursts from the top dressed in Superman attire.

There is one small aggravation in regards to design. Each level has a total number of monkeys and a set number that must be caught to complete the level. Instead of allowing players to catch all the monkeys in one go-through the game kicks the player out of the level when they reach the set number. This forces players to work their way through the entire level once again to get every monkey in it, which feels like a cheap and unnecessary way of squeezing a few extra minutes of playtime out of the game.

Ape Escape's visuals reflect its lighthearted, whimsical atmosphere. They overly colorful, anime inspired graphics are very cartoonish and like other games that have chosen a similar visual style, such as Jak and Ratchet and Clank, they have held up remarkably well. The monkey designs are also hilarious, as in one early level that has a monkey dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and another in a wolf costume. Another has a monkey in a crab costume waddling around a beach. The audio isn't on the same level of quality though. Music is grating in the way only upbeat Japanese kiddy pop can be and the voice actors sound like they were cast for a Saturday morning cartoon.

THE VERDICT
Despite all the extra mechanics layered into Ape Escape 3, it is still basically a game about catching monkeys in a net. Even so, its cotton-candy visuals and general hilarity make it easy to recommend for both kids and adults. In fact, adults will probably get more enjoyment out of the game due to its many pop-culture references. Overall, it's a very funny and simple game that almost anybody can get into.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/22/09

Game Release: Ape Escape 3 (US, 01/17/06)