Ape Escape Academy

"NOT just for kids..."

Ape Academy.... monkeys with flashing hats, silly voices and bright visuals. At first glance, a kid's game. But wait, this is not what it seems.

There is little story to AA. It borrows the story from it's PSOne game, Ape Escape. Specter is a monkey who finds a hat and it makes him a genius. All apes are given these helmets, and they escape. In AA, the 'Ape Academy' is where all new monkeys learn their skills, before taking over the world.

Cue 50 minigames. These range from the mind stretching (monkey counting, quizzes) to frantic button bashing (monkey hockey). A lot are relaxing, a lot are quite frustrating, and you will only start to fully appreciate this game once you have unlocked a fair few of the minigames.

Progress is made in Academy Mode, where you are presented with a naughts and crosses grid. You then get hurled into the minigames by a frankly irritating bunch of characters, and you get one shot at each. Once a game is won, or lost, you get a naught or a cross respectively. If, at the end of all nine games you have the number of lines needed to pass, you do. If you don't you get one try at one game to try and get the needed line. The downside to this is that you can get the harder games in the first 'year' and have to slog trough them only to whizz through the next level. Random selection of games makes redoing years to get goodies interesting, but unpredictable. Also, despite the 'pick up and play' feel most people look for on the PSP, once you start a year in Academy mode, you get stuck with it until you finish, fail or pass. The good thing about AA is that once you have played a minigame, it is unlocked to have a bash at any time thereafter, allowing practice or just plain fun. On the minigames, some are genuis (mon quixote, hammer throw) while others are fun (monkey football, the quiz), but a few can be dull (maths quiz, spot the difference). Just play around, and favourites will be found.

The graphics you can't grumble at. They may be slightly cutesy, and very bright, but the animation is smooth, funny, and the first time you see a monkey sour through the air holding onto a ball three times his size, you will smile with amusement and glee.

Sound isn't as great. The voices of the tutor monkeys are grating, and terrible. Alot of the games lack alot of ambient sound, leaving the upbeat, repetitive music more heard. The music isn't as annoying though, and can help stimulate your reflexes in the faster games. The monkey's screeching is altogether good, and reminiscent of the PSOne game. Fans of it will who will get this just for the apes will not be disappointed on that count.

Overall, the game is, put simply, fun. At times annoying and frustrating, and the limitations of what is basically a minigame gallery can leave you wanting more depth, but essentially, this is the game for someone wanting a break from serious racers and not-very-cheery adventures. Monkey fans, minigame lovers, don't be afraid to pick this up.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/13/05