I say this lightly and with complete respect, but nuts to Mario64. Ape Escape was Sony’s swan song in the addictive platformer genre. In the meh shadow of Croc, Gex 2, and 40 Winks, Ape Escape managed to figure out replayability, good controls, and camera.

Ape Escape is not about destroying baddies and finding the exit, but tasks the gamer with finding 200 rogue apes through time. Spike must use his platforming skills and trusty gadgets to capture the apes, while keeping the fabric of time in order. Each level tells you to collect X number of apes, and then you can move to the next level. Some apes are just standing around, while others are riding dinosaurs, inside UFOs, or hiding in bushes. This also utilizes stealth as Spike must make sure not to alert the monkeys before capturing them. Seriously, an alerted ape is such a pain to catch.

Spike receives fun toys that make it necessary to catch new apes. A swimming apparatus that shoots nets, magnet boots, and ape radar. Revisiting the levels to get the hidden apes is crucial to getting the final ending, where you face off against Specter.

What sets this above most platformers is the replay and multiplayer layers of the game. Sony introduced dual-analog stick gameplay in Ape Escape, adding a level of creativity, while players can also face off against friends in mini-games like boxing and racing.

This game was made for PS1 and a port was made for PSP. Several sequels and spin-offs came out after this, but this franchise is another PlayStation exclusive that never made it past the late 2000s. Sad.

Learn about one of GoldenEye’s most annoying mission and how it relates to our spiritual life: https://thecheckpointdevo.blog/2025/04/01/the-checkpoint-goldeneye-007-and-escorting-loved-ones/