GAME CLEAR No. 94 -- Ape Escape

Ape Escape (1999, PlayStation)

Developer: Japan Studio
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Clear Version: 2022 PlayStation Network Release
Clear Platform: PS5
Clear Date: 6/18/22

This game was among the first classic titles Sony dropped as a part of their new PlayStation Plus collection. I didn’t feel like upgrading my subscription, so I just grabbed it separately to see how their PS1 offerings look scaled up on PS5.

I’m pleased to report that they look pretty good, and the trophies are a nice addition too. I wish Sony supported inserting original discs to download these versions like Xbox does, but I don’t have a physical copy of Ape Escape anyway, so that doesn’t really matter much in this instance.

Anyway, the game is swell. You gotta chase monkeys around and capture them to stop their antics. Then you capture the big bad monkey named Specter. The levels are pretty (by PS1 standards), the tunes are fun, and the platforming is decent. The actual combat/capturing of monkeys feels a bit clunky at times, but it’s functional. I think that’s mostly a byproduct of it being the first game to require the original DualShock controller. It has that sort of Wii-like feel where it seems like the devs felt like every action had to involve some annoying analog stick motion. I find that kind of jank charming, though. It’s fun to step back to a time when analog sticks (two of them!) were novel for console games.

My feeling is that this is a pretty decent way to play an old PlayStation 1 game. Much like Xbox’s up-rezzed/antialiased offerings on Xbox One and Series X|S consoles, it just looks a little better, and you can play it from the comfort of your fancy new console on your shiny HDTV. For 3D games especially, I generally find that to be a straight upgrade from the original experience. Glad to see Sony getting onboard, even if I unfortunately can’t take advantage of the fidelity improvements with my original copies.