Ape Escape

[gleaming rover]

Discussion for Ape Escape!

[spiral nymph]

quick question, do you count Ape Escape completion as hitting credits? or do you need to capture Specter and get the true ending

this game was actually my childhood so I am more than ready to blast through it again

[livid echo]

I’m going to guess credits

[zealous nexus]

probably credits. but i could see myself getting the true ending if the game is fun enough!

[candid magnet]

I never played this game as a kid. Time to see what the hype is about

[candid magnet]

Also: RGB30 or RP3+? If it runs well on the RGB30 and is D-pad-centric I'll probably do that. If it doesn't run well on the RGB30 or is more stick-heavy, than RP3+ with the beefygrip it is

[dawn socket]

Ape Escape was one of the few games that Sony used to market the DualShock back in the day. The game would be really hard to play without sticks I believe

[undone herald]

The game "requires" you to have a dualshock controller plugged in, so you'll have to rebind the dpad to stick controls

[finite mantle]

This game is known for stick use.

[candid magnet]

Ok, good to know

I'm not a fan of the sticks on either of those devices, but between the two, a grip makes it more tolerable on the RP3+

(or maybe I should just play it on PC. hmm)

[spiral hare]

Double stick ugh

Swimming is so bad in this game

[rain rapids]

Ps or psp?

[glacial echo]

PS1 or PSX is it?

How many stages? I just passed the first one. I think my Odin Lite would be very much useful this month

[spiral hare]

How does this game work on psp. I thought whole idea was using both sticks

I beat the first 3 levels. So far very basic game play. Maybe it will get better

[rain rapids]

The listing says it’s psx and psp but maybe it’s just a mistake then

[vast phoenix]

there's a psp port

[spiral hare]

How does it work? Just use buttons for action like any other game? This game uses all the buttons. Might look at the psp to see how it is.

[vast phoenix]

I only played the first couple levels on it and then gave up because I was getting motion sick

X is jump

triangle is sword and circle is net. just pressing those buttons does the action. rather than using those buttons to switch to the gadget and then having to activate with right stick.

[glacial echo]

I just found out there is PSP port

But dual analog how?

[vast phoenix]

^this is how the psp port works. specifically ape escape only uses right analog to activate a gadget. it's a glorified button. you obviously lose that button in the psp version so you have fewer gadgets you can have at your disposal. I don't know how that will affect the late game but in the early levels you can't even select 4 gadgets yet.

[violet nymph]

Sounds like dpad down layout of RG Cube will be great for the PS1 version 🙂

[spiral hare]

I might try the psp port. Using the right sick for actions and buttons just to change from sword to net is very tedious

Sounds like the psp port will work better

[fossil hill]

Man, I was certain I had played this game before. Bought it maybe 20 years ago. But no, that wacky ass intro.. guess I never did

[pine drum]

On PSP you couldn't swing the net 365 so how do you do ? You only get to swing in front ?

Playing PSX, duckstation has a 16:9 code. This will be fun as a stage a day kind of game

[rain rapids]

I will do the same since I can’t get the psx version to work properly . It’s telling me I need a DualShock or something .

[pulsar crypt]

Wait which psp game is the same ?

[muted saffron]

Ape Escape On The Loose

[pulsar crypt]

Ah I’ll see if I have that. Duckstation keeps crashing on the Odin

Okay this is much better

[pine drum]

the very point of the game was to showcase the dualshock controller

so you need to set the controller type to dualshock

also the reason why i don't see how PSP can work though

[finite mantle]

Oh no, the Apes have Escaped! Didn't see that part coming 🐒

[rain rapids]

Yeah I tried that . It didn’t work.

[rain rapids]

I am reading reviews and it looks like the psp version doesn’t work very good .

I’ll keep trying to make the ps version work I guess

[pine drum]

What are you using ? Duckstation works like a charm as usual

[livid echo]

I just rememberthe demo for air escape ava played the crap out of it

[wary osprey]

Spoilers! Jeez, some people.

[rain rapids]

Duck station on rp4p. I probably messed up the configurations as usual

[timid ocean]

Koudelka spoiled me, it hurts listening to the voice acting starting here

[vast phoenix]

I just got the radar and now right stick for using gadgets makes a little more sense

[dull pecan]

Any mods or essential patches for the PS1 version? Hope to start this weekend!

[vast phoenix]

aaand the row boat is just as frustrating as real row boat

[dusky cairn]

It's worse, I'm decent at controlling the real thing.

[dusky cairn]

I wonder why Bong-Bong is so paranoid...

[trim vortex]

So is the consensus that the ps1 version is better than the psp version?

[vale fable]

https://tenor.com/view/r4ymo-rayvvs-gif-23691401

[dusky cairn]

Everything I've read about the two points to the PSP version being more annoying to control.

[spiral hare]

These monkeys get guns? Just isn't fair.

[spiral hare]

I got through the first 3 levels on both and am choosing to play the PS1 version.

[spiral hare]

Row boat. Nah, I will just swim.

So to 100% this you have to play the levels again after getting new gadgets?

[timid ocean]

As far as I know, yes

[spiral hare]

Plus if it's your frist time playing the level it auto exits you once you meet the quota.

Wait you can low crawl in this game. I missed that.

[pulsar crypt]

I’m liking psp version more mostly because I was having issues with duck station

[vast phoenix]

I'm starting to get a hang of the controls. if you are on a device with cardinal snapping, best of luck to you.

[spiral hare]

Playing on my RPmini and controls are great. 556 I might break the handheld

sling back shooter lets go

[dusky cairn]

I appreciate when a game will let me lay in the fetal position

[spiral hare]

I am going to try to get to New Freezeland today. Then back to Yakuza 0.

[half apex]

I hated this so bad. Is this a reoccurring thing

[humble mirage]

Were the excellent reviews for this game just reviewers being blown away by a controller with two (2) analog sticks

[humble mirage]

Also sick breakcore soundtrack

[spiral hare]

It also kind of fun.

[humble mirage]

Very hard to get used to these controls

Imagine if this became the norm for dual analog controls

[vast phoenix]

that must've been part of it. like, "instead of mash X to row a boat, you actually turn the joystick as if you were rotating the oar!" but it does get more fun/easier. if you die, you don't lose any of your captured monkeys so it isn't punishing.

[spiral hare]

got to world 3 that is good for today

I read it is easy for new commers and hard if you want to 100% it

[humble mirage]

That's what I'm talking about

Not trying to 100% it, just trying to catch some apes

[half apex]

This game rules. I solve a puzzle, a monke pops a cap in my ass.

[fossil hill]

@rain rapids could have been better for sure. Jump could have been a face button maybe and maybe r1 held down plus the stick could have always been a net no matter what. Makes more sense than what they have

[vast phoenix]

do you have to beat jake in the race?

well I beat him 3rd try

[craggy torrent]

Occasionally the controls are so bad it makes the game really unfun to try and play (row boat) or annoying to catch certain apes (rocket assholes), but thats rare. Most of the time this game is just really boring.

[finite mantle]

This is not easy. Jake seems to gain speed on a jump.

[vast phoenix]

he wasn't that challenging in the end. I burned my ass twice and still beat him. just take the corners tighter than he does.

[pearl finch]

trying this out, and neigher of my sticks are working.. anyone else have that issue?

[rain rapids]

Not sure if it’s the same issue but I had a similar problem . You need to set the controller to dualshock.

[pearl finch]

oh that could totally be it, is that in retroarch?

[rain rapids]

I am using duck station standalone but there has to be the same thing in retro arch

[pearl finch]

hm, I did find it, but that unfortunately didn't seem to change anything in game

[rain rapids]

Yeah it was the same for me actually . I had to use the automatic remap function after .

Basically setting it to dual shock controller is not enough , you have to map the buttons either automatically or manually .

Or both. I did automatic but I had to set manually the right stick I think

[pearl finch]

ok, it still wasn't working for me with the remapping, but I also tried duckstation standalone and its working there, so I'll just stick to that, haha. thanks for the help!

[pearl finch]

Ok this game is pretty great, its a vibe

[remote hound]

Does the remake on psp count ?

[spiral hare]

Those timed bridges were killing me in 4-2

[spiral hare]

5-1 and calling it a night.Ice levels might need a whole day

[remote hound]

Started playing this version. Cosy game cos of no timer. Are there any levels that have a timer component?

[lethal stratus]

SPOIKE! AH NHEW GADJEHT IS COMPLE'ED!

Inb4 I completely wreck the sticks on every device I have playing Monkey Boxing until the 11th hour

[craggy monolith]

Can also confirm good performance on Odin 2 Duckstation, 5x upscale

[rain rapids]

Yes but reviews say that it’s not as good

[dusky cairn]

If the raft gets on your nerves on the psx version apparently the PSP controls are simply tilt the left stick where you want the raft to go. So that's one improvement over the OG

[pearl finch]

this dragon thing feels like jabu jabu, haha

this has to be based off jabu jabu, right? haha it looks so similar

[vast phoenix]

I didn’t find the raft that bad tbh. I think people’s experience is going to depend a lot on whether their device has good sticks. Vita and switch sticks are going to feel worse

[pulsar crypt]

I’m on the 4th world on the psp one and digging it

[finite mantle]

The ape capture seems to have taken a back seat to platforming. The game is trying to be too many things right now.

[pearl finch]

I mean the fact that it just ends when you catch enough apes helps it feel more focused on that

[trim vortex]

I’m jumping to the psp game since I can play it on native hardware and that appeals to me.

[alpine dragon]

Started the ps1 original on my rp4p, how did I never play this before...

I'm having a blast, two worlds in

[trim vortex]

So the plot so far is basically the same as that episode of Futurama with Gunther the monkey?

https://tenor.com/view/guenter-futurama-heart-gif-5791691032050760117

[craggy torrent]

Every boss in this game would have been improved if they had only required 3 hits.

[spiral hare]

At world 5 it starts to be a real issue

[finite mantle]

I stopped paying attention to what color pants the monkeys had and just started chasing them with the net.

The last level is just bananas.

[zealous nexus]

https://tenor.com/view/skeptical-futurama-fry-hmmm-i-got-my-eyes-on-you-gif-17101711

[gleaming rover]

Loved it. Definitely going back for the 100%.

[spiral hare]

I am so bad with the flying thing

[pearl finch]

I really like it, it makes me feel way more mobile

[finite mantle]

It gets rid of fall damage anyway.

[pearl finch]

I felt bad getting ||the two in their ice house just sitting at the table, lol. they even had the little picture of the two of them on the shelf||

[dense cradle]

So looks like there are 20 stages. I did 3 in like 10 minutes. Must be a lot shorter than I expected

[pearl finch]

Yeah, if you’re not going for a higher percentage, it definitely seems like less than 7 hours

[spiral hare]

The later stages are a lot bigger.

I say it’s 5 hour game unless you go back to 100%

[lethal stratus]

Have you played before or first time?

[candid magnet]

tfw I'm going to have to rebind my menu key combo because it's L3+R3 and this game wants me to use those to catch monkeys underwater 😦

[dense cradle]

That's why Duckstation is best. Can use the touchscreen for menu stuff. Super convenient

Beat world 3. Loving it. Haven't really played this since I was a kid

Levels feel very unequal. Some are really short, then the next one is really long

Even the minigames seem enjoyable. Only have skiing so far, but it's actually interesting. Super tough to get first place even on the easy map. Maybe because handheld analogs are so small and hard to get skis lined up for the boost

[candid magnet]

Oh god what am I doing in the jungle level

The radar just directs me towards monkeys I can't catch

[gleaming rover]

First time

[finite mantle]

Is there an advantage to playing the mini games?

[rain rapids]

Yeah they were determined to use each and every button of the dual shock controller lol.

[rain rapids]

Just ignore them , there are plenty other monkeys you can catch .

Take the access to other areas of the level

[candid magnet]

I tried but I'm still not getting to six monkeys

[lethal stratus]

That's crazy! I thought for sure you would have.

I'm glad you liked it, ape escape is amazing, not a lot like it and everything from the vibe to music is awesome.

[rain rapids]

Keep exploring . My guess is that there is an area in which you didn’t go

A map would be useful …

[finite mantle]

The radar directs to other screens if there are no monkeys. If L2 doesn't see the monkey, but the radar finds one, they are on a different section of the level and the radar is the direction to that section. Really nice feature.

[remote hound]

Is psp version controls better than psx?

[dense cradle]

Almost to the end. Got to the ||fake showdown with Specter in the castle. Feeling a bit too long now. Was thinking of going for 100%, but maybe not with how long some of the stages are||

[finite mantle]

Felt like taking a break after credits. The last level takes a long time .....

[rain rapids]

According to the reviews they are worse than, since psp doesn’t have two joysticks

[forest pumice]

No. That’s the big complaint about the psp port

Can you control the camera with the right stick on the psx version? Not being able to move and control the camera on the psp one is annoying

[vast phoenix]

I now realize gadget on right stick is somewhat important because you can control the direction you swing the sword/net independent of how your character or camera is facing.

Maybe a good remapping would be L2/R2 to dpad left/right so you can control camera with triggers.

R2 is just an extraneous jump. L2 goes into first person mode but that seems fine on dpad.

I’ve mostly been tapping L repeatedly to recenter camera though.

[finite mantle]

Exactly, I missed by a hair so many times. An anbernic with cardinal snapping would be really rough for his one.

[timid ocean]

Having trouble with the controls on my Odin 2, right stick up isn't swinging the item

All the other directions work, but straight up does nothing

I messed up my duckstation binding, working fine now

[timid ocean]

I'm digging the dual stick control scheme actually, takes a bit to get used to but the freedom you get is really impressive

[dense cradle]

It just really sucks for camera controls

And while it was a nice idea to try, it's just not very practical. A better way to do the controls is just standard movement and camera on sticks. Face button activates the item, and if you want to spin, just hold the button and rotate left analog. Spinning locks you in place anyway

[forest pumice]

This is why I got out of gaming during this generation. All of these psx-era 3d platformers have awful camera controls

The games themselves are usually fine. But I spend half my time fighting the camera and it kills my enjoyment of the game

[timid ocean]

Camera is not good, but it's at least interesting for a game, and all PSX cameras stink anyways

[forest pumice]

Chase ape, chase ape, chase ape, stop, move camera, repeat

[dense cradle]

There are no apes in this game. How are you chasing apes?

[remote hound]

I think I’m going to switch to psx version and see if it’s any better. PSP version makes the camera limiting

[vast phoenix]

Anyone know if the sequels keep the same control scheme?

[wary osprey]

Weird, I have tons of slowdowns on RP3+ with Duckstation. Need to fiddle around in the settings to see if I've managed to turn something on/off I wasn't supposed to.

[forest pumice]

Is this some statement about whether or not these are apes or monkeys? Because I don’t think these have tails

[trim vortex]

Platforming is excruciating. Spent 20 minutes trying to jump from a platform to two vines but the game kept not doing the double jump. Finally did it but damn.

[spiral hare]

7-2 kicked my ass. The jump and then fly breaks my brain. Just can’t spin the stick that fast.

[outer vapor]

I beat the first world last night. Game looks pretty great with upscaling. I enjoyed world one quite a bit. Hopefully it stays fun. I can see it getting frustrating.

[rain rapids]

Yeah sometimes the double jump doesn’t work . I wonder if there is a reason or it’s just broken

[finite mantle]

Is it timing? Had the same issue. It seemed to work if I was timing it on the way up.

[vast phoenix]

Yeah the second jump needs to come early.

[spiral hare]

Double jump is just press jump fast twice

[pearl cloak]

The controls in this are weird as hell for my old brain

[dense cradle]

https://www.britannica.com/animal/Barbary-macaque

They're referred to as monkeys in-game. The Japanese title is about monkeys. English title calls them apes because they liked the wordplay

[half apex]

I keep thinking I’m on the last level

https://tenor.com/view/just-when-i-thought-i-was-out-they-pull-me-back-in-michael-corleone-al-pacino-the-godfather-gif-19249100

|| “Got you Specter!”
“Nah fam I’m leaving.”
“Okay that’s also fine.” ||

[atomic ferry]

Made it to Snowy Mammoth. Save says I’m 20%

[dusky cairn]

Even with all the || specter fake outs || the last level snuck up on me. I'll probably be coming back to this one to get the real ending before the month is out!

[finite mantle]

I rolled credits at a bit over 50%.

[bitter condor]

Just tried out Ape Escape tonight and holy cow, this is the most demanding PS1 game to emulate that I've ever seen! I actually had to shut off enhanced resolution on my RG40XX H to get it to run full speed since it kept slowing down whenever I caught a monkey XD

Weirder still, when I tried it on the RG556 in DuckStation at 2x resolution with geometry correction turned on I was actually getting slowdown during the cutscenes until I changed the backend to Vulkan. I've never had to mess with the backend for a PS1 game before lol

[dense cradle]

This final stage never ends ..

[timid ocean]

PSX platformers and having final stages that never end is like peanut butter and jelly

[bitter condor]

I'm only on the 4th level where you get the ||radar|| and I'm already stuck and thinking about playing something else XD

[remote hound]

This game reminds me of SM64 in that it starts cozy at first, but as you progress the levels become harder / frustrating.

[wary osprey]

Dunno what it was, but I just redid all the settings and now it runs smooth with 3x upscale and widescreen hack.

(I'm still on the fence if I should use widescreen hacks or go og aspect ratio + CRT filter on PS1 games)

[vagrant zodiac]

Played a couple of levels of this the other day and didn't think I'd bother with it, but picked it up again last night and I've been drawn into catching apes now.

I do feel like I'm constantly fighting with the camera angle though. I'm pressing L1 a lot.

[bitter condor]

I've been having a weird experience where if I try using the handheld's built in controls (both on the RG40XX H and RG556) the camera behaves itself fairly well and stays mostly behind the character, but if I try plugging in a wired 8BitDo SN30 Pro or connect a wireless Bluetooth SN30 Pro the camera spins around the character constantly and keeps adjusting the view to the character's front. It's effing weird and frustrating.

[vagrant zodiac]

Oh interesting - I've only used the handheld controls and I would say it's definitely MISbehaving. I'll forgive it this shortcoming though and keep catching apes for now.

[finite mantle]

There are specific sections where the camera is coded to go to a specific location on the map and provide a specific angle. Fell off many a cliff this way. Not sure if that is the issue here, just something to look out for.

[glacial echo]

Played the wrong version, EU. No cheevos for me

[hollow yoke]

Got things set up on my RGB30, time to escape some apes

[forest pumice]

https://tenor.com/view/do-it-again-freddy-crane-frasier-give-it-another-try-have-another-go-gif-17151671759946674455

[pearl finch]

Just learned there’s a playstation move version of the game, that’s pretty epic

[outer vapor]

The controls in this one are kind of slippery. I’m enjoying it enough, but it’s not my favorite. I also missed one of the easier monkeys in 2-2 somewhere. Got the one in the are the mailbox warned me I shouldn’t do yet.

https://tenor.com/view/honey-badger-dont-care-give-a-shit-dont-give-a-shit-gif-20925077

[outer vapor]

Maybe I won’t clear all of ape escape. Getting kind of worn out on it. Finished the ice world. Is that like half way?

[spiral hare]

Got to the crumbling castle last night. Goin have just bare down to beat the rest of this. Last couple of levels look huge.

[dense cradle]

You'd think it is, but the latter stages are super long. Maybe 40%

[outer vapor]

I just got there. || do I really have to catch all 20 monkeys?!||

[outer vapor]

Ughhh.

[spiral hare]

I think so. I just don't like how it change to heavy platforming

[outer vapor]

|| no, you don’t. I missed 2. I know where one of them was. Not the last one. Sneaky buggers. ||

[spiral hare]

You can just go to the end? Do you need to get any?

Only need five monkeys nice

[finite mantle]

I did like 16.

[dense cradle]

Same as me. Guessing the one you didn't get was the one at the bottom of the lift with the big fan? Tried everything I could think of to get that one. No idea how you disable the fan if that's what you need to do. Maybe I missed a room somewhere...

[forest pumice]

I got to dex. I have one monkey left in the half pipe room and I can’t get it to come down

[outer vapor]

I’m not sure what that one is. || there is one if you jump off the wall to the right of the final door at the top of the tower. I didn’t want to do it and backtrack all the way back to the door. ||

[dense cradle]

Just one outside the castle? I found that one before I went in. Maybe the fan one is a later level

Also, something should have made a shortcut from outside the castle to the top. Can't remember what did that

[outer vapor]

|| yeah, it’s outside, but didn’t look accessible accept for that jump. ||

[outer vapor]

Alright, these barrels on city park are the worst

[outer vapor]

The last few levels of this game. Making me thinking it’s worse than egg and musashi.

[dense cradle]

My least favorite was the tank controls

[outer vapor]

The tank controls are the least of my complaints right now. Other than using l3 and r3 for fire. Should have been shoulder buttons.

Made it to tv tower. Hoping I’m almost done.

What are these glowing things for?

[dense cradle]

After you beat the game, you get the last weapon. Pretty sure you use that to break those and there's a monkey inside

[outer vapor]

I think the raft was worse than the tank, honestly.

[dense cradle]

Controls were worse then, but the raft was used so little and not much actual challenge whereas you're supposed to maneuver the tank on a tiny road

[trim vortex]

Just finished the snow stages on the PSP version and having a lot of fun with it so far. All the talk of the latter stages on here is making me anxious about what’s to come though.

[finite mantle]

It's just more platforming than ape catching. Gets a bit tiresome.

[rain rapids]

Can’t be worse than that Tail Concerto game that we had last November right ?

[finite mantle]

They do have a roller coaster ride that helps mix things up. The carnival level is interesting at least. Then the last level gets a bit repetitive.

It's maybe a difficulty thing too. The apes in the last level were mostly heavily armed. After going through some tough platforming, it made the level more of a chore. I ended up save stating and going in with just the net like a commando. The other option would be to radar them all and try to sneak up on them. That's not possible in all cases and in some they have UFOs that can easily defeat the player if they had better aim.

Thankfully, the UFOs have storm trooper aim. I tended to get hurt less if I stayed still. Which has to be done to aim the slingshot.

[remote hound]

I am still in the early levels (planet 2 or 3) but the UFO apes - how you supposed to catch them?

[wary osprey]

I just jumped and whacked them with the lightsaber until their ufo broke.

Then I caught the monkey as they were still stunned from the crash, giving them more to ptsd about.

[finite mantle]

Slingshot can take them down. This is where the different types of ammo comes in handy.

[forest pumice]

I tried to catch them before they got in. And if I failed I left (so that another area loads) and came back to reset them

(Because at that point I hadn’t realized I could reach them and didn’t have the slingshot yet)

[valid cypress]

trying this for the first time, so far it's fun, although takes a bit to get used to the controls

I still fall down many times because I jump with X

[outer vapor]

https://tenor.com/view/take-it-back-arnold-schwarzeegger-angry-gif-14193165

Tail concerto was great. 😆

[rain rapids]

We were talking of bad platforming so…

[outer vapor]

Realizing I can quit the stages and save at any time is helpful. I thought I had to get it all done in one go.

[half apex]

It looks like Specter is wearing a thong on his head

I saw it and now you all have to

[outer vapor]

Seeing as this section starts with an extra life, feels like the devs are saying

yeah, this is a dick move. Sorry. Just keep trying.

[forest pumice]

I discovered this when I got annoyed and quit a level. I went back later in the day and was surprised it picked up where I left off

[outer vapor]

It doesn’t work on the last level though, unfortunately. I discovered.

[forest pumice]

Good thing I’m nowhere near there yet

[outer vapor]

Well, you can leave and save freely up until ||you enter specter’s castle.|| I had to redo a large chunk of the last section again so I could get my hardcore achievement. lol.

Welp, I’m off to play ratchet and clank now.

[forest pumice]

I should be further along but I got distracted by yakuza 0 today. I figured I should decide if I liked it enough to get the bundle while it’s still on sale

[trim vortex]

Just finished the second race with Jake. The PSP analog nub does not make for a good time on those narrow ledges.

[rain rapids]

I hate when they do that . And they did it a lot in that era.

[rain rapids]

Is there really no way to not have inverted aiming ?

[outer vapor]

No. There is no setting for it. As I remember, almost everything had reverse aim until halo came along.

[glacial echo]

Done, it's a good game, unfortunately I missed my cheevos taking the wrong rom

[rain rapids]

Oh really , that’s bad news

I don’t know if I can play a whole game with reverse aim tbh

[livid echo]

This is why I still play inverted when playing FPS

[outer vapor]

Yep. Halo changed everything. I used to go change my setting all the time, but it became too much effort at halo parties and I adapted and conformed. I do still play a lot of flight sims and such too, so I’m kind ambidextrous I guess

[fossil hill]

Oh, is that why I can only play inverse on consoles? (I've been around since Atari). I thought that's just how I worked but maybe that was my only option for a decade+

[vast phoenix]

made it past wabi sabi wall. despite falling a bunch of times, I enjoyed the platforming so hopefully I don't mind the end of the game as much as others.

[muted saffron]

Just got to Sushi Temple. This game is longer than I expected tbh.

Crawling is OP lol.

[vast phoenix]

I never really use crawl. I just run at the monkeys.

dark souls vibes in the castle

[muted saffron]

If I see an ape in the distance, I just crawl at 'em and it works almost every time.

[vast phoenix]

do you have to capture every monkey in the castle?

[outer vapor]

Not yet. I think you only really need to catch 5?

[finite mantle]

No, I did about 16 tho

[trim vortex]

7-1 was surprisingly easy. On to 7-2.

[dawn socket]

First time playing this game and I’m enjoying it a lot. I definitely will go back for the 100% at some point. Not right now though I just need that completion 😂

[rain rapids]

Anybody understands how the completion percentage works ? Last save it showed 9% and now it’s back to 1% lol

[pine drum]

They escaped again

[wary osprey]

I just found about the little monkey profiles in the save station.

They're a great read.

[livid echo]

Just finished ratchet and clank, how’s everyone enjoying this game so far?

[wary osprey]

It's different to say at least.

[outer vapor]

Overall enjoyable. Last few long levels are bit frustrating.

[livid echo]

Well it looks a lot more brighter than ratchet and clank

[outer vapor]

Oh for sure.

[dawn socket]

It’s different but I find it very fun. Some parts are annoying but that’s just 90s platformers really lol

[fossil hill]

Remember how games were a bit odd because development costs weren't bad and discs were $1 to make so you got a lot of goofy Japanese stuff on PS? It's one of those. I think it's fun

[gentle totem]

bout to hop in to this

[rain rapids]

The more I play it the more I like it

[livid echo]

I keep on wanting to move the camera with the right stick but have to remember to use the D-pad

[gentle totem]

yeah this game sure does have controls lol

[rain rapids]

Just entered world 5 and I am finally used to the camera . I rarely use the dpad, just press l every few seconds

[trim vortex]

Finished world 7. So far not so bad but the stages are definitely an order of magnitude more complex. Kinda dreading what world 8 brings.

[rain rapids]

8 being last ?

[remote hound]

I am here as well. Its not too bad overall, but from the messages on this chat - looks like the difficulty and frustrations ramps up now till end

[outer vapor]

7 is the worst, I think. 8 actually is a bit more reasonable again, I think.

[vast phoenix]

I didn't find world 7 that bad. it's long but the levels are mostly linear. I didn't think the platforming was any worse than anything else from that era.

[vale fable]

I think the real ape escape was the Harambe we made along the way

[remote hound]

What does everyone think about the dnb music that plays in background on levels. I’m really enjoying it and miss that era of games that loved their garage / dnb mixes. 99 to 2002

[vale fable]

me, only half paying attention "THIS GAME HAS DAVE MATTHEWS BAND IN IT?"

[remote hound]

Made it to 7-1. Leaving it there for the evening will look to tackle tomorrow

[atomic ferry]

Just made it to crumbling castle

[wary osprey]

7-1 really tested my patience.

Is there a way to ||cap those fucking ninjas||?

[vale fable]

GET DUNKED ON JAKE

[gleaming rover]

NGL I could play an entire game centered around the RC Car gadget. Super fun.

[gleaming rover]

If you're not familiar with it, the Bomberman Hero OST is nothing but DnB bangers

This being the standout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNZy9zMmp8A

[livid echo]

Y’all forgot about one banger that umm out bangers them all

https://youtu.be/GvfFIfbEHHI?si=ifN2rgbfwdnDTKV1

[rain rapids]

Is it ok if I don’t do the race ?

[outer vapor]

yeah, it just gives you specter coins that unlock mini games.

[gentle totem]

i lvoe the bomerman hero soundtrack. tbh most bomberman games have great music but hero goes extra hard

some of the later snes ones had some dnb and hip-hop style tracks too. they fit some pretty hefty drumloops into the sampel ram lol

[vast phoenix]

took me forever to get across the barrels in city park to get the last monkey I needed. that was frustrating.

[vale fable]

Either duckstation is funky or I've got a massive skill issue with the net

I can reliably bop everything with the sword

But I miss the apes about 40% of the time

https://tenor.com/view/masive-skill-issue-skill-issue-yakudza-gif-14004060172467418456

[outer vapor]

You can scroll up and read about my frustrations with that part to. I had a really rough time with that.

[outer vapor]

If you're fast, you can swing it, and then rotate it the stick to move it around and still catch the monkey.

[finite mantle]

This is normal. The net has good range, the issue is usually the direction of the right stick. Has to be about perfect.

[remote hound]

So good - thanks for highlighting

[valid cypress]

but that is the fun of this game, imagine seeing it from the outside, it's like a comedy. I think it's intended, in many stages the stupid monkey is jumping around on tables and counters while you "run" (whatever you call what this boy does) behind it, aimlessly flailing your net

makes me laugh 😄

[wary osprey]

In the Crumbling Castle.

Feels like a chore.

[rain rapids]

It seems like you need to get all of them in this one .

[vast phoenix]

you just need 5 to open the door to progress to the end

[wary osprey]

I was going to say that I'm pretty sure that at least one of the monkeys is inaccessible with my current kit.

Just need to figure out where the end is.

[vast phoenix]

ape escape is a metroidvania

[wary osprey]

No, this is straight up dark souls

I've now caught all but one I know I cannot capture yet.

[remote hound]

Just finished this. Took a while. At 8-1 and calling it an evening

[rain rapids]

lol that means I went through all the areas twice for nothing ? Well to catch apes, which is kind of the purpose of this whole quest !

I am now an ape catcher addict

[trim vortex]

https://tenor.com/view/dave-matthews-band-mistake-face-wrong-chord-gif-5119741

[atomic ferry]

Made it to Specter Land… heard this one is the hardest and has already felt a bit of a grind

[rain rapids]

Yeah world 8 feels totally unnecessary .

[muted saffron]

I think I would've liked World 8 more if it was broken up a bit.

[trim vortex]

Honestly World 8 hasn’t been as bad as I feared. Still a slog though. I’m on 8-3.

[rain rapids]

Opposite for me . I had a lot of fun on world 7, so I was expecting world 8 to be equally fun .

On 8-3 also

[trim vortex]

Does anyone know if the credits roll after world 8 or is there another world after that?

[rain rapids]

I just beat world 8 so now I know : there is another world

[pine drum]

It's the best and that's why I love that guy https://youtube.com/@ryland.kurshenoff

[gentle totem]

the controls are starting to click with me

[vagrant zodiac]

I'm definitely enjoying it inside Dexter. Very fun vibe.

[trim vortex]

Kind of digging World 9 so far.

[gentle totem]

the boat mechanic is so awful tho lol. im still not very far, only playing on short bursts, just one level past where the boat comes in but yikes lol i hope thats not a common mechanic

[spiral hare]

This game gets annoying at the end. Those barrels in the city level kicked my ass

[gentle totem]

also i think this is one of the worse cameras by 90s 3d platformer standards. similar to spyro i guess but its too locked on its angle and you cant really zoom in or out at all. it's a bit too fixed to behind-the-character

late 90s at least. otherwise its pretty fun tho

[outer vapor]

Sorts that you can adjust it manually, but it snaps back to its original position after like a second.

[rain rapids]

I don’t think you ever really need the boat . You can go faster by just swimming lol

[spiral hare]

This is what I did

[trim vortex]

Thought I might finish this tonight but this (I think) last level is so punishing I might not.

[rain rapids]

9-1?

It’s never ending lol

[remote hound]

Finished 8-3 and thought that was end but now there’s 9-1 haha

[tidal nimbus]

You know they say never meet your heroes? You should also never introduce a varied group of gamers to your favorite game. 😅

Granted the comments have not seemed like outright hatred yet like any poor soul who loved Musashi. But yeah, I forget that a lifetime of nostalgia makes my favorite PS1 game seem way shinier than people experiencing it for the first time as adults.

[outer vapor]

I think the frustrating parts, for me, were more frustrating than musashi. But there fewer of them. But I also liked musashi, so take it as you will. 😆

The barrels in city park were a special kind of hell I do not want to revisit.

[dense cradle]

https://tenor.com/view/arrested-development-david-cross-tobias-funke-there-are-dozens-of-us-dozens-gif-5426075

[outer vapor]

https://tenor.com/view/together-we-are-strong-kyle-broflovski-south-park-fourth-grade-s4e12-gif-21640324

[candid magnet]

I mean, so far (I'm in the ice age), this game is rough around the edges. But it's different and novel. It's not my favorite game, but it is a good example of how Gen 5 games were eager to experiment and see what they could do with those cool new "analog sticks" things

[trim vortex]

I’m playing the PSP game so my experience may be different but I don’t recall having any problems with the barrels in the city park.

[trim vortex]

Done. Really liked this one but the camera and some of the platforming was very trying at times.

[outer vapor]

Maybe they realized how awful it was and adjusted the PSP one.

[outer vapor]

okay, yeah. I just watched the PSP long play for this. Lots of things stand out to me.

1. the barrels seem to move quite a bit slower on the PSP one.
2. It looks like the barrels don't keep you pinned down as they roll over you like the psx one.
3. it looks like you are still able to jump on top of the red and blue barrels from a slide. This is almost impossible in the psx one.
   It looks a lot easier on PSP than psx.
   psp: https://youtu.be/wrVbtdCSYPU?t=16811
   psx: https://youtu.be/6PWL2T1Qu88?t=7595 - this guy was much better at it than me.

[trim vortex]

I guess I made the right call to play the psp version.

[vast phoenix]

aw man I kept waiting for the perfect 3 blue barrel sequence to make it across (and then failing and then waiting longer)

[remote hound]

9-1 keeps on going. I’ve got half monkey and beat race car but still more to go.

[rain rapids]

I am 2 hours beyond that , and it keeps on going

[vast phoenix]

do you have to capture all the monkeys in 9-1?

[finite mantle]

Not all. I think 5 was the minimum.

[vast phoenix]

I enjoyed the climb up specter's castle

[wary osprey]

I was initially afraid of the barrel section in 8-1, but then I realized ||I could just jump over them with the Sky Flyer||

[wary osprey]

So is 8-3 the last level or is there still a 9th world?

(I should honestly get some reading comprehension. This question has been answered multiple times it seems.)

[rain rapids]

What really ?? So we all fell in the trap of assuming that the barrels were there for a reason lol

[vast phoenix]

I couldn't fly over all of them. had to land on a barrel in the middle and high enough to fly to the pipe at the end.

[wary osprey]

Yeah, had to land on a barrel on the second half of the room as well, but I could easily reach the first platform with the Sky Flyer and didn't have to bother with the barrels.

[remote hound]

Holy shit how long does 9-1 continue for 😂😂

[outer vapor]

https://tenor.com/view/greys-anatomy-jules-millin-its-endless-non-stop-endless-gif-26914404

[wary osprey]

I'm about to lose all my lives climbing this stupid fucking circus room.

[rain rapids]

It’s just the beginning lol

[wary osprey]

Yeah fuck this, I'm savescummming this climb.

[trim vortex]

https://tenor.com/view/forever-sandlot-the-sandlot-gif-13526090

[wary osprey]

this is how long the last level is jesus christ

[remote hound]

And done. I am not going back to capture all the monkeys. It was enjoyable but last two worlds were just too damn long

[wary osprey]

Holy fuck that ending level dragged. Spent way over one and a half hours on it.

Definitely an interesting game. Need to see if I come back for all the monkeys some day.

[rain rapids]

I wouldn’t mind if they were just long tbh . Problem is they don’t add much other than emphasize the flaws of the game.

[vast phoenix]

done. happy to have played this. I did not find the controls as annoying as most, and the last few levels were fine in my opinion. the roller coaster was the most annoying part for me. I have no interest in 100% but I'd vote for/play the sequel in the future.

[rain rapids]

Yeah same , I would rather play the sequels than 100 % this one. Might still come back to capture a few more apes .

I liked the roller coaster enough .

[spiral hare]

I need to just beat this on the last city level and just not bringing as much joy as before

[wary osprey]

That rollercoaster was annoying. I first jumped over one of those special coins and then missed another not jumping for it.

[vast phoenix]

I played the first level of Ape Escape 2. Same exact control scheme but feels more responsive. Character moves faster, camera follows better, and swinging the net/club is snappier.

[rain rapids]

Why do you care about those special coins ?

[wary osprey]

Normally I don't. It was the act of fucking up that bad that annoyed me.

[rain rapids]

Yeah it’s expected that you will fuck up a few times to learn the pattern

[finite mantle]

The variable time it takes to learn the patterns is why HLTB is a myth.

[outer vapor]

I do my part entering my hardcore times. Can’t counteract the madness alone though.

[finite mantle]

A hardcore, first time playthough is what I should be looking at. Fatal Frame was a bit of an embarrassing time to complete for me.

Actually did great with completion time in Ape Escape with save states. Probably twice or so as long without them though.

[gleaming rover]

Went back and caught all the monkeys (and all the Spectre coins)! Fun actual final boss and very satisfying to ||slap that net over top Spectre!||

[spiral hare]

@atomic ferry you are crazy playing this with the flip sliders.

[atomic ferry]

Managed to beat it. I keep looking every so often at DualShock controllers for sale local. This one honestly wasn’t the worst I’ve played on it.

[vast phoenix]

my hands hurt thinking about that

[forest pumice]

The margin for error was much lower in the second race. I wasn’t prepared for such a jump.

[dense cradle]

Interesting. I found the second easier than the first

[candid magnet]

I got clapped in both races sadly

one mistake and welp

[rain rapids]

The races felt totally out of place . I want to catch apes…

[forest pumice]

You could recover from a mistake in the first race. The second race was less forgiving as mistakes could result in additional delay for getting hurt, and often meant extra time to get back to where you were

[outer vapor]

Hardest part of the second race is that narrow part with the bad auto camera angle.

[forest pumice]

Yep. That’s what got me the most. If you fall, there’s no point in continuing

[lethal stratus]

I'm not sure if it's been discussed yet, but OML, YOU GUYS WHO PLAYED THE NTSC VERSION AS KIDS WERE LEGITMATELY RIPPED OFF.

The PAL voice acting makes spectre legitimately intimidating and robs Madelyn of her cockney

I can't believe the downgrade just for RA 😢

You know what, fuck it, RA isn't worth the absolutely joy I'd be missing out on.

[trim vortex]

Agreed. Even on “perfect” runs it came down to the wire for me.

[rain rapids]

I don’t think it was discussed . If I knew I would have played the pal version

[gleaming rover]

I'll take my extra 10FPS and hope that was worth the trade off lol

[lethal stratus]

Fair, fair.

[pine drum]

https://pikuma.com/blog/jungle-music-video-game-drum-bass

Ape escape soundtrack featured as one of many excellent jungle soundtracks of the 90s

[forest pumice]

I’ve reached a part of the game (||third race with Jake||) and I genuinely have no idea what I’m supposed to do

Okay well that was dumb

[forest pumice]

The floating spring platforms on the last level are really good at making me miss them

[forest pumice]

And now I’m running back and forth while being shot at 🤔

[vagrant zodiac]

I need to find some motivation to finish this if I want my Internet point. Got to 7-2 and then lost interest a bit.

Sounds like I'm not that close though given the chat about how drawn out the levels end up getting.

[rain rapids]

Yeah worlds 8 and 9 are probably more than half the game

And they’re not as good tbh

[spiral hare]

This was me also. I took like 4 days off of playing it. Just beat the ||race car boss|| I should be close to the end. Game really outstays it's welcome.

[remote brook]

I'm having a blast so far, going into 7-3, but y'all painting a gloom picture for 8 and 9

[rain rapids]

You’re not even that close to the end

[rain rapids]

If the game stopped after 7-3 it would be great

[gentle totem]

im still just in world 3 lol, havent played too much yet. its fun tho

[spiral hare]

I was having fun until world 7.

[vale fable]

Grinding through this while home with a sick kiddo and yes, this

[candid magnet]

Oh hey a twist? I'm into it

[candid magnet]

I am not into this new level

[dawn socket]

Oh great I saved right before world 8 and reading this tells me Im in for an awful treat.

[rain rapids]

I wouldn’t say awful but it’s just not as good as the rest

[humble mirage]

Oh God I'm only at world 2

I can't decide if the oats are great and fun or terrible

*oars

[candid magnet]

The oars are bullshit

This game does use the sticks creatively, and I appreciate that it was willing to experiment with the new analog controls available to Gen 5, but I can also understand why the mechanics this game explored did not get repeated

[forest pumice]

Pro tip: no oar nonsense on PSP

[humble mirage]

Yeah I mean if I wasn't invested in beating the game quickly I think I'd like goofing off in the boat more

Ok now the game is turning into metal gear solid

Right down to the apes thinking "just a box" when you press the right stick

[dawn socket]

World 8 is finished and yeah the game has fell off a bit for me now. Saving the last level until later but it seems worse lol

[gleaming wasp]

Ape escape 2 was one of my favorite games as a kid, I'm looking forward to burning through this one. 4 levels down

[pine drum]

I think the longer levels are better than the short ones

[candid magnet]

Any pointers for Monkey Madness?

[bitter condor]

I'm only about 25% of the way through, but ya know, for someone who's been a vegetarian for the past 19 years on account of not wanting to harm any animals I'm having an awful lot of fun beating these bleep'ing monkeys with a stun baton. XD

[rain rapids]

Not really ? It’s pretty straightforward , just very very very long .

[spiral hare]

use the frist person view to find things.

[spiral hare]

Done. This game really out stayed it's welcome.

[pearl finch]

yeah i was having a blast and then I got to the last section and got bogged down.. i’ll have to see if I can push through

[bitter condor]

I'm just starting the ice levels and still fun so far! The rowboat sections weren't nearly as bad as trying to activate that freakin' hulahoop in time to get through timed doors later on lol

[outer vapor]

Yeah, I think some of those were worse than EGG.

[bitter condor]

On the plus side, the sticks on my RG40XX H are certainly getting a very thorough break in; since I had never really used them much at all before playing this game lol

[remote brook]

8 done. Didn't hate it

[undone herald]

I’m on Spectre’s castle, what world # is that?

[gleaming wasp]

The version I had in was in Japanese and I was too lazy to go find an English version so I have no idea what level I'm on or what's going on lol. Fun game though. That ice level with the polar bear almost got me though.

[forest pumice]

somewhere in 8

[rain rapids]

I think castle is 7-3 but there is also a castle in 9-1

[forest pumice]

oh right, 8-2 is spectre's factory

[remote brook]

Finished:

• yea 9 is bad and overstays its welcome
• Spike in pal version is the worst voiced protagonist I've ever heard
• PSP version is good, especially if you emulate, the only issue for me was that psp's slider will never be perfect for platforming, but I knew that coming in so no complaining
• overall better than I expected. Seems like Ratched underdelivered and Ape overdelivered for me, even including the last level

[zealous nexus]

just started. Played the first few levels. Swimming is just incredibly awkward, hope there’s not a ton of swimming. otherwise, this is great so far. very charming.

surprised to see full voice acting. no subtitles, though. I hate when games do that.

[dense cradle]

Subtitles? What, you want video games to be accessible? You modern-day scum. You'll have to distinguish between red and green boxes and you'll like it, damnit

[zealous nexus]

I know, right? how dare i!

[rain rapids]

Don’t worry : not a lot of swimming is required .

[dense cradle]

https://tenor.com/view/rowing-boat-simpsons-bart-circles-gif-14138184

Who needs to swim when you can row?

[bitter condor]

So, uhhh... anyone else having an issue with Ape Escape where the game keeps crashing and freezing up your handheld on Level 7-1 Sushi Temple? I had zero issues running this game up until that level, but I can't get past it because the game keeps freezing shortly after getting to the top of the big staircase at the beginning of the level.

For reference I'm playing on an RG40XX H with Knulli and using PCSX ReArmed for the RetroArch core.

[bitter condor]

Hmm, seems to have been either an H700 issue or a Knulli issue, since I transferred my save file over to my RG556 and loaded it up on PCSX ReArmed on that device and got through the level no problem. Weirdness. Guess I'm finishing Ape Escape on the 556!

[bitter condor]

Got through the medieval era tonight so just 4 levels left to go! Also, I think after this game is done I need to finally get around to installing the Gamma stick fix on my RG556, since playing with kinda gimped sticks that make Spike randomly stop running and start walking at the least opportune times is making Ape Escape significantly more difficult than it's supposed to be XD

[undone herald]

Spike would randomly stop running on my Steam Deck too, I had to increase the stick distance to 110% or something like that to fix it

[dawn socket]

Finally finished. The last few levels bring down the whole game but still a decent time

[spiral hare]

It just out stays it’s welcome and wants to make the game more platforming at the end.

[outer vapor]

You should just make swanstation your default core. It’s nearly as fast as pcsx rearmed and without a lot of issues. Pcsx rearmed is the fastest, but it’s the least accurate and most buggy.

[valid cypress]

stupid barrels! 💢

[bitter condor]

I just do PCSX ReArmed on H700 devices because it's the only core that can do PS1 at 2x resolution on lower end hardware, and I've never had any issues with it until now. Ape Escape was the first game I had to do at 1x resolution though, so I suspect it's a particularly demanding game to run and just overwhelming the H700 since it plays fine with the same core and settings on a more powerful device.

[outer vapor]

Yeah, that's possible. I just know there are defiinitely other games that will just not work in PCSX rearmed, so be warned. Ape Escape is a very late PSX release, so it is one that did push the limits of the console a fair bit.

[gentle totem]

Yeah on 3566 I had issues with it using OpenGL in DiskStation, had to switch to software to avoid slowdowns even at 1x. Might have been some other settings I could have changed tho idk

[zealous nexus]

this game is fun, but dang. these controls are something else. this rowboat is awful.

[gentle totem]

yeah lmao. the other stuff i got used to but the boat sucks

[zealous nexus]

Worst boat controls in video games: this rowboat, or the lava boat in Sunshine

[vast phoenix]

Lava boat is so much worse. Here you can just skip the boat if you want to. Just stay away from the things that’ll shock you.

[bitter condor]

Just wait until you get the items that require you to spin the right analog stick with perfect precision to activate them. Those are waaaaaay worse than the rowboat if you ask me lol

[outer vapor]

Perfect precision? You just wildly go in a circle as fast as you can.

[forest pumice]

The more I read in this channel, the happier I am that I played the psp version

[bitter condor]

Maybe it's cause I'm using sticks with pretty severe cardinal snapping, but I've been finding those right stick spinning devices super difficult to activate with any sort of consistency regardless of how fast I spin the stick lol

[bitter condor]

Whew! After another long night of playing, all that's left is Monkey Madness! I'll tackle the final level tomorrow, and hope 3rd time's the charm for beating this one lol

On a side note, I fixed the issue where Spike would randomly stop running and start walking by increasing the analog stick sensitivity in RetroArch to 200% ^_^

[zealous nexus]

2-2 really ramps up the difficulty. suddenly there’s platforming and fast monkeys and monkeys with missile launchers and baddies with homing attacks

[rain rapids]

Yeah the problem is that it takes time to activate

[gentle totem]

okay i just beat jabu jabu's belly

[vast phoenix]

I found spinning the stick to activate the flyer was fairly consistent but it'd always take me forever to get the hoop to activate

[gentle totem]

yeah the hoop takes too long to spin up which makes it kind of suck as a dash ability. doesnt feel like i save any time using it

[outer vapor]

On the plus side once it’s active, if you keep it going, you just run around like a mad man.

[gentle totem]

most of the levels arent big/open enough for that to feel useful so far at least

[outer vapor]

Yeah, they aren’t. Getting to the final castle again from load or whatever is where I felt it the most. Used it quite a bit there.

But usually you just have to get through a self closing door or dodge some spinning obstacle for a few seconds.

[gentle totem]

im having enough fun that i might go back and get all the monkeys later but from what i hear my opinion might change toward the end lol

but after some growing pains with the controls i do really like it. i like how most of the levels are linear to an extent but you can exit them early if you're thorough enough

[vast phoenix]

I am one of the few that didn't mind the last levels (except the roller coaster)

imo, ratchet & clank is dragging on way more than ape escape

but I think your experience is going to heavily depend on how good the sticks on your device are. I played on steam deck.

[gentle totem]

Im playing on 353m which is solid enough

[dense cradle]

I was totally planning on doing that when I was still like on world 4 or 5. 90% chance you'll change your mind by at least world 7

[rain rapids]

I came back to get more monkeys . But in world 2, there was that monkey that hides inside a tree when you get too close . I managed to surprise it and catch it cleanly quite a few times and my net just goes right through it . I guess I am not supposed to catch it that way but that was my cue to drop the game for good .

[outer vapor]

I did go back and get all the monkeys for world 1 I think. I don't know if I'll go back or not. I may. It wasn't like miserable...

[rapid oar]

This game was cool enough. Back upon release, I only played it through the first few (short) levels, which don’t tend to overstay their welcome. Once the game started relying on the analog stick rotation for the big jump item, it started to annoy. Flailing the stick in a circle is the most imprecise method of jumping and it gets downright MEAN during the final levels. We get it, the controller had two sticks.

Feel like I just played Mario Party!

[undone herald]

I loved the propeller and the hula hoop gadget, but I get the feeling my opinion is unpopular 😂

[gentle totem]

are the minigames in this fun lol i realise it told me about them at the start but ive been completely ignoring them

[candid magnet]

Do the minigames do anything useful?

[gentle totem]

I don't think so but if they're fun I might play them anyway

[rain rapids]

I didn’t even figure out how to access the mini games

[gentle totem]

It's one of the rooms in the hub I think

Classic 5th gen bullshit to have a hub that should have just been a menu lol it's so tiny anyway

[forest pumice]

I noped right out of there when I saw mini games. Never played them.

[dense cradle]

I played the first 2. They weren't bad actually

[pearl finch]

it looked so similar, lol

[candid magnet]

I am choking on the platforming in the circus tower thing rip

Learning the hard way to not try to adjust momentum once I'm already bouncing on the pads

[pearl finch]

yeah I just did that part, it took a little bit of trial and error

[candid magnet]

oh god how do I do the coaster. There's like no time between seeing the barrier and being able to jump it

[gentle totem]

its even got the bubbles and big tentacle things lol

[pearl finch]

yeah it was definitely unexpected haha

[gentle totem]

i dont think i have enough braincells to control spike and the rc car at the same time lol

[rain rapids]

I don’t think you ever have to do this

[gentle totem]

good lol

[forest pumice]

There will be times you need to move spike to see where you’re moving the car, but you can stop moving the car to move spike

[candid magnet]

I appreciate that the final stage isn't, like, strictly one line and that there are a lot of branches and Dark Souls-style unlockable shortcuts so that you don't have to run through the whole thing when reloading from a save, but

why is this all one level

They could have broken this up into multiple stages

This is nonsense

[candid magnet]

Nevermind, the path to the final boss apparently doesn't stay unlocked if you exit the stage and save. Fuck this shit

[bitter condor]

Whew! Finally finished Ape Escape tonight! That last level was a real doozy, but I am pleased to say that I made it through the entire game without ever having to look at a guide to figure out where to go or what to do. ^_^

Overall I liked Ape Escape a lot, and I might go back to 100% it just so I can have the satisfaction of ||finally catching that mother flubbing white monkey that this game made me think I was going to catch at least half a dozen times before tricking me and going, "Oh by the way, there's another level" every time!||

[gentle totem]

man I wish this tank had tank controls lol that would be better than this twin stick bullshit

[gentle totem]

I thought I had more of this game left cuz I didn't realise the race levels counted as worlds lol I wasn't checking the status screen. I thought I was on world 6 not 8 lmao but yeah it's the home stretch

[gentle totem]

On monkey madness now.

Game is out staying it's welcome a bit but just a little tbh but we'll see how long this last level takes me I guess lol. Overall good experience tho

[candid magnet]

There, normal ending get

Goddamn that last level was ridiculous

Even just running back through it to open up the path to the boss after otherwise cleaning it out (I'm missing like two monkeys in it, one of which is in the stupid big car cage and does not want to come out)

[outer vapor]

But this is the REAL tank controls. lol.

[bitter condor]

On a related note, I actually really enjoyed the tank driving segments! The controls made sense and they were fun to use, unlike that dang rowboat lol

[spiral hare]

What tank?

[outer vapor]

The tank || your have to use to fight UFO monkeys and drive in a narrow winding road. Kind of like magneboots in ratchet and clank with even worse controls.||

[spiral hare]

What real tank? I guess a M113 drives like the tank in the game

[outer vapor]

I don’t know. I’ve never actually driven one. I just have to go off things I’ve seen in video games. Like battlezone. 😆

[valid cypress]

me too! it was kinda fun

I mean, this game is fun

it's like they did with Astro Bot in PS5, a showcase of the shiny new Dual Shock controller and it's capabilities

but it was determined players rather jump with X or O

[candid magnet]

Generally speaking, I would rather jump with the bottom face button, but that's a function of how I've been conditioned over decades tbh. Aside from that, jumping with shoulders would make sense

[pearl finch]

Was able to finish this one out this morning. The part of the last battle with the different camera angle was very confusing to me for a bit, haha. overall had a lot of fun, but it definitely dragged out at the end

[forest pumice]

Yeah, it took me a while to figure out that I could move all the way to the bottom of the screen

[turbid mauve]

Done! I would've really enjoyed this one if they had replaced the last four levels with only the final level. The last level was quite fun, but had already run its course when combined with the three levels before it. These four were longer than the 15 or so before them combined

[candid magnet]

The last level honestly could have stood to be broken up into smaller levels

[dusky jackal]

"Well. Look whose here."

10/10 cut scenes. I miss this era so much

[gentle totem]

I'm at specters castle in the last level lol gotta finish this off

[spiral hare]

https://tenor.com/view/salt-n-pepa-push-it-real-good-hip-hop-rap-80s-gif-16181344

[gentle totem]

...yeah I'm going out really soon and this level is so long lol I might not finish for the point today rip

Waited too long

Sucks cuz I think I'm like 30 minutes away tops but I don't have 30 minutes of downtime before 8pm

[dusky jackal]

We need to be done by 8pm now?

Ooof, gonna be pushing that time limit real hard later

[gentle totem]

Yeah generally. Rapid closes it before midnight usually

[gleaming wasp]

Man this last level is so long

[forest pumice]

It’s on the announcement. It’s 7:30 eastern

[gentle totem]

Yeah my streak is dying lol I don't have time for this last level today. Shame

It's only at like 3 anyway tho I'll build it back up next year

[dusky jackal]

Barely made it in with 10 minutes to spare

Anyways, that last level is WAY to long for how frustrating these controls are.
I'm very happy these type of control scheme never took off.

[spiral hare]

Ape Escape. Spiky hair kid has to capture monkeys with a fishing net. ||Five stars||

[gleaming wasp]

I enjoyed it but man the controls were clunky at points. I remember 2 controlling way better but that may just be nostalgia

[valid cypress]

Last level was hellish

This game could be more fun in a device whose joysticks work better than mine 😅

in a modern console with a small remap

[humble raptor]

I tried giving it a shot a few years ago after playing it when it came out, and golly were the analog controls way harder than I remember lol. I really think you need a dualshock2 analog stick positioning for it to feel right