Review: Ape Escape: On The Loose (PSP)

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When Nintendo delivered Super Mario 64 DS, it not only captured the spirit of the original but also added a collection of mini-games that married the original package. The transition from home console to cartridge was smooth and almost too good to be true. With Ape Escape, Sony has tried to achieve the same end product but, in comparison, the results are less accomplished.

This is essentially the PSone version, which heralded the arrival of the analogue sticks on the Dual Shock controller - ah, fond memories of a new dawn breaking, and a fun platform release; yet that was several years ago and the genre has moved on. The story concerns the monkey revolution, led by the primate Spector. You find yourself given the central role of capturing all 200 monkeys and ultimately defeating Spector.

Going back now to this (after the exceptional Ape Escape 2) is a little disappointing as the character of the opposition (and the sense of humour) is muted by comparison, and Ape Escape rarely offers any deviation from jumping and capturing opponents. It lacks any spark of invention as offered in Mario 64 DS; this is a rudimentary platform release with no real enhancements. The only real glimmer of hope is offered by the varied range of gadgets that open up new avenues and areas of levels previously out of your reach.

To boost the appeal of this release, Sony has included several mini-games, which can be enjoyed with the added benefit of the wireless option. These are overall mixed in terms of quality, with none managing to prove fruitful enough to have you coming back for more. The boxing game is disappointing, while ping-pong and snowboarding offer more playability (but not enough to warrant repeat visits). Unfortunately, access to these games (via the Timestation) is only allowed when you have collected enough coins in the main game - a shortsighted piece of game design.

The main drawback to the PSP version is the lack of dual analogue control; instead we have to rely on buttons to swing the net, which is immediately an inferior system. Beforehand, capturing monkeys was a subtle and involving piece of Ape Escape, as well as being fairly straightforward. Now you have to juggle weapons before snaring that elusive primate - more often than not, helping his escape. Instead, movement is controlled by the PSP control stick (the D-Pad is off limits), and is overly sensitive, often causing minor obstacles to grow in stature considerably. Rivalling the control method is the in-game camera that does the player no favours whatsoever; it requires constant tinkering to show what lies in front of the onscreen character (and in a platform game, this equates to a dire state of affairs).

Gamestyle has not even mentioned the interfering menus yet, either. Visually this is the most disappointing PSP title that Gamestyle has experienced to date. Ape Escape flatters to deceive, as with the time spent loading, you would have hoped for something marginally better than a PSone title with a varying frame rate and drab textures (perhaps highlighted by the higher resolution). It is colourful, in a primary school kind of way, and that's probably who will enjoy Ape Escape: On The Loose the most.

Rating: 5 / 10

Words by Jason Julier