Ape Escape
Ape-themed series requiring DualShock controller.
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The Ape Escape series follows protagonists who must capture monkeys equipped with Pipo Helmets to restore order to the world.[1] The party video games in the series are set outside the main storyline's timeline.[2]
Timeline of the series
14 releases, 1999–2010. Select one to open its entry.
Dates: Wikipedia: Ape Escape (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Making and release
The first game was developed in 1997 under the name Sarugetchu.[3] The advertisement showed four monkeys, with three holding Ape Escape, Ape Escape 2, and Ape Escape 3.[4] The fourth monkey held a cover with a question mark.[4] On January 5, 2016, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan tweeted "2016 Year of the Monkey" alongside an image of a Pipo Monkey.[5]
In 2019, the official Japanese Ape Escape website was updated for the 20th anniversary.[5] Sony ran a recruitment ad in Famitsu magazine during 2006 to find developers for a new project.[4] A fourth main-series game was being worked on but has never been released.[4]
What the cited sources add
A 1999 Game Informer article notes the series departed radically from the control methods of many other games.[6] The right stick operates whatever gadget the character holds.[6] In those games, darker forces behind Specter are usually the main villain.[2] The initial PlayStation game forced players to use either a DualShock or Dual Analog controller, with the left analog stick controlling character movement.[6]
In a break from typical controls, the R1 and R2 buttons handle jumping, while the shape buttons let players switch between inventory items.[6] In the party games, Specter and his monkeys either conquer the world or hinder other players.[2] Each party game features a different set of antagonists.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Ape Escape" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ape Escape, Ape Escape 2, Ape Escape 3 Game Booklets (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ape Escape" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ape Escape: Pumped and Primed, Ape Escape: Million Monkeys Game Booklets (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ape Escape" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bankhurst, "The Evolution of the PlayStation Controller", IGN; gi magazine, "Game Informer Issue 73 ( May 1999)", 2024-08-05 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ape Escape" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gantayat, "New Ape Escape in the Works", IGN, 2006-01-27 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ape Escape" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sato, "Could This Be The Year We Finally Get A New Ape Escape Game?", 2016-01-05 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ape Escape" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: gi magazine, "Game Informer Issue 73 ( May 1999)", 2024-08-05 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ape Escape (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Sony Interactive Entertainment franchises
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ape Escape (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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