Even in 2016 it is fun to catch a bunch of crazy monkeys.
When done well a silly 3D platformer can last to this day. Ape Escape 2 proves this fact with all the additions they added to this sequel. Most of the new stuff revolves using gadgets to solve problems that weren't a issue before. Which isn't counting the boss fights or the new levels that must be explored to catch all the monkeys. But before I get into more detail let me quickly tell you about the story first. A vile Monkey named Specter has once again escaped from the Zoo thanks to the blundering of our new red headed protagonist name Hikaru. With the help of Natsume and the Professor our young hero must take down the Freaky Monkey Five and Specter to restore peace to the planet.
Like the first game the main gameplay loop centers around using the analog sticks to weld a assortment of gadgets. From the start you will have access to a stun baton and a net to catch all the monkeys. Moving the analog stick in the direction will cause Hikaru to attack in that direction or spin around in a circle for a spin attack. As the game goes along it constantly introduces new gadgets that change things up a little bit. Either by introducing a dash move with a hula hoop or a water hose to put out fires they really do like to add new gameplay elements every other level. Most of the time they work well and add some variation to the levels. In a few cases like putting out fires or magnetizing to a metal surface they just slow down the pace of the levels that normally go by fairly quickly.
As for the enviroments you’ll be seeing in this game they are all self contained similar to Super Mario 64. Instead of having varying goals per level this game is all about collecting every monkey hidden in each area. Most are pretty small with a few different side paths to explore that don’t take very long. Even the monkeys that must be caught are fairly obvious and when they aren’t it isn’t tough to find them all. Some might require a gadget to get them in a state for you to catch or maybe you'll have use a robot to blow up their machine before they can be caught. While catching all the crazy monkeys the levels all have different themes that do a good job of converting a colorful world to explore. Yet in a few spots the levels are a bit to linear since this game is at its best when the level is designed around a hub area. Making it painless to run to the next section without making the level about running down a long hallway. Which unfortunately starts to come up a few times near the end but isn’t much of a issue unless you decide to collect all the monkeys.
Other than the main game this also includes a set of 3 unlockable mini games that add a bit of extra value to this package. Monkey Dance seems broken in this port to PS4 since the line that should tell you when to swing the analog sticks isn’t shown. Other than that it is a serviceable dance mini game. Monkey Football actually seemed the most fun since playing Soccer with just the analog sticks actually works. The last one is monkey climb which is a bit wonky with how the vines move around while trying to collect enough bananas to finish a level. All of the mini games must be unlocked with the gotcha machine that is in the lab where the player starts. Each gotcha ball costs 10 coins which are collected in all of the levels. What is inside each ball is quite varied between unlocking songs for the sound test,silly photos, silly monkey fables and the mini games I explained before.
Taken as a whole this very much feels like a sequel to the first Ape Escape. Not that much has changed but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a very well put together sequel. Most of what was included improved on what they were trying to do the first time. Adding more humor and a upgraded graphical style made this into a very fun game to play through. I even took the time to collect all the Monkeys which isn’t something I always do in a 3D platformer. If you're looking for a good platformer to play then I would gladly suggest you check out Ape Escape 2.
Reviewer's Note: For some reason the PS4 version in the United States is actually the European version. So the translation and voice over work is different.