Ape Escape

Ape Escape is a Sony-developed platforming video game series launched in 1999, famous for requiring the PlayStation DualShock controller.

Action

Games

1982–2011

Years

Platforms

$34.17

Ø CIB

-5.1%

24M change

About

The Ape Escape series debuted with the 1999 PlayStation release Ape Escape, which also saw various editions including Ape Escape [Greatest Hits], Ape Escape [Platinum], and Ape Escape [Dual Shock Box Set]. Developed by Japan Studio, the game tasks players with capturing escaped, intelligent apes using various gadgets controlled by the analog sticks. It became a flagship franchise for Sony, showcasing the capabilities of the DualShock controller.

While sharing a name with the unrelated 1982 Atari 2600 release Ape Escape (1982), the modern franchise began in earnest with the PlayStation title Ape Escape (1999). This debut was distributed through several distinct editions, including a promotional Ape Escape [Demo] (1999) and the rare Ape Escape [Rental Only Not For Resale] (1999) version. To promote the console's hardware, Sony also packaged the game in the Ape Escape [Dual Shock Box Set] (1999). Following its commercial success, the title received budget-range re-releases as Ape Escape [Greatest Hits] (1999) in North America and Ape Escape [Platinum] (1999) in PAL territories.

The narrative centers on Spike, a boy tasked with thwarting Specter, a white-haired monkey who gains peak intelligence from a Peak Point Helmet and leads an army of Piposaru. The franchise's legacy includes multiple sequels on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, spin-offs spanning party and racing genres, and crossovers with other Sony properties. Electronic musician Soichi Terada composed the distinctive, drum-and-bass-influenced soundtrack for the initial entries, which remains a celebrated aspect of the series' identity.