Ape Escape 2001 Preview

Titled Pipo Saru 2001 in Japan, Ape Escape 2001 is the follow up to the original PlayStation hit that broke new ground by making full use of Dual Shock analog control. In the first game, a monkey named Specter steals the absent-minded Professor's Peak Point helmet, which imbues him with cunning, intelligence, and malicious intent. Spying the Professor's latest invention, a time-travel device, Specter sends his monkey horde across time to cause mischief, but the heroes are hot on his trail. Saving the day are Spike, the jack-of-all-trades protagonist; and Katie, the Professor's daughter and computer-savvy mission expert. Spike travels from area to area to stop Specter in a race across time. The first game featured challenging gameplay, intuitive control, and a number of fun tools such as nets, radio-controlled cars, and flying machines for capturing Specter and his crew of simian escapees. What makes Ape Escape 2001 different from the previous Ape Escape game is that you are no longer capturing monkeys; instead, for some bizarre reason, you're using a vacuum to suck off the escaped monkeys' stinky pants. Spike needs to navigate each of the levels carefully and then suck off all the yellow pants he can find, avoid the monkeys that are understandably infuriated by this, and make off with his cache of stolen trousers like a bandit. Captured pants are strung on a line that Spike drags behind him, 10 of which he can package into a bundle for easier trouser transportation. Ideally, once Spike has captured all of the monkeys' pants, he'll go to the stage's laundry machine platform, where--with a triumphant yell--the pants are tallied and put through the delicates cycle. You may initially be confused by the sharp turn for the strange that the game has taken in this decidedly Japanese title.

Graphically, Ape Escape 2001's characters and landscapes are similar in design and colorfulness to those of the original--but Ape Escape 2001's are generally less vast and far more confined. Level design has definitely been bent in a puzzle-oriented slant, where stages are littered with traps, and monkeys are positioned such that careful aim and use of the vacuum allows for efficient pants abduction. The characters are nicely animated, the monkeys themselves dancing comically as they find humorous ways to try to avoid your pants-sucking vacuum. The monkeys will go to any length to keep their pants, including assuming timeless cartoon disguises, like the cactus with the obviously cut-out face. The backgrounds are very nicely detailed, and the worlds have a very playful, cheerful look, which conveys the light tone that this not-too-serious follow up is striving for.

The first Ape Escape focused heavily on platforming elements and clever use of the different tools available. Ape Escape 2001, coinciding with its remarkably off-kilter theme and story, is more of a puzzle-oriented game. Rounds are timed, and proper completion of each round's objectives is graded based on whether or not you are hit by the monkeys, whether you capture all their pants in a single trip to the washing machine, and how long it takes to complete the stage. An onscreen performance gauge lets you know how well you're doing, with the line-drawn head sliding down the meter, looking more and more frantic the worse your score becomes. Ape Escape 2001 features relatively tight control, although for some reason, the Dual Shock analog control that was such a great feature of the first Ape Escape is no longer included. While the upcoming GameCube game, Luigi's Mansion, has adopted the Dual Shock analog control method for its vacuuming action, Ape Escape 2001 has instead opted for a vacuum that always aims in the same direction that the main character is facing, with additional controls for the jump, the double jump, and the activation of the vacuum and a button that allows Spike to toss short-range bombs if he ever picks them up. These bombs can be used to knock monkeys off their feet, which frees them up for an easy removal of their pants. Besides using the vacuum to suck the monkeys' pants off, you can also create enough pulling force to create a recoil force that lets you send monkeys flying in whatever direction you please. This can be used to knock down other monkeys and barriers in many different ways.

The ease of control is most noticeable in Ape Escape 2001's boss stages, which force you to negotiate the stages safely and avoid damaging areas and angry monkeys while collecting pants within the allotted time. In the first boss stage, Specter is flying about in a spaceship, dragging behind him a line of monkey pants. To get all the pants in the level and complete the stage, Spike needs to track the ship around the circular stage, as well as lob a well-timed bomb to knock Specter silly for a few seconds, which allows him to suck up the tethered pants. Spike must also avoid the spaceship's swoops, as well as the monkeys, which will stop at nothing to reclaim their pants. The boss stages we've played so far have been mildly entertaining, but not quite as challenging or as deep as we'd have liked to see.

Besides giving you access to later levels after you complete boss rounds, Ape Escape 2001 also rewards you by letting you access a trophy room of sorts. Gone are the collecting aspects of the first game, where you could complete a book with each monkey's name and profile. Instead, based on your performance in the previous stages and the grade you are given, you'll be able to enjoy watching monkeys cavorting in an opulent bathroom. Some monkeys will be washing up, some will be hanging from the fixtures, and others will gather together for some impromptu line dancing. It's expected that later stages in the game will have other bonus areas as rewards, although so far it seems that Ape Escape 2001 has a much smaller world than the original had and will likely require far less time to complete.

Fans of the original Ape Escape story and characters will be elated to find that Ape Escape's charm and wit have remained intact in this title. The monkeys are as funny as ever, and the new premise behind the game's mechanics is extremely innovative. However, those who enjoyed the original Ape Escape's challenge and platforming gameplay may be taken aback by the quirky puzzle elements contained within. If Ape Escape 2001 sounds like the kind of game you would have never expected to be released in the United States, you may still be right. Ape Escape 2001 was recently released in Japan, and so far, a US release date has not been confirmed. Stay tuned to GameSpot for more information.