Wing walking.

Probably Ape Escape 3’s best feature is its bizarre sense of humor. This permeates the game throughout, from the level design to the cutscenes to the unlockable content and even to the monkeys themselves. Each level is the location of the shoot for one of the monkeys’ TV broadcasts and the developers took full advantage of this to parody many movies and TV shows as well as genres so overdone they’ve become clichéd. As you make your way through each level, you’ll see the monkey actors in costume and playing their parts in the strange shows they’re filming until you’re noticed. There are even special cameras placed around the levels that can be activated to start filming, which will result in a new movie being added to the simian cinema. Once you exit the level and return to your mom’s lab, you can watch the movies that you’ve collected. Each one is pretty weird, but in a surrealistic, cool kind of way. You’ll find yourself looking forward to the next level with anticipation, wondering what movies the monkeys will mimic next. The only downside to the levels is that once you capture the required number of monkeys you’re warped back to the lab. You’ll need to return to the level to capture any remaining monkeys still on the loose, which can mean some long hikes through a level before you reach the place where the remaining monkeys are hanging out.

The game includes plenty of extras to enjoy when you’re not actively catching monkeys in one of the levels. The lab has numerous stations that let you view extra content that you’ve unlocked or purchased, practice with the gadgets in a training room, play mini games, and even consult your captured monkeys on your horoscope or prospects for love. There is also a shopping district complete with a number of stores where you can spend coins collected in the game’s levels on clothing, music, and more. The shopping district is also home to the aforementioned simian cinema, where you can view the best movies born from twisted monkey minds.

Kids will undoubtedly love Ape Escape 3, but it will have strong appeal to older gamers as well in an Adult Swim kind of way. The game is so off-the-wall and original, that it is worth a look even if you’re not usually into platform games. And if you’ve enjoyed Ape Escape games in the past, then what are you waiting for?

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 87%. Don’t let this game get away.

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