Ape Escape 1999

Is it still worth playing?

Sony Computer Entertainment's 1999 platformer for the PlayStation, the first Ape Escape. An ape named Specter gains enhanced intelligence through an experimental helmet and sends an army of apes through time to rewrite history. You play Spike, who sets out to capture them with special gadgets, such as the Stun Club and the Time Net. The controls center on the analog sticks: the left stick moves Spike, and the right manipulates gadgets. The apes wear helmets with a siren showing their alarm level, blue for relaxed, yellow for alert and red for fully alarmed, and the color of their shorts shows their personality. You capture a set number to clear a level and can catch the rest on a revisit. Every capture is still a small physical act, with gadgets on the right stick.