Ape Quest

7.0
Average

Gameplay	7.0	"The game provides a few chuckles."
Graphics	6.5
Sound	8.0
Value	6.5

By Daniel Needham

If you thought monkeys running around in various genres would never break in to RPG then you’re in for a surprise. Yes, those creatures that have starred in Ape Escape and its offspring titles over Sony systems are now here on the PSP in the form of an RPG.

The back story of Ape Quest isn’t exactly original, but neither are most RPG’s premises. A long time ago, a land filled with apes was invaded by an evil group of monsters known as Apetrons. These threatened to wipe the peaceful monkeys out, but fortunately, a light descended from the sky in the form of a magical statue known as a Spectral Bank. The artefact rescued the monkeys from their impending doom, and imprisoned the Apetrons within a large structure known as an Apetronolith.

However, due to your character's incompetence, he inadvertently eats the mystical banana holding the Apetrons prisoner, thus allowing them to terrorise the land once more and giving you the job of being the day’s hero.

You’ll embark on the usual RPG-fare as you wander the land, such as buying and selling items, forging new equipment at the blacksmiths and completing quests for various guilds - although you have to stick to the path, as the game doesn’t allow you to wander freely around the map.

Combat is also restrictive for a current-era RPG game, with a battle system that feels like a throwback to the third and fourth generation of gaming. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there's very little strategy beyond choosing a regular attack or a special attack.

Mini-games litter the map while on your quests and it’s here where the gameplay really tires. They are necessary for progress, but are generally not much fun to play. Many of the angel versus demon games are amusing in concept yet don't work due to poor design and controls, a theme echoed throughout other parts of the game, as you’ll find yourself pulling out your hair as you try both the d-pad and analog stick with similar results.

There are numerous redeeming qualities however. The load times are non-existent and the save-anywhere functionality is a must for any RPG, and you can’t count out the sheer fact of monkeys running around in a game providing a few chuckles, and a budget price helps too.

The artistic style of the Ape Escape series definitely comes through, whether it's the ridiculous costumes that different apes wear through the course of the adventure or the different mini-games that you play through. It's obvious to see that a lot of attention was paid to the animation of the monkeys and their movement, but it's a pity this can’t be said of the textures and environments which are relatively bland and generic, even by PSP standards. Sound quality is decent, with a nice variety of musical tunes and sound effects associated with environments, battles and mini-games. While you will need to unlock some of them to experience them, they are pretty diverse and interesting enough to not get repetitive.

Ape Quest is too much of a mixed bag to thoroughly recommend. While it is good to have another RPG on the PSP, its controls and other poor design features wrench you away from the experience, and don’t really allow you to enjoy the game like you should be able to with any title.

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