'Ape Out (2019)' is a top-down action game in which you control a gorilla and escape various types of captivity, smashing anything in your path in a frenzied bid for freedom. It's an intense, high-energy affair that plays out in a series of short, sharp bursts of energy. Each level is only a few minutes long at the absolute most, but you'll likely be playing them more than once because the game isn't shy when it comes to difficulty. You'll die a lot, for sure. The levels are long enough that a fall at the last hurdle is annoying but not devastating, setting you back far enough to feel like punishment but not so far that it makes you want to give up. Basically, it's an addictive loop that makes you want to jump right back in every time you fail. Of course, the game is often frustrating. Occasionally, it even feels a little unfair. There are moments where the controls don't respond as you expect them to and, in general, some mechanics are a little clunky (such as aiming while holding a guard). Plus, success often seems to rely more on luck and twitch reflexes than actual planning or skill. That doesn't mean the thing isn't fun, though. It's an exciting, edge-of-your-seat experience that manages to do an impressive amount with its limited move-set (it only uses the thumb sticks and the triggers); it's deceptively simple to pick up and play. It does a good job at evolving its gameplay over the course of its runtime, with new enemies and hazards being introduced at a fairly consistent rate. There are only four 'albums', each split into two 'sides' of four 'tracks', as well as a bonus 'single', but the game's short length (I finished it in around an hour and forty-five minutes, most of which was in a single session) isn't too much of an issue because it ensures that it's all killer, no filler. There really aren't any bad levels and the gameplay never gets a chance to become monotonous. Plus, the different stages all have different vibes to them and force you to adapt your playstyle. Visually, the piece is presented in an extremely stylish way. It's conveyed entirely in block colours, with each character silhouetted against the environment, and its colour scheme often changes to match the mood (and mechanics) of the level. When you kill an enemy, they literally splatter into a pool of bright red blood, reduced to nothing more than a stain on the floor. It's brutal stuff but it adds a lot of impact to each hit, as does the fact that you leak more and more orange blood as you take more and more damage (the only visual indicator of your health). The other thing that adds impact to the deaths is the soundtrack, which procedurally evolves as you play. It's high-octane jazz that really gets the blood pumping, punctuating every on-screen demise with some sort of cymbal hit. It's really great and feels intrinsically tied to the gameplay instead of just layered over it. Ultimately, this one of the most unique looking and sounding games I've ever played. It is very short, even though you can replay the levels in an arcade and an extra hard mode, but it makes every second count and is really fun for such a simple concept. It's a great little indie title, making up for its few shortcomings with oodles of style. 7/10.
Review of Ape Out
