Ape Out

This is one of a number of legitimately perfect games. It is also a perfect demonstration of the way that computer games are a legitimate art form, because the experience of this game cannot be replicated in any other medium; it would not work as a film, book, comic, or anything else. For it to be what it is, it *has* to be a game.

There is little point attempting to describe it. You are an ape. You wish to be free. The story is as simple as that. In terms of gameplay, I would say it is most like Hotline Miami, although it is an altogether purer and less complicated experience than that. Aesthetically, it is perfect. Musically, it is perfect - and I say this as someone who does not remotely enjoy jazz.

You should buy this game. It is remarkable.

the most emotional game i have ever played. as long as that emotion is "kill"

You will "go bananas" playing Ape Out. Actually, this game might make you go insane. It's a good thing "Ape Out" is not more popular because entire mental wards would be dedicated to people who went insane trying to complete it. Just going through the game normally and beating it takes less than five hours, completing the achievements takes 100-200 hours or more.

This game almost made me quit playing video games completely- I mean, I like a challenge but, what this game does is pure evil. It's pretty broken, even just selecting an option on the menu is somehow extremely frustrating. You are an ape who must reach the exit- there's no story, it doesn't matter. Sometimes you're being held captive by soldiers, sometimes you're in a cage on top of a skyscraper, it doesn't make any sense and you shouldn't care. The ape has no powerups, cannot heal, he can only grab and throw people. All of the enemies have a brief moment before they attack, as if they're lining up a shot. They shoot, you grab- see where the difficulty lies? 90% of the game is best completed just sticking to the bottom of the map so the enemies don't surround you.

The tough part is when you get to arcade difficulty, with achievement so hard you will basically land on the leaderboard if you complete them. Now there is a strict time limit and if you die, you start over from the beginning. Seems not so bad, but the levels are randomized, what worked once will never work again. Practice in this game is meaningless because it's so simplistic. What does work, even though it's kind of ridiculous, is developing different rules of thumb for each area because the layout is approximately similar. You will do over and over and over- there are hard games, there are frustrating games, there are completely broken games, and then there is Ape Out.

As a final, hateful attack on the player's self worth and meaning in life, a single banana is randomly hidden in the second half of each stage. You must complete the stage without dying to find it and then complete the level holding the banana. If you do this in all ten stages (One for each normal and hard difficulty) you will be treated to a minigame where you are the equivalent of donkey kong trying to kill a man for stealing his bananas. If you lose this minigame, you lose all the bananas. This alone can take 50 hours or more and took me four days of near-continuous play to achieve.

Was it worth it? God no, but this game was painful, and I felt the need to best it in a manner that is almost spiritually transcendent, as it goes beyond frustration and into a realm of psychotic insanity that puts it in line with games like Doom 2016 on Ultranightmare. It is perhaps the hardest game I have ever played, and that is not a compliment, as your deaths will all just be the inevitable failure of you, the game's poor coding or both. And while the game's inspired design - graphics that look like paper cardboard and glass that constantly hums as a bunch of fuzzy blue dots until you break, does make you think this will be a fun, relaxing experience, the game will eventually transform into a nightmare that you cannot fully comprehend. I suppose, the reason I give "Ape Out" a positive rating, is that it is not unlike life. Life is extremely unfair, with constant events where you can lose despite trying as hard as you can and doing nothing wrong. And, like life, you only get one shot, and if you screw it up you're done for. Also, like life, you must collect money, not unlike this game's bananas, but make one mistake, and you lose all your money, and/or bananas.

In summary, I appreciate the game's creative presentation and solo drumming soundtrack but it also made me want to bash my skull in repeatedly and continued playing of it almost felt like a form of self torture or the movie Groundhog Day with no ending in sight and little reward when you get there.

APE OUT is a percussion jazz album hidden inside a video game where the gameplay itself is the composition. The choice of instrument (percussion) drives home the ham-fisted gameplay. This purposeful use of basically exclusively percussion audibly entrances us to what our gorilla friend is doing and is likely feeling. Even the enemy variety and different levels provide different soundscapes as you smash them into the terrain. Visually, the game skips out on photorealistic fidelity for minimalism. Accomplishing the immense readability a game like this needs. All this to say, the game is primarily about the visceral feeling of simply smashing something against a wall. Whether that wall is steel or wood, it cares how that would feel. Overall, this game is incredible at accomplishing its visceral feeling. I cannot recommend it enough.

APE OUT is basically a melee-focused Hotline Miami with Jazz and drums instead of synthwave music.
You just want freedom but they send Geneva-Convention breaking flamethrowers after you, bazookas shoot without a care for their surrounding, all while under enemy artillery fire and the entire base is out to hunt a single monke.
Violence is beyond justified at this point. Harambe go to town!
The violence and adjusting jazz music is exhilarating,
while the gameplay is simplistic yet hard and requires quick thinking and a tactical approach.
The controls are heavy but so are you, you gorilla.
Overall, the most important part of APE OUT is the style and aesthetic.
The game has an even tougher hard mode and an unforgiving single-life arcade mode for true masochists.
Absolutely great game design.
Good game.
This is how HARAMBE should have ended.
(that kid better become a constructive member of society or find the cure for cancer, otherwise the world will never forgive him Harambe.)

Short, simple and fun game. Also, the sound track react to player's actions is a nice touch. Love playing it on Steam Deck.

When I finished the game and the soundtrack exploded, I literally jumped out of my seat with goosebumps from neck to toe, dancing frenetically not knowing exactly why, with big smile on my face. One of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. Hell yeah, I recommended it!