Ape Out

Ape Out is the kind of game that makes you glad the indie scene exists. It defines the type of game that is very easy to pick up, but it takes some real practice to conquer. It places pure action over story, with the reward for surviving every encounter being pure satisfaction. Failure is met with an immediate desire to try again instead of groaning in frustration. It's a gorgeous game, but more importantly, it ends way before the premise wears thin. In short, Ape Out easily goes on the list for one of the best titles of the year.

Ape Out is an incredible action game that succeeds in delivering a fresh and genuinely fun experience, wrapped in an aesthetic package so tight and well executed that makes it a game that everybody into videogames should try.

Ape Out plays like an underground cartoon caught on film stock set to percussion-driven jazz. I dug it so much I let loose an “Amen!” when the final credits splashed across the screen and the music crashed in with thunderous conviction.

Ape Out is that rare mix of great art, sound and game design. It’s a short but addictive experience with challenging, satisfying gameplay and an audiovisual style that instantly grabs your senses and doesn’t let go.

Cuzzillo, Foddy and Boch have torn the cage of the creative processes by creating a model of their own. Ape Out is pure jazz: overwhelming, defiant and free. The monkey has escaped, infuriated, and wants to sow panic on the gaming industry.

Ape Out is a brutal and primordial smash'em up, a gorilla race on a jazz base.

The four albums’ worth of content (plus bonus EP) offer a huge amount of ape action, tossing guards around like blood-filled dodge balls in one new scenario after another and ending with a perfectly-themed final level. Combine that with its unique, iconic art style and amazing soundtrack and Ape Out is simply the coolest game with the hippest tunes 1959 can supply.

Ape Out is a masterpiece of desperate, reactive play that not only gets you to behave like a rampaging gorilla, it forces you to adapt like one.

With a resoundingly evocative and cathartic ending, and with various, small secrets waiting to be unveiled by the community and by the players, Ape Out is already a classic of the genre, for its extraordinary aesthetic and sound style, and for the excellent quality of the its game design.

Ape Out is a marvelous example of what can be done with gaming when a handful of talent think outside the box. Challenging, occasionally annoying, but addictive gameplay, painted in gorgeous splashes of colour and quirky, attractive visuals, all backed with a breathless score. This odd release is proof positive that creativity in gaming remains alive and well. Go Ape.

Orthodox yet sophisticated action, a wacky art style, a crazy score and events that make great use of these characteristics make Ape Out a thrilling experience throughout.

Ape Out is an intoxicating fusion of percussion and destruction that oozes style from every angle.

Ape Out is a game that is entirely the sum of its parts. Whilst many indie games look stylish, or sound cool, or have a solid gameplay mechanic, rarely do all three coalesce into something so memorably original. Ape Out will surely be one of the most unique games of 2019 and whilst it’s short, it packs a knockout punch.

Ape Out is a pure adrenaline rush. A joy to play, to watch and to listen to, where game, graphics and sound design work to bring together a true synesthetic experience.

Ape Out is a fun and fast-paced action game with nary a dull moment. The brutal difficulty can go overboard at times, but even then it's never too daunting. This is one of the coolest games of 2019 so far, and any fan of slick, stylish action games should give it a go.

Quotation forthcoming.

Ape Out is grueling. Constantly, all in movement and speed, the game will make you live something very satisfying. It is like a little walk before turning into a jam-session that will seem very messy from a distance, for the uninitiated. You'll enjoy replaying it, in the manner of a single good vinyl.

Ape Out is a simple game, but one with the polish and charm to make it work. Perfectly embodying the mantra of “easy to learn, tough to master,” as the game’s significant difficulty attests too. It’s not a game that’ll you’ll want to play for hours straight, but it’s the perfect game to pop into now and again to harness your inner raging beast.

A game that manages to catch thanks to its fast paced and fantastic soundtrack.

The game is a tight package that hits all the right notes when things are working well, though it can possibly push you into madness if you falter. 8/10 dismembered arms.

Ape Out parades the alliance between thunderous jazz and an irritated bloodthirsty gorilla. Two unrelated objects defined by being out of control are both under your control in the form of a violent top-down brawler. Symbols crash when gorillas and humans clash and the performance is beautiful and preposterous.

Ape Out is great if you've only got a few minutes or a few hours. Its simple design, constant excitement, and reward loop mean you can be satisfied with one turn or twenty.

Ape Out delivers a deliciously impactful take on the frenetic twin-stick formula. It uses the closeness of its melee encounters and excellent sound design to create an atmosphere of pure, unstoppable tempo. Its style is undeniable, and the craft on display is well worth the short time it takes to play through each of the game's four acts.

Deceptively simple and undoubtedly original, Ape Out’s fast and frantic jazz infused gameplay never loses sight of what videogames are really all about: having fun.

While the procedural generation makes it slip on a banana peel somewhat, the rest of Ape Out is such a stylistic and hyperviolent joy that you can't but be charmed by it - even the jazz.

Be prepared to die and die some more, but Ape Out is a game that'll get into your psyche, and beg you to carry on. As you progress, your heart will likely be beating as fast as the music, but the adrenaline pumping around your system will only spur you on further. Each death is a tragedy, but each one only makes that eventual success ultimately more rewarding.

We’ve really enjoyed Ape Out, but its small randomization of stages creates a strange feeling, where luck seems to matter sometimes more than skill. Overall, it’s a very good experience for those looking for a fast-paced action game.

The rhythmic, cymbal-centric, jazz music is combined impeccably with the frenetic action of Ape Out. Taking a cue from the way the game categorizes its levels into vinyl disks we feel that we only received side A now and we still missing side B. Probably this shows how much we enjoyed the game (wanting more of it) but, nevertheless, it feels like it could benefit greatly from more content, at least in terms of levels.

Sometimes frustrating and too minimalist, Ape Out has a really good concept where music and action are linked. Here, you don't aim to kill, you try to escape by reducing the threat surrounding you, which is a really interesting gameplay philosophy.

Ape Out is an unusual action title with interesting visuals and an original sound approach. It’s fun to play, but it could have been deeper in his gaming structure.

A sensational audiovisual experience that starts to drag around halfway in.

Ape Out is a game that draws you in with its strong aesthetic style and flair, but it feels short on ideas. When you're barrelling through a room, knocking multiple enemies into walls and watching them explode into puddles of blood, it can be quite exciting. But the game never really rises above being a mild thrill, and a lack the variety means that it’s too repetitive to truly make a strong impact. Ape Out isn't as creative with its level designs and challenges as it is with its soundtrack and art, but as it stands it’s a pleasant, jazzy way to spend a few hours.