Ape Escape: On The Loose is a remade and enhanced version of Ape Escape, which was released on the original PlayStation in June of 1999 (Click Here for our review of the game). The story behind the game is silly, fun and fairly straightforward. When a trouble-making monkey named Specter gets hold of the Professor's Peak Point Helmet, chaos ensues. The powerful device, which can increase a human's intelligence, has a disastrous effect on Specter. The power of the helmet enabled him to break free from his cage while also allowing him to free hundreds of other monkeys at the zoo. Specter and the monkeys escape to a nearby laboratory where the Professor, who created the Peak Point Helmet, is working on his latest invention, a time machine. Taking control of the laboratory, Specter and the other monkeys use the time machine to escape into the past. The adventure begins when you take on the role of Spike, a friend of the Professor. Spike's mission is to pursue Specter and the monkeys who have fled to the past in order to prevent them from changing history and taking over the world.

Being a 3d platformer, you can expect the typical run-and-jump style of gameplay... or at least the style that was common in 1999. As Spike it is your job to track down the monkeys on each themed level and capture them with your Time Net (which resembles a giant butterfly net). Some monkeys will simply lounge around the environment doing their own thing, while others will hide in hard to find areas that only certain gadgets can help you reach. Regardless, most of the monkeys will not just willingly be captured. The attitude of each of them can range from timid to aggressive, and the ones that put up a good fight may need to be subdued first by using the Stun Sword or other device. The nastiest of them can fire homing missiles and laser cannons that can quickly knock down your energy and keep you from getting close. The feature, which makes the game so unique, is the variety of devices you eventually obtain, and the ways they are used to capture the wily escaped apes. Tracking down that hard to find monkey in some remote part of the stage is usually a lot of fun, especially when a bit of puzzle solving is needed. As you can probably tell, backtracking to earlier stages once you gain a new gadget is required if you want to capture as many as possible. Each level has up to 20 monkeys, but depending on the stage, you may only need to capture a certain number to move on. The levels are quite small in comparison to more modern platformers, though that aspect probably works to an advantage on a handheld.

Ape Escape: On The Loose generally plays well, though it does suffer from some major camera issues. In wide-open spaces, the camera view is OK. As soon as the area becomes more confined or congested, it freaks out and ends up out of place. The camera can be freely rotated using the digital pad, but since your character is controlled with the analog nub it's close to impossible to do both at the same time. The game provides a re-centering and free look function that is activated by tapping or holding the L-trigger, but it too constantly swings into and through walls and obstructs your view. Try chasing a monkey while running around in a circle on a floating platform and see how annoying it can become.

The game is cute and colorful and not all that different looking than the original. The PSP's more powerful hardware does a decent job at enhancing the visuals, with smoother textures and an overall more polished look, but the game really does look very dated. The characters are mostly flat shaded, angular polygons, and the environments are small, simple and not as "solid" as they should be. On a few occasions I've seen the game just grind to a halt when too many objects were on the screen at once. Even with the enhanced effects and such, Ape Escape: On The Loose sticks out as one of the uglier PSP launch titles. The fun, cartoon-like theme saves it, but don't expect anything even remotely close to the eye candy found in some of the other PSP launch titles. Much of the same could be said of the audio. The sound samples seem just a bit low quality and scratchy, and the music, while fun and appropriate, is still very PSX-ish in regards to quality.

For a platformer, Ape Escape is of average length and just about right for playing in small doses. After beating the game and collecting all the monkeys, there are still some mini-games to fall back on. By optionally collecting hidden Specter Coins, which are scattered about the stages, you can unlock a number of mini-games like Snow Kidz Snowboarding, Monkey Boxing, Monkey Table Tennis and R.C. Racing. Once they are unlocked, they'll only keep you busy for another couple of hours. If you happen to have a friend with a PSP and a copy of the game, you can also play head-to-head wirelessly. None of the games hold a candle to the well thought out and addictive Super Monkey Ball games, though they are at least better than nothing.

For those interested in monkeys, platformer-type games, or something 100% family friendly, Ape Escape: On The Loose should work out quite well. The game looks and feels somewhat antiquated and the camera can be frustrating at times, but there’s enough good to keep you busy for a number of hours… at least until SCEA announces a Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank or Jak for the PSP.