The brutality of Hotline Miami but totally recontextualized as slapstick comedy. Gabe Cuzzillo and the gang made this game specifically for me but also for everyone that has ever had the innate primal urge to go monkey mode. Doesn’t outstay its welcome, controlling Mr Ape is simple yet fluid, the pop-art inspired graphics and dynamic jazz percussion soundtrack really make this thing shine. This whole thing really clicked for me during the office level where you can just toss dudes out of windows and have them plummet to the cityscape below. Really addicting, captivating stuff. I love monky

How can you not be enraged? You’ve been trapped in a small box with barely enough room to move your limbs. They’ve kept torturing you, hurting you, pushing you to your limit. No attempt to communicate, no interest in harmony. Nothing but violence comes from your oppressors. You weren't born to be trapped. Nature can only be encased for so long before it bursts. Well, let’s answer in a language they understand.


Death.


The tension that has accumulated from all the bruises culminates in your first thrust. Continuous climax. It’s either you or them now, no time to think about consequences. There’s never enough time. Behind your motions, the weight of a 250kg beast. Thunderous percussion reverberates with every step. Legs are drums, arms are cymbals, your body is consolidated as an instrument of rage and power. A tool necessary, as it’s the entire world against your freedom. You’ve got to have freedom.


Power.


What are bullets to a being who denies death? The roles are flipped here, you become the unavoidable force. Quite literally, you turn their own guns against them. Behind your wake are pools of blood and flesh. Some of it yours, most of it theirs. The fight for freedom will never be a painless process. And yet, you power through your wounds. Your rage does not care about their weapons and structures. Their society is meaningless. You will force the rules of nature upon this hostile environment.


Freedom.


The drums, your heartbeat, have accompanied your tireless struggle. Continuously rising tension, building towards a climax but not quite reaching it. That is, until you break through the final enclosure. Like the resolution to an out-of-tune note in jazz, your release justifies every second of this fight. The incessant drums lead into a cathartic and desperate saxophone. Your rage and determination pay off. Nothing can contain you anymore. Freedom at last.




If only all humans had as much fury and willpower in their hearts. They would free themselves from their own captors.

An overenthusiastic jazz drummer is sitting on your shoulder the entire time, accentuating every action you take with his kit like a pianist hired to spice up a battle of wits in a 1940s screwball comedy. I live for this shit.

It's a wild and delightful ride from start to finish, no question, but the best part is easily the bonus level, Break In. This level completely recontextualises the gameplay loop in such a genius way that I only wish there were more of it. There are very few games that could be improved with an extra hour of playtime, but a final disc would have made this a basically perfect experience.

I really want to like Ape Out. I love that they made enemies wait before shooting you and that you have three lives (unlike Hotline Miami, where enemies can kill you from offscreen with no warning), the percussion soundtrack and the unique artstyle, but playing the bonus mission "Break In" that you unlock after beating the game made me hate Ape Out. It's just too frustrating.

It seems like the game wants you to play chaotically and think on your feet, since you're a mad ape and the music goes crazy when you do that. Yet, playing quickly often ends in the game punishing you. Playing it safe by hiding behind walls, waiting for the enemies to walk towards you works a lot more consistently, which always makes me think "I wish I could just rush in and do crazy combos". Because whenever I did rush in and survived, it felt exhilarating. But when I went for it and got shot twice back-to-back it made me never try it again. Idk, something about how you get hit instantly after most enemies shoot scares me and keeps me from enjoying the game.

I hate guns.