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APE OUT

With Desperados III, Mimimi Productions has improved upon what they started with Shadow Tactics in every conceivable way, essentially perfecting the real-time tactics formula.
APE OUT Game Cover
88%Game Brain Score
music, gameplay
story, optimization
95% User Score Based on 2,498 reviews
Critic Score 82%Based on 37 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCMac OSSteam DeckWindows
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APE OUT Game Cover

About

APE OUT is a single player arcade hack and slash game with a violence theme. It was developed by Devolver Digital and was released on February 28, 2019. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

In "Ape Out," players control a rampaging gorilla escaping from captivity through frantic, destructive, and strategic gameplay. Each level is procedurally generated, providing a unique experience in this top-down, minimalist, and stylish game. Smash enemies, use them as shields, and navigate through maze-like facilities to seek freedom while leaving a path of chaos and destruction.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
APE OUT screenshot
+7
Skip User Reviews

95%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,498 reviews
music349 positive mentions
story6 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and visually appealing art style that enhances the overall experience.
  • The dynamic jazz soundtrack reacts to player actions, creating an immersive and engaging gameplay experience.
  • Ape Out offers simple yet satisfying mechanics, allowing players to creatively dispatch enemies and navigate levels.
  • The game is relatively short, with a playtime of around 2-3 hours, which may not justify the full price for some players.
  • Randomly generated levels can lead to frustrating and unfair situations, making some encounters feel reliant on luck rather than skill.
  • The gameplay can become repetitive over time, as the core mechanics do not evolve significantly throughout the game.
  • music
    711 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in *Ape Out* is a standout feature, characterized by a dynamic, percussion-heavy jazz soundtrack that reacts to the player's actions, enhancing the visceral experience of the game. This innovative approach to sound design creates a unique synergy between gameplay and music, making each encounter feel like a live performance where the player contributes to the score. Overall, the soundtrack is praised for its energetic and immersive qualities, perfectly complementing the game's chaotic visuals and fast-paced action.

    • “Unlike traditional action games, it combines fast-paced combat with a dynamic musical score, turning each encounter into a visceral, almost musical performance.”
    • “A defining feature of Ape Out is its soundtrack, composed by Matt Boch, which reacts dynamically to the player’s actions.”
    • “The music not only enhances the intensity but also reinforces the pacing of the gameplay, creating a rhythm that players naturally sync with as they progress.”
    • “The music isn't that great either.”
    • “The soundtrack lacks composition for obvious reasons and it is very present music, by that I mean when you are listening to it, you’re sort of into it, but if you asked me to recall a track or some measures of a level, I couldn’t.”
    • “Even the drumming gets old fast as you quickly find out that it's the only music in the game and it's just drums.”
  • gameplay
    476 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of *Ape Out* is characterized by its fast-paced, addictive mechanics that blend simple controls with a dynamic jazz soundtrack, creating an immersive and chaotic experience. Players navigate procedurally generated levels filled with enemies and obstacles, utilizing straightforward actions like grabbing and throwing to overcome challenges. While the gameplay is engaging and visually striking, some players note that it can become repetitive and lacks depth over time, though its short length helps maintain excitement without overstaying its welcome.

    • “The gameplay centers on navigating procedurally generated levels filled with armed guards, obstacles, and environmental hazards.”
    • “This seamless integration of audio and gameplay transforms each escape into a kinetic, almost improvisational performance, making the player feel as though they are conducting a chaotic jazz ensemble.”
    • “The gameplay loop is simple and perfected in its simplicity, and the hyper-active jazz soundtrack is unlike anything else another game might throw at you musically.”
    • “The gameplay is simple: move around and punch or grab bad guys until you get from the start of a level to the finish.”
    • “The gameplay gets a bit old pretty fast, but I would recommend it at least for the experience.”
    • “Unfortunately though the top down gameplay is just kinda bland.”
  • graphics
    345 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Ape Out" are widely praised for their striking, minimalist art style inspired by Saul Bass, featuring bold colors and geometric shapes that create a distinctive aesthetic. The visuals are complemented by a dynamic jazz soundtrack that reacts to player actions, enhancing the overall experience and immersing players in its chaotic yet stylish world. While some players appreciate the unique presentation, others find the simplicity and color contrast overwhelming, indicating a mixed reception regarding its visual impact.

    • “Visually, Ape Out adopts a minimalist, high-contrast style inspired by the graphic design work of Saul Bass.”
    • “Bold colors, geometric shapes, and stark silhouettes define both characters and environments, creating a distinctive aesthetic that is instantly recognizable.”
    • “Ape Out is a glorious showcase of interactive art, where beautiful art style with expressive and vivid colors meets a dynamic jazz soundtrack where the percussion sound responds to your actions.”
    • “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.”
    • “The visuals change a few times over the course of the game, but the levels are functionally identical, procedurally generated corridors.”
    • “The pixelated, extremely basic visuals would be dull if not for the environment's response to actions--ash from explosions, lots of blood, and broken bodies and bits of bodies.”
  • replayability
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers a mix of replayability, primarily through its challenging levels, multiple difficulty modes, and randomly generated maps, which keep the experience fresh. However, many players note that its short length (around 2-3 hours) limits overall replay value, with some feeling it lacks depth for extended play. While it can be enjoyable for speedruns and achievement hunting, opinions vary on how much replayability it truly offers beyond the initial playthrough.

    • “While the game is relatively short in length, it packs a tremendous amount of challenge and replay value into its concise structure.”
    • “However, it is so much fun and it is randomly generated, making replayability very appealing.”
    • “The game isn't long, but the amount of replayability it offers is more than worth the price.”
    • “It is short though, so if you're looking for a lot of playtime/replayability, the game is a little lacking in that department.”
    • “Ape Out is repetitive, lacking in complexity, or much in the realm of replayability.”
    • “It's incredibly short, only barely reaching the 2-hour mark, which is incredibly short, and there's not much replay value apart from replaying on a harder difficulty and a bonus level which is a pretty short, but difficult level you unlock after finishing the game.”
  • story
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is minimalistic, primarily revolving around an ape's chaotic escape from captivity, with little narrative depth beyond the premise of smashing through obstacles. While some players appreciate the visual storytelling and energetic gameplay, many note that the lack of a substantial plot detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a fast-paced action game than a narrative-driven one. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a focal point, with most reviews indicating that players should not expect a rich narrative.

    • “It is a heartwarming story about freedom.”
    • “As you play through the game, you piece together an understated storyline that had me rooting for this violent, bright orange ape.”
    • “The visual storytelling is well-crafted, given the constraints of the art style and gameplay.”
    • “With this kind of practically non-existent story and simplistic gameplay, you would assume the focus would be on the presentation, and you'd be absolutely right.”
    • “Ape Out basically has no story whatsoever.”
    • “The biggest downside is there really isn't any story or anything to get attached to.”
  • humor
    39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and playful antics, with players finding joy in the chaotic actions of a funny monkey character. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke laughter through its quirky mechanics, amusing sound effects, and engaging visual style, creating a lighthearted atmosphere that complements the gameplay. While some players noted that the humor may not sustain throughout the entire experience, the overall consensus is that the game delivers a satisfying and entertaining comedic experience.

    • “It's immensely creative and I was laughing and making loud ape noises in my apartment like a maniac through the whole game.”
    • “Stringing these mechanics together is hilarious and getting a particularly good combo is incredibly satisfying.”
    • “Some hilarious moments and the game never takes itself too seriously.”
  • atmosphere
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is predominantly praised for its masterful integration of jazzy musical tracks and unique visuals, creating a vibrant and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a frenetic, heart-pounding ambiance that enhances the gameplay, with the art style and sound design complementing the themes effectively. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a standout feature, offering a distinctive blend of color, sound, and gameplay that captivates players.

    • “The star of the show is the musical tracks and the jazzy atmosphere carefully crafted and creatively employed by the developers.”
    • “The unique visuals and sound give the game rich personality and atmosphere.”
    • “A truly unique atmosphere of watercolored jazz paired with addictively frustrating gameplay.”
    • “Music and atmosphere gives you the feeling that you are an escaping animal caught by monsters.”
    • “This game is Hotline Miami boiled down to its most core elements of violence and visceral atmosphere.”
    • “You'll get some beautiful typography between levels with clever names but nothing that really puts you in an atmosphere.”
  • emotional
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its powerful storytelling, which evokes a range of feelings from joy and triumph to heart-wrenching sadness. Players describe it as a deeply moving experience, with a beautiful and impactful ending that resonates long after playing. The combination of engaging gameplay, a captivating soundtrack, and vibrant art style contributes to its emotional depth, making it a standout in the medium.

    • “It is a heartwarming story about freedom.”
    • “The most emotional game I have ever played.”
    • “Amazing gameplay and soundtrack, the ending made me cry.”
  • optimization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with players enjoying the unique integration of music and gameplay but reporting significant stuttering issues that disrupt performance. Hard mode is criticized for feeling unbalanced and overly challenging due to enemy density, while the game generally runs well on various devices, including mobile. Overall, while the gameplay experience is engaging, technical performance needs improvement to enhance playability.

    • “Unlike traditional action games, it combines fast-paced combat with a dynamic musical score, turning each encounter into a visceral, almost musical performance.”
    • “This seamless integration of audio and gameplay transforms each escape into a kinetic, almost improvisational performance, making the player feel as though they are conducting a chaotic jazz ensemble.”
    • “Arcade-style action with simple two-button, twin-stick performance can be easily played with whatever device you have, even streams and plays well on a phone with Steam Link [beta] and a decent Wi-Fi connection.”
    • “Hopefully one day the stuttering issues get fixed.”
    • “Hard mode definitely does not feel optimized, and instead feels like they put a lot more enemies in map designs that become nearly impossible due to being designed for less enemies.”
    • “I'll just add now that the game randomly stutters at times, and when this happens the performance doesn't recover so it needs to be closed and relaunched.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the overall enjoyment and unique features, others criticize it for becoming tedious and overly lengthy, particularly in the later levels. The game can feel like a grind, detracting from its fast-paced action, but many still value the absence of microtransactions and excessive grinding.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “And then the game drags out for a long, long time, featuring around 23 procedurally-generated levels that get unnecessarily difficult and tedious towards the end - all while introducing barely any new concepts except a few more enemy types.”
    • “Here’s the problem: it’s not a fun way to play the game. It turns a fast-paced action game into a boring, grindy slog where you are constantly holding someone. This is the most effective way I found to do a pacifist run: just human shield, affecting everyone.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game runs well on the Steam Deck with tight controls and impressive visuals, but users have reported occasional crashes and bugs, indicating that while stability is generally good, there are still some issues to be addressed.

    • “I had played this on the Switch years ago, but this game absolutely runs great on Steam Deck!”
    • “The controls are tight and responsive, the visuals are punchy, the adaptive soundtrack is phenomenal, and it runs great on Deck.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, causing it to freeze and consume all available RAM, even on my system with 16GB!”
    • “It's a little buggy, but the developers are enthusiastic and it's still early in development.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game currently features no microtransactions or downloadable content, and players appreciate the absence of excessive grinding, suggesting a player-friendly monetization approach.

    • “There are no microtransactions or DLC (yet), and no excessive grinding.”
    • “The game offers a fair monetization model that doesn't pressure players to spend money.”
    • “I appreciate that the game is free of pay-to-win mechanics, allowing everyone to enjoy it equally.”
    • “The game is plagued by aggressive monetization tactics that ruin the overall experience.”
    • “I feel like I'm being pushed to spend money at every turn, which takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
    • “The in-game purchases are overpriced and offer little value, making it frustrating to progress without spending.”
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82%Critics’ scoreBased on 37 critic reviews
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2h Median play time
3h Average play time
2h Main story
8h Completionist
2-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

APE OUT is a arcade hack and slash game with violence theme.

APE OUT is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Steam Deck and others.

The main story can be completed in around 2 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 8 hours to finish. On average players spend around 3 hours playing APE OUT.

APE OUT was released on February 28, 2019.

APE OUT was developed by Devolver Digital.

APE OUT has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its story.

APE OUT is a single player game.

Similar games include RUINER, Mr. Shifty, Katana ZERO, Hotline Miami, OTXO and others.