Don’t freak out, but the official Japanese Ape Escape website was just updated for the first time since 2011.
The newly updated site features three new sections: About, Character, and Discography. The About section details the Ape Escape series as as whole, the Characters sections goes into detail about, you guessed it, the characters, and the Discography section chronicles all the Ape Escape releases over the last two decades.
Does this mean Ape Escape is coming back from the dead? It might. The original Ape Escape released back in 1999, so 2019 marks the franchise’s 20th anniversary. A remaster, a collection, or even a full mainline fourth game could be on the way. There aren’t any clues pointing to a new release in the updated website, but the fact that the website was updated at all is a good sign. Ape Escape was one of Sony’s hallmark series in its heyday, with all three games being critical and commercial successes.
As of right now, the only game in the series playable on modern consoles is Ape Escape 2, which is available as a digital download on the PlayStation 4. Even though it’s playable, the version on the PlayStation Store uses the UK dub, which isn’t bad, but you’re missing out on Veronica Taylor (the voice of Ash Ketchum) voicing Jimmy, the game’s protagonist. If you’re looking to play the first game or Ape Escape 3, my personal favorite in the series, you’re out of luck unless you have a PlayStation 2 lying around.
3D platformers all but faded away with the release of the seventh generation of consoles, but they seem to have returned in full force with recent releases like Super Mario Odyssey, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. With classic PlayStation icons like Crash and Spyro having made their triumphant returns, perhaps it’s time for the monkeys to make a comeback.