Ape Escape 2, known in Japan as Saru Get You 2 (サルゲッチュ 2) is the second installment of the Ape Escape franchise, and the direct sequel of Ape Escape. It was released on PlayStation 2.
Plot
This game takes place after the events in Ape Escape 2001, where Spike had stopped Specter from taking over the world. After some time had passed, the Professor had left for a vacation leaving his granddaughter, Natalie, and Spike's cousin, Jimmy, to watch over the laboratory. The Professor has left them with one task: deliver a load of monkey pants to the monkeys in Monkey Park. Jimmy accidentally sends not only the monkey pants, but some Monkey Helmets as well, wrecking the laboratory in the process. Specter gets a hold of one, and yet again makes an army of monkeys bent on ruling the world. Under Natalie's orders, Jimmy aims to capture all the monkeys and stop Specter (due to the mess-up from earlier). However, Specter has supplied five monkeys, The Freaky Monkey Five, with Vita-Z Bananas, making them stronger and more intelligent than the average monkeys.
Jimmy manages to capture all of the Freaky Monkey Five, except Yellow Monkey. Before his fight with White Monkey, Pipotchi, a baby monkey accompanying Jimmy, has been kidnapped, in order to transfer the data in his Monkey Helmet (a re-engineered model which makes Pipotchi friendly) into a device called the Lethargy Laser. Rescuing Pipotchi, Jimmy makes his way through a monkey controlled military base, and confronts Specter, who is waiting for him with a redesigned version of his battle cruiser from the first game. Before the two can battle, Yellow Monkey, now a giant monster thanks to an overdose of Vita-Z bananas attacks the facility. Specter flees, and Jimmy manages to downsize and capture Yellow.
Jimmy, the Professor and Natalie then discover the purpose of the Lethargy Laser. By firing it at the globe, all humans worldwide will lose the will to fight back, making it easier for Specter and the monkeys to take over the world. Jimmy confronts Specter at his moonbase, who attacks him with a giant robot. Once defeated, Specter attempts to fire the laser, but Jimmy states that humans will never give up, and captures him. Jimmy and Pipotchi then flee the exploding moonbase.
Shortly afterwards, Specter escapes and goes into hiding. Jimmy then proceeds to capture all the remaining monkeys before the Professor discovers Specter's hiding place. Jimmy warps there, encountering Specter, and the two of them battle again. Specter loses and is once again captured. The game ends with Spike visiting the laboratory, which is again destroyed when Jimmy accidentally crashes a spaceship into it.
Gameplay
Gameplay is similar to the first Ape Escape game. Jimmy can run, jump, climb, and swing on objects. Throughout the adventure, he gains several gadgets from the Professor in order to help in his monkey catching mission. Like before, Gadgets are used with the Right Analog Stick instead of the face buttons. There are also new techniques, such as a long jump.
When Entering a stage, the number of monkeys that should be captured in order to complete the stage will be displayed. However, more may be available in the stage than asked for, which means that you will need to return into the stage another time to finish it entirely. The bottom-right corner of the screen displays a group of icons indicating how many apes have been captured (a net icon) and how many must still be captured (an ape head icon). Jimmy's Health is shown by cookies, which he can gain from cookies that are dropped by enemies. His life icon is symbolized by his vest.
Coins are also different in this . Instead of the conventional 100 coins= 1 life, coins can now go over 100, and max out at 999. Coins also have a combo meter, where every 5 coins turns every coin in the stage into a 5x coin, and every 5 coins turns into a 10x coin.
Gadgets
There are now 12 Gadgets in Ape Escape 2. All of the previous Gadgets in Ape Escape return, and are given an updated look. 4 new gadgets appear, with one of them only appearing with a special disk. Like before, more Gadgets are given to Jimmy during various events.
- Monkey Net
- Stun Club
- Monkey Radar
- Water Net
- Super Hoop
- Slingback Shooter
- Sky Flyer
- R.C. Car
- Bananarang
- Water Cannon
- Electro Magnet
- Magic Punch
- Salva Star (Bonus Gadget)
Minigames
Like in the previous game, Ape Escape 2 features 3 minigames. But this time, instead of being unlocked only by collecting Specter Coins, the player has to pay for them with Gold Coins, collected throughout levels, via a vending machine called the Gotcha Box in the Travel Station. However, you still need to clear a specific level in order to make those available in the Gotcha Box.
Dance Monkey Dance | Clear Ninja Hideout | |
Monkey Soccer | Clear Enter The Monkey | |
Monkey Climber | Clear The Lost Valley |
Characters
- Jimmy: The main protagonist. He's out to catch all of the monkeys.
- Pipotchi: Jimmy's partner and friend. He can help give hints on Gadgets.
- Natalie: The Professor's granddaughter. She assist Jimmy on catching the monkeys.
- Professor: An old man with a goofy personality. He's currently on vacation.
- Specter: The main antagonist. This time, he's out to rule the world in Present Time.
- Pipo Monkeys: The main enemies. There are 300 in total to catch.
- Blue Monkey: The fastest member of the Freaky Monkey Five.
- Yellow Monkey: The weirdest member of the Freaky Monkey Five.
- Pink Monkey: The female member of the Freaky Monkey Five.
- White Monkey: The smartest member of the Freaky Monkey Five.
- Red Monkey: The leader member of the Freaky Monkey Five.
- Spike: The protagonist of the first game. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Levels
Each of the game level's are connected through the Hub world, now the Travel Station. Jimmy now has to catch 300 monkeys.
Name | Monkeys |
---|---|
Travel Station | None |
Liberty Island | Harley Q. Win (Secret Monkey)
George Libby Chill Henry Tomkey Kruise |
Breezy Village | Dozy
Baboondini Walter Jon Crusty Balboa (Secret Monkey) |
Port Calm | Dannyboy
Seanyboy Chili Beday Florence Punto Lilo Manuel (Secret Monkey) |
Viva Apespania | Pogo
Slope Billy Ole Chutney Wiz Birgit Lily Trip Toro Annie Luis (Secret Monkey) |
Blue Monkey Battle! | Blue Monkey |
Castle Frightmare! | Arthur (Secret Monkey)
Virgil The Invisible Monkey (Secret Monkey) Monk Quixote Van Simon Pierce Jumpy Viv Count Monkula Hyde Stein Nana |
Vita-Z Factory | Vic
Bob Snap Al Chomp Arnie (Secret Monkey) Phil G. Bobby Skippy |
Casino City | Bubbles
Clint Apewood Jackson Jessica Jester Leo (Secret Monkey) Oozy Pelvis Pierrot Raymond Shaft Simian Seagal Ulysses Vincent Vindy |
Ninja Hideout | Snooz
Twiggy Harry Karry Chan Duncan Somnia Hideyoshi Takashi Rapido Jim Bon-o Boxer (Secret Monkey) Chuck Shiho Ledski Harvey |
Yellow Monkey Battle! | Yellow Monkey |
Snowball Mountain | Bernie
Zebedee Jibber Threedee (Secret Monkey) Monkey Claus Chill Parka Raver Elodie Davee Big Bopper Jimmy Eddie the Falcon Zippy |
Lookout Valley | Ally
Chris Gill Gunn Lily Livingstone (Secret Monkey) Louis Olivia Simian Tell Ty |
The Blue Baboon | Helmut
Sandy Gloria Michelle Erin (Secret Monkey) Brad Mulder (Moldy NTSC) Rik Montague Shorty Speedo (Speedy NTSC) Sooz |
Pink Monkey Battle! | Pink Monkey |
Enter the Monkey | Jean Paul
Simeski Barry Chan (Monkie Chan NTSC) Marshall Wesley Chaz Daimion Bruce Monkee (Secret Monkey) Miyazaki (Tai Shing NTSC) Johnny Naseem Ming Ryan Martin Jools James John Ook (Monk NTSC) Goku (Songokou NTSC) (Secret Monkey) Daniel C. Ooke |
Simian Citadel | Sly
Norman Alex Jonah Mermonkey Colin Nicky Vaughan Dave Gonzales Daley Ollie Dolph (Secret Monkey) Tommy (Secret Monkey) Grace Jim Rex Brucie (Spruce NTSC) Woody (Woodward NTSC) |
Panic Pyramid | Piz
Stu Cleo (Secret Monkey) Anthony (Secret Monkey) |
White Monkey Battle! | White Monkey |
Pirate Isle | Pugwash
Hawkins Stephenson Burt Kelli Mel Bradley Dick Bonzo Spicy Captain Ook Jeffrey Freddie Oliver Denis Bobby Vic Scratchy Indy Lee (Secret Monkey) |
Land of the Apes | Mona
Patrick Stone Torvill Dean Seb Lars Philippe Robinson Monkski Linz Murray Craig Mr. Frosty Bonez Lynn Brian Speak No Evil Hear No Evil Smell No Evil Rupert (Secret Monkey) |
The Lost Valley | Sam
Mervin Grant Des Stanley Baz Christy Stumpy Lunch Lewis Ovett Prince Babe Terry Murdoch Homey (Secret Monkey) Monko Polo (Secret Monkey) Emma (Secret Monkey) |
Red Monkey Battle! | Red Monkey |
Skyscraper City | Slider
Spank Rory (Secret Monkey) Dexter (Secret Monkey) |
Code C.H.I.M.P. | Tanjobi
Major Cole Kiki Mimi Ebiike Sloth Heston Corporal General Laura The Cleaner Gaelle Matt Sinclair Keebles Sylvester The Chimpinator Sandra Boots Buzz (Secret Monkey) |
Giant Yellow Monkey Battle! | Giant Yellow Monkey |
Moon Base | Chelsea
Lardy Megamonkey (Secret Monkey) Lester (Secret Monkey) |
Showdown with Specter | Symbol Crasher Monkey/Ultra Goliath |
Final Showdown with Specter | Specter |
New Game+
If the player has successfully complete the game and catch all monkeys, Spike can be playable on a new file. Highlight the "New Game" option on the Main Menu, hold L1 and press Start to play as Spike. In this mode, all of the Monkeys become harder to catch, but all of the Gadgets in the game become available for you at the start. There are also no cutscenes in this mode.
Development
The music of the game was composed by Koji Hayama, managed by Don Makkou and Bungo Fujiwara of Two Five and data programmed by Masaaki Kaneko of Procyon Studio. The game's sound effects were created by Takashi Kanai and Junko Sano. The voice acting of the American version was recorded by Dan Rich and Jeremy Blaustein. The voice acting of the European version was recorded at Side UK on Great Titchfield Street in London, with Andy Emery serving as the voice director.
Ape Escape 2 was re-released as a PSN title in 2016, featuring trophies and upscaled graphics.
Voice Actors
Role | American Voice Actor | European Voice Actor | Japanese Voice Actor |
---|---|---|---|
Jimmy/Hikaru | Veronica Taylor | David Holt | Motoko Kumai |
Pipotchi | Tara Sands | David Holt | Omi Minami |
Natalie/Natsumi | Rachael Lillis | Rachel Preece | Jouji Yanami |
Professor/Hakaze | Dan Green | Jonathan Keeble | Tomoko Kawakami |
Specter | Gregory Abbey | Marc Silk | Chika Sakamoto |
Blue Monkey/Ukki Blue | Gregory Abbey | Richard Pearce | Takahiro Sakurai |
Yellow Monkey/Ukki Yellow | James Carter Cathcart | David Holt | Shoto Kashii |
Pink Monkey/Ukki Pink | Veronica Taylor | Rachel Preece | Miyuki Matsushita |
White Monkey/Ukki White | Gary Littman | Marc Silk | Kenichi Ogata |
Red Monkey/Ukki Red | Gregory Abbey | Uncredited | Daisuke Gori |
Spike/Kakeru | Dan Green | Richard Pearce | Fujiko Takimoto |
Gallery
See Ape Escape 2/Gallery.
Trivia
- There are 300 Monkeys to catch, which is 100 more than the previous game.
- The PlayStation 4 re-release of Ape Escape 2 has the European voice actors in the US release. It is currently unknown why.
- The Japanese release on Ape Escape 2 (Saru Get You 2) has a Quick Gadget Select, similar to Ape Escape 3. It was removed outside of Japan.
- A bonus Gadget called the Salva Star was available in the Japanese version of Ape Escape 2 (Saru Get You 2) via a special disk called Saru Get You 2: Uki Uki Disk (サルゲッチュ2: ウッキウッキーディスク). Since the disk was never released outside of Japan, this Gadget is impossible to get for Jimmy.
- Due to a potential oversight, Spike is able to use the Salva Star (Due to him having all the Gadgets at the start) in all versions by pressing L1 or R1 on the Monkey Net on the Gadget Select.
- New Game+ is non-canon.
- Jake and Casi were originally planned to appear in the game. It is unknown why they were removed.
- Despite popular belief, Soichi Terada did not compose the Ape Escape 2 soundtrack. The composer for that game was Koji Hayama.
Characters | Casi · Jake · Natalie · Professor · Specter · Spike |
---|---|
Gadgets | Dash Hoop · Magic Punch · Monkey Radar · R.C. Car · Sky Flyer · Slingback Shooter · Stun Club · Time Net · Water Net |
Prehistoric Era/ The Lost Land | Fossil Field · Primordial Ooze · Molten Lava |
Cenozoic Era/ Mysterious Age | Thick Jungle · Dark Ruins · Cryptic Relics |
Dimension/Dimension X | Stadium Attack |
Primitive Age/Oceana | Crabby beach · Coral Cave · Dexter's Island |
Ice age/New Freezeland | Snowy Mammoth · Frosty Retreat · Hot Springs |
Dimension/Dimension X | Gladiator Attack |
Recent Past/Medieval Mayhem | Sushi Temple · Wabi Sabi Wall · Crumbling Castle |
Present-Day/Futurama | City Park · Specter's Factory · TV Tower |
Present-Day 2/Specter Land | Monkey Madness |
Dimension/Dimension X | Peak Point Matrix |
Characters | Haru · Hero · Specter · Tohko · Tsukushi |
---|---|
Gadgets | Ape Vacuum · Banannerizer · Monkey Net · Slingback Shooter · Smasher |
Levels | Wobbly Home · Mysterious Ruins · Monkey Carousel · Monkey Road · The Hot Springs · Dinosaur Glacier · Haunted House · Asian Town · Spa Gardens · Food City · Skull Volcano · Monkeyland · Steam Castle · Battery Tower · Monkey Station |