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Ape Escape Academy
40
Pelaaja (Finland)
Ape Academy tries to ape Nintendo's brilliant "Wario Ware" –series, but fails almost completely. There are 47 different mini games, and most of them are not that good. That combined with frustratingly long loading times make this a game easily forgotten. [Sept 2005, p. 67]
The gameplay is painfully repetitive and uninspired, and a vast majority of the mini-games just aren't fun; they say that your schooldays are the happiest of your life - but whoever said that couldn’t have been taught at the Ape Academy.
Apart from the slow loading times, this is one of the best games on PSP. [PSM2]
7
Balazs360
I have to admit, I've played this game before being familiar with the Ape Escape series, and in itself it's a fun game. If we consider that it's a spin-off of said franchise, then it becomes weirder. This is essentially a mini-game collection. You complete mini-games to pass classes. That's all. It's not much, but still better than other games in this category. The mini-games themselves are good for the most part and the same is true for the special games. The teachers also have a distinct personality I like. Many mini-games can be played together using one PSP, I'm a big fan of that. The only thing I don't like completionist-wise is that there are tons of collectibles, and the only way you can get them is through the academy mode. Even then it's total rng what mini-games you get and you can't even exit once you've started a class. Overall, yes, this game sticks out from the Ape series, but is actually fun for a while. Once you complete all classes (which is not easy thanks to a ridiculous completionist requirement), though, there's not much to do.
7
Killerpummkin
A decent game, and it was fun to play as a kid.............................
5
Untitled94
I tried to get into this game, but I just couldn't. It's got a unique way of playing the mini games, but a lot of the mini games aren't that fun. Some are, but from what I played, most aren't and they kept repeating as you progress so you see a lot of the same ones over and over. Not that that's always a bad thing, but like I said, most aren't that good.

Ape Escape Academy

Released On: 
Jan 17, 2006
Metascore
51
User score
Mixed or Average
5.9
My Score
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Based on 48 Critic Reviews

51
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Metascore
51
10% Positive
5 Reviews
48% Mixed
23 Reviews
42% Negative
20 Reviews
  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
85
Games Radar
Apart from the slow loading times, this is one of the best games on PSP. [PSM2]
70
Extreme Gamer
Ape Escape Academy has traded in capturing monkeys for a school full of fun and frustrating mini-games. I was thrown a little off guard, but the end results provide an entertaining package.
User score
Mixed or Average
5.9
8% Positive
1 Rating
83% Mixed
10 Ratings
8% Negative
1 Rating
  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
May 30, 2025
7
Balazs360
I have to admit, I've played this game before being familiar with the Ape Escape series, and in itself it's a fun game. If we consider that it's a spin-off of said franchise, then it becomes weirder. This is essentially a mini-game collection. You complete mini-games to pass classes. That's all. It's not much, but still better than other games in this category. The mini-games themselves are good for the most part and the same is true for the special games. The teachers also have a distinct personality I like. Many mini-games can be played together using one PSP, I'm a big fan of that. The only thing I don't like completionist-wise is that there are tons of collectibles, and the only way you can get them is through the academy mode. Even then it's total rng what mini-games you get and you can't even exit once you've started a class. Overall, yes, this game sticks out from the Ape series, but is actually fun for a while. Once you complete all classes (which is not easy thanks to a ridiculous completionist requirement), though, there's not much to do.
Aug 10, 2023
7
Killerpummkin
A decent game, and it was fun to play as a kid.............................
60
AceGamez
What galls me even more is that the poor gameplay, frustrating loading times, overly cartoony graphics and irritating sound may give monkeys a bad rep.
54
Worth Playing
It's almost unbelievable to me that some very small problems, all related to the nature of the system the game chose to appear on, can turn a mediocre but charming game into a mess with little play value, but that's certainly what happened with Ape Escape Academy.
45
PSX Extreme
Incredibly disappointing. Even if you were to find three friends with PSP’s and copies of the game, you could only play four games, which is a complete joke.
35
GameCritics
To put it bluntly, Ape Escape Academy is a textbook case of monkey-see, monkey-do; it goes through the motions and mimics the best it can, but lacks the intelligence and understanding required to imbue its efforts with any sort of elegance.
10
Jolt Online Gaming UK
Everywhere that the "WarioWare" series succeeds, Ape Academy fails spectacularly. Where one provides a blisteringly fast succession of well-designed quickfire mini-games, the other serves up a painfully slow collection of loading times interspersed with faulty, bland nonsense.
See All 48 Critic Reviews
Jun 19, 2020
7
AkaySama
decent game, great for the family, a collection of more than 40 mini-games.
Jul 16, 2021
5
Untitled94
I tried to get into this game, but I just couldn't. It's got a unique way of playing the mini games, but a lot of the mini games aren't that fun. Some are, but from what I played, most aren't and they kept repeating as you progress so you see a lot of the same ones over and over. Not that that's always a bad thing, but like I said, most aren't that good.
See All 12 User Reviews
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SummaryCompete in more than 40 mini-games including hockey, golf, dodge ball, karate and more, with a wide variety of game styles, each brimming with frantic fun and wacky-humor. Featuring Wi-Fi wireless LAN (Ad Hoc) connectivity, up to four players with a PSP and the game can challenge each other.
Rated E +10for Everyone +10
  • PSP
  • PlayStation 5
  • PlayStation 4
Jan 17, 2006
  • Shift
SCEA
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