Saru Get You (Ape Escape) is foundational as the first PS1 game to require the DualShock. Hunting mischievous monkeys in varied levels uses both sticks creatively and indispensably. Innovative gameplay, colorful world and charming characters. A foundational classic of PS1 and video game history.
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Platformer1 player7+
Description
Original Japanese platform adventure by SCE Japan Studio, where hero Spike captures runaway monkeys in the past using DualShock-dedicated gadgets. Created by SCE Japan Studio and Sony Computer Entertainment, released in 1999 in Japan with revision under the Saru Get You title. Over twenty-five open-exploration 3D levels, over two hundred monkeys to capture with dedicated gadgets, twin analog stick control requiring the DualShock and Soichi Terada cheerful funk soundtrack. Japanese edition with revision under the Saru Get You title.
Saru! Get You! review
3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
2/5
Music
★★★★★
"Decent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Masterful"
The first game built around the DualShock's two sticks, it turns every gadget into a different way to move, aim and trap the monkeys. That inventiveness in the hands has lost none of its freshness, so varied and readable does the toolkit remain. A few camera angles date it, but the glee of the chase and the precision of the handling make it a reference still very much alive.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
The original Japanese version of Ape Escape, the first game built to require the DualShock and its twin analog sticks, a technical milestone in PlayStation history. This native edition appeals to those wanting the first pressing of a major hardware singularity, in its original language and packaging. Its local run sustains interest above the more widespread Western versions.
Is Saru! Get You! still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 1999 on PS1 in Japan and later in the West as Ape Escape, Japan Studio's project is the very first PlayStation game to require the DualShock pad with two analogue sticks. Capturing apes with gadgets demands a surprisingly rich spatial reading, and the cartoon staging installs an undimmed freshness. The jumping and running handling stays readable. The camera sometimes needs a nudge and the modelling has aged. Recommended today for fans of original platformers and for Japan Studio devotees curious about one of the team's most inventive peaks on Sony's first home console hardware globally.
