Ape Out helped me get through the holidays

I played Ape Out for the first time on a cool night between Christmas and New Year. My experience was destructive and made the game the perfect outlet for holiday stress.

Ape Out starts in a small hallway and I’m the title monkey. I have to escape the claws of those who locked me up – the story isn’t very clear about how it happened – and that’s the whole set-up. There are legions of armed guards on my way, which is unfortunate for them. I broke out of my bonds and trudged through the labyrinthine corridors to find an exit. The percussive score and the simple art style keep me focused on my killing spree. Every aspect of the game reflects my anger and my determined intention to escape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH6hCAK24Ok [/ embed]

I can kill any guardian I see by grabbing him, bumping into walls, or each other. But I don’t have to smash anyone – just those who stand in my way. It’s not a completely different feeling than the anger you may feel for the ninth time when one of your relatives asks you about your opinion of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker about a Christmas lasagna.

I think deeply in my second hour of explaining my problems with the return from Palpatine without explaining how it happened that it doesn’t have to be that way. You could have just left it alone. They didn’t have to stand between me and the sweet freedom of not talking about Star Wars.

In other words, they did it to themselves. I’m just trying to escape and they don’t let me.

I’m not saying that I want to harm my relatives, I just don’t want to talk about Babu Frik anymore. Yes, it’s my fault that I have a Star Wars tattoo, and yes, I could just lie and say that I liked the movie to end the conversation. But that’s not what the holidays are about. It’s about tense conversations that can lead to a violent cry or a loving hug at any moment. High risk and a sigh of relief when the last person comes out the door.

Ape Out did not alleviate this high holiday stress, but replicated it. I don’t want to hurt these scientists, and I don’t want to hurt my relatives – I want to push them away from me and get hell out of here. Escape to the jungle; away from discourse and away from people. The monkey and I have the same goals; The biggest difference is that it has a better soundtrack.

Because of the holiday stress, I went through the first 20 levels of Ape Out in one session – alone in my office while everyone else was sleeping. I felt stressed when I sat down and I felt stressed all the time when I played. But in the end I was surprisingly relaxed and ready for my next vacation adventure. I had left enough blood stains on these virtual walls to leave my fear behind.

Gabe Cuzzillo, Bennett Foddy and Matt Boch / Devolver Digital

The monkey and I differ in some important ways. I love my family and they don’t even know what these scientists are called or why they are detained. But nobody likes to feel trapped, pushed and pushed – we can both refer to that. We all have moments – especially during the holidays – when we just push people away and want to have our own little moment. But if you’re from a big family like mine, or if some of you really live for this holiday stress, pushing people away is not an option. But oh sir, I found the game that at least gives me the illusion of doing just that when the stress feels a little too strong.

So right now, Ape Out is a stress ball, a stress reliever, a simulator of what life could be like if I could get people to leave me alone in hell whenever I wanted. I may not have to flee to the jungle, but at least I feel a little more comfortable when I return to my life.

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