IGN writes: "Space Chimps had two things working against it before I even put it into my DS. 1) It's based off a summer CG movie named "Space Chimps." And 2) It has nothing to do with the great and completely obscure TV show "Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys." Hence it was a with a heavy heart that I switched on the DS; expecting another mindless movie cash-in title that will be played once and then thrown into the dark game vaults of IGN. However, much to my surprise, Space Chimps is actually a solid platformer that is held back by a few baffling design choices and its overall short length.
The premise of Space Chimps is as simple as they come. Ham III (the descendant of Ham I and Ham II apparently) is a circus chimp that is recruited by NASA to find a lost probe that got sucked into a pesky wormhole (wormholes always cause trouble). Ham is joined by the obligatory female chimp love interest, Luna, and their commander, Titan. They crash land on an alien planet, find out that the aliens (who look like failed Dr. Seuss experiments) are being subjugated by a slightly angrier looking alien who is using the NASA probe as a race-enslaving war machine of death. You also fight an evil clown made of clouds. Who knew?"
Tim from Tech Olive writes, "Today, I tap into my childish nature and try a game that no self-respecting gamer would ever attempt. It's time to go from CoD4 to Space Chimps. As the name suggests, Space Chimps is a video game adaption of the recent animated movie. I never bothered to see the movie, so I might be a bit out of my element here, but that won't stop me!"
Nintendo fansite DS-x2.com put Space Chimps for Nintendo DS to the test. With a score of about 6/10, Space Chimps features nice visuals and solid platforming action. On the downside, it also brings in poor flying sections and terrible touch-screen controls.
Square-Go Writes:
"You jump, swing and battle your way through the levels - Ham punching and kicking at the King's army, and Luna flying with butterfly wings and shooting goo from a little alien she befriends! Swing on the vines to get through the jungle, but if none are obvious a sticky green substance on nearby walls can assist. Look out for creatures who don't try to attack you, they will give you a helping hand, and help you progress through the game. The bananas scattered all over the place have healing properties, and statues of Zartog himself, when activated, will present you with a Zartog head. These will enable you to progress in the game; the little bright blue and yellow heads act as keys, and the larger heads as weights. Saving any golden bananas will give you buying power later. Also, remember that although water is frequently dangerous, it is sometimes the only way to get ahead."
"On the downside, older gameplayers may find the game a bit repetitive, but all in all, Space Chimps works pretty well - good movie, good game. So do think you got the skill to save Malgor?! Because if you do, you'd better hurry and…unleash your inner chimp!"
