Game Overview

Gameplay

You spend most of Space Chimps moving Ham III across a 2D plane, mixing platform jumps with simple enemy encounters. Stomping foes is the direct, arcade-like answer, while the projectile weapon gives you a safer option when the ground gets crowded. That basic split keeps the action from becoming entirely one-note, even if it stays comfortably familiar.

The more enjoyable wrinkle is Ham’s ability to summon Luna, Titan, and other friends for special attacks. It fits the team-based premise and adds a small burst of variety to combat without pulling the game away from its accessible platforming roots. If you are playing mainly for quick, low-pressure stages, that approach works in the game’s favor.

Flying missions put Ham in his ship and send you through asteroid fields between platforming levels. They are a welcome change of pace, particularly because they ask you to focus on a different kind of immediate danger. The store also gives you a reason to keep moving forward, letting you spend on abilities, weapons, and extra content rather than treating every level as an isolated cartoon episode.

Graphics

Space Chimps uses 3D artwork for a game whose main action plays out along a 2D path. That combination suits the DS format well enough: the side-view stages keep the character action easy to parse, while the ship sequences shift into a fuller 3D view as Ham flies through asteroid fields.

Story

The setup is pure animated sci-fi adventure. A lost space probe disappears into a wormhole, and scientists send three chimpanzees after it. Ham III, Luna, and Titan arrive on an alien planet with the simple but effective job of surviving its hostile inhabitants and recovering the probe.

Ham III carries the game as the controllable lead, while Luna and Titan remain part of the action through their special attacks. That makes the movie’s three-chimp team feel more present than it would in a platformer where everyone but the hero vanished after the opening scene.

The larger threat comes from the planet’s evil leader, giving the mission a clear finish line beyond the rescue operation. It is a lightweight premise, but that is appropriate here. You are not coming for a dense sci-fi plot. You are coming for a brisk cartoon chase through strange territory with a few familiar faces along for the ride.

Overall Experience

Space Chimps is at its best when you treat it as a compact licensed platformer rather than a hidden action classic. Its jumping, projectile attacks, ally summons, upgrade shop, and asteroid flights create enough rotation to prevent the game from feeling completely static.

That said, the core experience is built on safe ideas. The central platforming and combat do not promise much beyond direct, accessible action, so veteran genre fans may find the routine wears thin once the novelty of the license fades. The special attacks and flying diversions help, but they do not fundamentally change what kind of game this is.

Give it a chance if you have a soft spot for the film, are shopping for a younger DS player, or want a breezy sci-fi platformer with short-form variety. Everyone else can reasonably pass. It is serviceable, occasionally charming, and more varied than the average movie-game cash-in, but not essential.

Retro Replay Score

5.2/10