Go Bananas with Ape Out, Free on Epic Games Store Until Dec. 24

Escape your captors to freedom, as APE OUT is the Epic Game Store’s free title for Dec 23.

Epic Games and their partners continue to bring the goods this festive season. They have already gifted to us the likes of Into The Breach, Towerfall Ascension, SUPERHOT, and Little Inferno this Christmas season.

Today’s gift is a game from the mind of indie developer Gabe Cuzzillo, with help for the art from Bennett Foddy of Getting Over It fame, as you take control of a primate that’s escaped from his confines with Ape Out.

A top-down twin-stick shooter style action game, in Ape Out, you must wriggle from the confines of your captors by grappling them and throwing them at walls, through glass windows, and at each other. It looks minimalist as your ape, the surroundings, and enemies all take on the simple colour schemes, but it works well with the simple nature of the game.

Be prepared for blood, though, as the game is surprisingly gory for a game about an ape escape.

The score is also top-notch, offering an upbeat jazzy tone that crackles with the action, giving kills and narrow escapes that much more bite. There’s plenty of game here too, especially great value for a game that’s free.

Ape Out is available to claim for free through the game’s store page on the Epic Games Store, and is available to claim until 11am EST on Dec. 24. It’s also currently available on Xbox Gamepass for both PC and Console.

Tomorrow’s wrapping graphic also hints at what’s to come, with the silhouette of a mountain suggesting a release on the 12 Days of Free game for a game involving snow or mountain peaks.