Monke Simulator is a parkour game that lets you go ape

The Monke Simulator demo is available as part of Steam’s Next Fest, and if you’re a fan of parkour games or surrealist primate fantasies, you should give it a look.

Monke Simulator starts out as so many adventures do: with a group of caged apes being dropped into the heart of a volcano by a small army of drones. After breaking free of your cage, you need to jump, wall run, and dash your way to freedom. From there the game throws you into level after level of unique challenges that, at least in the demo, don’t seem to have any narrative linking them together. 

Vine grind to victory

But who needs narrative when you’ve got apelike speed? Maybe these apes were being volcano dumped because of their borderline supernatural powers. Running through levels, you can slide along vines like you’re playing some kind of Tony Hawk Pro Skater game, and your super intelligence allows you to use tools like a grappling hook and a banana blaster. Those help you avoid deep trenches of water and break down barriers in your path, but they also let you fight the enemies that are trying to prevent you from getting your next banan (there’s no time for that last syllable in Monke Simulator). 

I had an absolute blast splattering nasty humans into gore while swinging my way through the half-dozen or so levels featured in the game’s demo. In between levels you can head to a hub area to purchase upgrades and encounter a few zany apes. Tricking out my ape’s toolset gave me a solid motivation to try and earn the maximum rewards for every level. Initially I had some trouble navigating the strange forest landscapes, but once I tapped into my innate ape brain, my runs started flowing more smoothly. 

Monke see, monke wishlist

I’m a sucker for a good speedrunning game, and Monke Simulator scratched that itch. I laughed out loud more than a few times when running around the various levels. Discovering a stoner monkey hideout in the game’s hub was a highlight, and blowing humans to bits with my handheld banana canon never stopped being funny. The tone is supported by some solid speedrunning mechanics, and I frequently found myself sitting on a single level until I earned my gold medal.

Even the early levels featured in the demo provide a varied set of challenges and multiple paths to explore, plus there’s the upgrade system to encourage you to sharpen your skills. Monke Simulator only has a vague 2024 release window for now, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for when developer Totem Softproducts announces the actual date.