Welcome back to Artcade, which—true to the spring vibe—jumps straight from Monument Valley’s fairytale geometry to, well, gorillas. What’s that? Gorillas aren’t springlike? Says who? No one ever asked the gorillas. One sec while I call them… […] Okay, they confirm they’re very springlike. Even more than I’d guessed. Maybe too much. What if spring means more to them than it does to us? Ever thought about that? Me neither.
Let’s leave the question unresolved and get on with the new episode. Thank you for sharing Artcade even when the intros get more and more psychedelic. Seriously—no one shares like you do, not even gorillas. But just to be sure—keep passing the link (or the email) around. Thanks, really. Now, enjoy the read!
STOMP are hard to describe in words. Their own site calls them a theatrical experience that blends rhythm, movement, physical comedy, and dance. Basically, they’re a crew who storm the stage and make music out of everyday objects (while dancing, while cracking jokes). By “everyday objects” I mean anything—say, brooms:
Around the three‑minute mark they all sigh in unison and it’s something—you’ll see. There are plenty of moments worth ten minutes of your time. If you’ve got more to spare, here’s a clip with buckets first, then sinks:
And if you still want more—newspapers:
Alright, alright, that’s enough videos for now. YouTube has full shows, so you know where to look. If you ever get the chance to see STOMP live, don’t miss it: sharing a space where they create music with whatever lands in their hands will rewrite your relationship with objects. You’ll never look at your toothbrush the same way—or cutlery, or your car, or a desk fan. You’ll flash back to the childhood days of banging a stick on railings and loving that tac‑tac‑tac. Sounds distant until you catch a STOMP show—then you’re right back there.
Ape Out is a game about a gorilla breaking out of his cage. That’s it. Stylized top-down visuals and bursts of color give the game its fierce, acid vibe.
Our gorilla barrels through guards trying to stop him. He can grab them and hurl them anywhere. If it stopped there, the game would be visually striking but its charm would fade fast.
What makes Ape Out special is the soundtrack—or rather, the soundtrack you create. Every move the gorilla makes triggers a sound that snaps perfectly into the drumming backdrop. Your playthrough turns into a wild performance where you’re both composer and audience. At the end, the game‑over screen shows the route you took through the level—but what you see is a musical score drawn across the map (see image below).
Like STOMP, the gorilla makes music with whatever’s around, and every run is a jazz concert you improvise yourself. Sounds odd—and in a way, it is. The best way to understand Ape Out’s music is to hear it, so the game’s trailer will do:
Gabe Cuzzillo (2019) Ape out [Video game] [Beat 'em up] [2 Hours] (Nintendo Switch) [Windows, Steam Deck] Devolver Digital
Information Desk:
Bad news: you missed the STOMP auditions. Shame—they were looking for a drummer who moves well, a dancer who knows percussion, an athletic type with killer rhythm. On the bright side, here are the dates for their international tour.
If you liked the idea of a game whose jazz score writes itself as you play, you’ll love Ape Out’s finale, told with a glorious crescendo in this video by the always-worth-linking Jacob Geller.
My last two coins
Video games and music have a complicated relationship, yet they ought to be siblings: both exist only when practiced. There’s a strange synchronicity between the two, obvious to anyone who’s mastered a parry system. A game is nothing without a player’s hands on the joypad, and music vanishes without the interaction between musician and instrument. They’re siamese twins someone tried to separate, limiting their relationship to mere background ambience in games. A wallpaper, nothing more. Luckily, every so often someone remembers their common nature: Ape Out (and before it Rez, and others we’ll cover one day) rebuilds the bond, and in a heartbeat the gamer finds themselves a musician. Until the next episode, ciao!
This is fucking awesome! I never knew such a show existed. I'm going to watch every single video about them. Thanks Stephen Kisses!