New details and the first trailer for Project Rap Rabbit–the recently announced collaboration between the makers of PaRappa the Rapper and Elite Beat Agents–have been revealed, as has a Kickstarter campaign.
Project Rap Rabbit is described as a rhythm-action game that combines the traditional, rhythm based mechanics of past games with a “rap battle system where you can counter-rap against a competitor.” This occurs through an “emotion/dialogue wheel that was inspired by dialogue systems of modern RPGs.”
You can get a glimpse of Project Rap Rabbit gameplay in the video above. The video also consists of a discussion between the two big names behind this project: NanaOn-Sha’s Masaya Matsuura (best known as the creator of PaRappa, Um Jammer Lammy, and Vib-Ribbon) and INIS’ Keiichi Yano (who was behind Gitaroo Man, Osu Tatakae Ouendan, and Ouendan successor Elite Beat Agents).
To help fund the game, NanaOn-Sha and INIS are turning to Kickstarter. The just-launched campaign is looking to raise about $1.1 million (£855,000) over the next 35 days to bring Project Rap Rabbit to PS4 and PC. Stretch goals will bring the game to Xbox One (at $3.1 million) and Nintendo Switch ($4.95 million), while others will add more content. Somewhat strangely, the game has a publisher, PQube, but there’s no explanation on the Kickstarter page for why crowdfunding was necessary.
You’ll need to pledge at least $39 to secure a copy of the game, with higher reward tiers offering physical copies, soundtracks, and other bonuses.
Project Rap Rabbit is due out by August 2018.