The creators behind PaRappa the Rappa and Gitaroo Man have teamed up to produce a brand new rhythm title for the PS4 known as Project Rap Rabbit.
Launched on Kickstarter, the title is a collaboration between developers NanaOh-Sha iNiS J and is described as a brand new type of rhythm-action game that marries elements from the studios’ past titles with fresh ideas to the music genre. The game itself follows rapping rabbit Toto-Maru and buddy Otama-Maru as they embark on a globetrotting adventure to bring peace to troubled lands by beating neighbouring factions in rap battles. As you do.
“To truly convey the dynamic nature of rap battles, we realised we could no longer be constrained to the established linear song templates of older titles. Instead, we had to invent a system that enables players to pick and choose how their raps unfold: a spider web of lyrics, rhythms and emotions that players can steer through depending on their wishes and the opponent’s moves,” says the PlayStation Blog post.
Interestingly, Project Rap Rabbit plucks influence from the dialogue wheel in games such as Mass Effect, in the sense that different paths during each battle will net you bespoke bonuses and outcomes. You can also expect the classic PaRappa the Rappa-style call-and-response gameplay that has become a staple of the genre for the past two decades.
“We believe that Project Rap Rabbit represents the future of rhythm-action gaming, and we hope to make it the first instalment of our return to story-driven music adventures. With your assistance, we cannot wait to bring our mash-up of musical styles, cultures and gameplay systems to life. Our intent is to establish a new benchmark for the genre, and a music game without equal.”
If you haven’t already done so, you can check out our PaRappa the Rapper PS4 review to see how the rapping mutt shapes up on Sony’s flagship home console.