Things don’t appear to be looking great for the Project Rap Rabbit Kickstarter campaign.
Project Rap Rabbit, the rhythm-action game collaboration project between the creators of PaRappa the Rapper and Gitaroo Man may not see the light of day after all. With six hours left to go, the campaign still needs 700 thousand pounds to be fully funded. Having launched in mid-May, the Project Rap Rabbit campaign is currently sitting at a little under 160 thousand pounds, less than a quarter of its overall goal. A video previewing the gameplay concept released earlier this month, giving people a better understanding of what the final product would look like but with so little time left, the success of the campaign is looking unlikely.
For those unaware, Project Rap Rabbit is a game set in a fictionalised 16th Century Japan. Players follow a young rabbit named Toto-Maru as he overthrows a corrupt government through a series of rap battles. Players would be able to construct their own lines in addition to following the rhythm of the song.
There are a number of potential reasons why Project Rap Rabbit didn’t gain the support it needed. When the game was first announced, the gameplay was slightly difficult for many to wrap their heads around. While the latest video makes the concept clearer, the game’s initial teaser was vague and didn’t do much to explain how the game would work. Another possible reason is that Project Rap Rabbit is, unfortunately, a victim of bad timing as a Kickstarter project. After majorly successful campaigns resulted in games that disappointed most supporters, many gamers are more sceptical about new revival projects. The fact that the rhythm-action genre is so niche also doesn’t help Project Rap Rabbit’s situation at all.
Coincidentally, Sony recently released a remastered PlayStation 4 edition of the PlayStation classic, PaRappa the Rapper. The game is nearly untouched, only adjusting the graphics to fit on modern consoles. Though the game’s art style holds up well, Complaints have been made about the game’s low-resolution cutscenes and slightly frustrating gameplay.
