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Kickstarter: Project Rap Rabbit (Parappa x Gitaroo Man creators)

Deft Beck

Member
That rabbit is UGLY. Wow. How can something that hideous come from the creators of the awesome Parappa and Gitaroo Man?

A completely different art director.

Mind you, I wouldn't call U1 a pleasant design. He's like a kid's notebook scribblings. But, at least that fit with the game's themes.

I'll warm up to our new rap hero in time.
 
Backed a Tagged Edition. Can't pass up on that vinyl.

In all honesty, I remain somewhat skeptical that it will be funded. But the premise of Edo-punk with the mechanical solidity of the studios past works was enough to do it.

I really hope this gets funded though.
 

PSqueak

Banned
That rabbit is UGLY. Wow. How can something that hideous come from the creators of the awesome Parappa and Gitaroo Man?

#1, the rabbit is not ugly, he's adorable!

#2, the guy who designed Parappa is not involved, it's a different guy from the creator of the game, as i understand it.
 

JP

Member
Happy to see this happening as it looks really interesting and I love the "Make Rhythm Action Great Again" tagline, happy to back this project.
 

dickroach

Member
If this Kickstarter fails Sony would be FOOLS to not come to Matsuura and say "rework this into a PaRappa game and we'll foot the bill".

100% speculation:
they did approach Sony, Sony did Parappa HD to test the market, and it didn't sell well so they turned down funding Rap Rabbit.
if people aren't paying $15 for an iconic hour long rhythm game, they're not gonna pay $40 for a new hour long rhythm game.
I don't think it's a coincidence this went up a month after Parappa HD came out.
 

Anarky

Banned
I'm pretty surprised the XBO goal is before the Switch goal. This doesn't seem like the type of game the Xbox audience would be into.
 

Camjo-Z

Member
100% speculation:
they did approach Sony, Sony did Parappa HD to test the market, and it didn't sell well so they turned down funding Rap Rabbit.
if people aren't paying $15 for an iconic hour long rhythm game, they're not gonna pay $40 for a new hour long rhythm game.
I don't think it's a coincidence this went up a month after Parappa HD came out.

They'd have to be really dumb if that's the case. PaRappa 1 is great, but it's a 20 year old game of glorified Simon Says and it really shows its age when the visuals are crisp and slick but the gameplay isn't.
 
100% speculation:
they did approach Sony, Sony did Parappa HD to test the market, and it didn't sell well so they turned down funding Rap Rabbit.
if people aren't paying $15 for an iconic hour long rhythm game, they're not gonna pay $40 for a new hour long rhythm game.
I don't think it's a coincidence this went up a month after Parappa HD came out.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's some truth to this.
 
If "development of Project Rap Rabbit is well underway using Unreal Engine 4," you'd think they could have some gameplay footage ready to show.
 

dracula_x

Member
From FAQ:

Why are the funding and stretch goal targets so high?

This is a game we have dreamed of developing for a very long time, but with many publishers afraid to invest in the rhythm-action genre we've been unable to secure the funds to make Project Rap Rabbit at the quality we expect and you deserve. Ours is an ambitious project that requires us to design and perfect innovative mechanics and multiple songs, which is neither a cheap nor quick task to do right. Making this game for $500,000 wouldn't be possible!

Though we would love to lower the targets – or do away with them altogether and just make Project Rap Rabbit without turning to Kickstarter - we need to be realistic about the costs involved in developing a AAA music game. While some other Kickstarter projects have been in a position where they were able to fund partly through Kickstarter and secure investment from outside sources, or have underestimated the goals needed to match their full ambition, we need to raise a large percentage of the full amount required to finish development and release Project Rap Rabbit.

This is your chance to prove to the industry that publishers have got it wrong: that there is still demand for story-led music games, and that the rhythm-action genre has a bright future.

But what about Nintendo Switch? It wouldn't take almost $4 million to port it.

Correct. We are building for four platforms while adding a game mode, extra difficulty (remember the cheerleader difficulty level in Elite Beat Agents?) and extra levels (a music game lives and dies by its levels of course!). We also must factor in the various fees and cost of goods to fulfill backer shipments (including console platform fees) and the Kickstarter platform fee to make sure we can safely meet our goals. We do NOT want to be in a position where we are fabricating low goals and then failing to deliver because of that. We need to be sensible about our development resources and ensure we neither bankrupt our development studios nor under deliver on our vision of making the most innovative rhythm-action title in generations.

The ordering and pricing structure of our Stretch Goals are designed to protect the quality of Project Rap Rabbit and the viability of our development studios, and are not driven by any other agenda. We are desperately keen to develop Project Rap Rabbit for all major formats, and are tremendously excited by Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch version is set to a higher tier as it requires game data to be specifically adapted for the console from the PS4 and PC versions due to the differing performance characteristics of that platform.

Development of Project Rap Rabbit is well underway using Unreal Engine 4, which means we're in a great position to port Project Rap Rabbit to Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Because of format architecture and studio experience, it's easier and less expensive for us to initially focus on PS4 and PC versions, followed by an Xbox One title. We must be mindful of the costs needed for development kits and extra staff, and conscious of the fact that this will be our first title for Nintendo's new console if we hit our Stretch Goal. It is important that we ensure Project Rap Rabbit is fully polished and perfected for every launch platform.

What happens if you don't make the $1.1 million target?

We have turned to Kickstarter to secure the funding for Project Rap Rabbit. If we do not meet this goal we will, sadly, be unable to continue with development.

...

They haven't even reach 1k backers. This is gonna be rough.

Well, there's a reason why game publishers don't fund games like this anymore.
 

True Fire

Member
We have turned to Kickstarter to secure the funding for Project Rap Rabbit. If we do not meet this goal we will, sadly, be unable to continue with development.

They can't honestly be betting the farm on people giving them millions of dollars for free? The Kickstarter well was poisoned years ago. They might've been successful in 2013, but not in 2017.

Well, there's a reason why game publishers don't fund games like this anymore.

Under the right circumstances, a rhythm game would perform well. Make a Pokémon rhythm game for iOS and it will become the new fad. A Kickstarter with questionable finances is not the right circumstances.
 
Given that the theme of the story seems to be embracing diversity and making a constructive effort towards social change in lieu of polarization and despair, I think it's meant to tie into how it's an overall allegory for the current zeitgeist.

I like that interpretation. I'll give the benefit of the doubt and hope that's what they're going for.
 

dracula_x

Member
...

Under the right circumstances, a rhythm game would perform well. Make a Pokémon rhythm game for iOS and it will become the new fad. A Kickstarter with questionable finances is not the right circumstances.

theoretically, any game could do well if you slap "Pokemon" name on it.

edit: also, see Lumines on Android and iOS. Don't think it was success.

in addition, how many "rhythm" games you see here:

Code:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/8Gu8mQS.png[/IMG]
 
Weird that they don't prioritize multi-platform over extra content. If the game sells well enough through being on more hardware then it could fund some of those content stretch goals as DLC.
 
How is it possible that they spend 1.1m to develop the game from the ground up for ps4 and pc, but need an extra 800k to port to xbone?
 

Kiriku

SWEDISH PERFECTION
I love both Parappa and Gitaroo Man, but with that price tag in this day and age... I hope the production values are high. The actual gameplay sounds cool though and I like the graphical style.
 

-MD-

Member
Loved PaRappa so was gonna throw money but $39 is too steep for a kickstarter gamble.

I'll wait to see how it turns out.
 

jamsy

Member
Yeah, the amounts they're asking are way too much. I'd go for it if it was like $30 for physical, but think I'm gonna pass at this price.

I really like those old games, but asking for millions off the bat, and having the game be close to retail price ($45 for physical) is too much. Not to mention that the appetite for kickstarters has certainly waned from where it used to be a few years back. I hope it makes it, but I wouldn't bet on it.
 
Why are there two threads for this. Also I think they would be doing much better if they actually had prototype gameplay in their video. For a music game you want to see what the flow looks like, and get a sense of the style of music they're going for. The canned music they have in the pitch video is hopefully not representative of that.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the first day is usually where the bulk of the fund comes from, right? It doesn't look very good at this point. Do we have comparisons to other Kickstarters?
 

Dachande

Member
Man, they've balls'ed this up bad. It's a great idea and it'd be a fantastic game that I wanna play (I love the art!), but I'm having serious doubts it'll get made at this point.

The video is so bad. Yes, these guys are legends, they've made fantastic games and it was really cool to see a bit of them in their office working on some stuff, but it needs something tangible of the game. Where's the prototypes? Are there test animatics of the game mechanic in action or something?

After reading the page twice and watching the video, I finally get the gameplay idea, but it's really hard to get across in written form. People need to see it to be sold on it. Anything, even a basic UE4 prototype, would work. And if they have something but they're still tweaking it until they're happy before showing it, why not just wait?

Which is the other problem - is it just me, or did the Kickstarter come out of nowhere? I could've sworn there was no mention of crowdfunding in the original reveal and rumour information. I didn't miss this, right? A surprise Kickstarter with no announcement (especially after such a lovely reveal) hasn't helped matters in the slightest.

I'll probably wait a bit and see, and if the situation improves I'll chuck in, but I wish it wasn't like this... I'm mad!
 

Camjo-Z

Member
Man, they've balls'ed this up bad. It's a great idea and it'd be a fantastic game that I wanna play (I love the art!), but I'm having serious doubts it'll get made at this point.

The video is so bad. Yes, these guys are legends, they've made fantastic games and it was really cool to see a bit of them in their office working on some stuff, but it needs something tangible of the game. Where's the prototypes? Are there test animatics of the game mechanic in action or something?

After reading the page twice and watching the video, I finally get the gameplay idea, but it's really hard to get across in written form. People need to see it to be sold on it. Anything, even a basic UE4 prototype, would work. And if they have something but they're still tweaking it until they're happy before showing it, why not just wait?

If they weren't already working on it they should definitely be making gameplay footage (or at least a music sample!) their first priority. There's 34 days left in the campaign so they've got plenty of time to cook something up.

So far they're just over 7% of the way to the goal during Day 1... which is good if pledges keep rolling in at this rate, bad if they're frontloaded.
 

XaosWolf

Member
Backed for physical edition but am still sceptical.
Really hoping the rhythm part of this is more like Gitaroo Man than Parappa.
Y'know, actually have everything in sync like a good rhythm game
 
Switch being last is fine; Nintendo fans are way may more dedicated than Bone fans.

Why would Nintendo fans support a stretch goal that is no more than a pipe dream? They're asking for more than MN9 got in an age where people are growing more and more skeptical of Kickstarter projects.
 

dickroach

Member
still just crawwwling along at little less than one backer per minute.
if it consistently ticks at this pace for the next 34 days they will probably get funded, but it doesn't look good...
I just went clicking around kicktraq.com to look at some stats

Bloodstained $5,545,992 total raised / $500,000 goal ✓
in the first two days they raised $1,659,996. 30% of the total raised, and 332% of the goal

Yooka Laylee: £2.090.104 total raised / £175,000 goal ✓
in the first two days they raised £1,228,947. 59% of the total raised, and 702% of the goal

Mighty No. 9: $3,845,048 total raised / $900,000 goal ✓
in the first two days they raised $722,201.19% of the total raised, and 80% of the goal.
in the first four days they raised $1,409,662. 37% of the total, and 157% of the goal

Red Ash: $520,000 total raised / $800,000 goal :(
in the first two days they raised $225,542. 28% of the goal

Shenmue 3: $6,333,296 total raised / $2,000,000 goal ✓
in the first two days they raised $2,935,804. 45% of the total raised, and 142% of the goal

System Shock: $1,350,700 total raised / $900,000 goal ✓
in the first two days they raised $550,091. 41% of the total raised, and 61% of the goal.
then it was a slow crawl, about $25k per day, and it got funded on day 10. not a huge success.

Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove: $508,578 total raised / $400,000 goal ✓
in the first two days they raised $142,426. 28% of the total raised, and 36% of the goal
they crossed their goal with the days to go. $124,485 (31% of the goal) was raised in the last three days. barely made it, but did have a nice little push at the end.
this is was a slow moving kickstarter for a niche game, maybe the best comparison to Rap Rabbit. but the point still stands that they raised one third of their goal in the first two days, and they were asking for one third of what Rap Rabbit is asking for.

Thimbleweed Park: $626,251 total raised / $375,000 goal
in the first two days they raised $189,963. 30% of the total raised, and 51% of the goal.
the rest of the first week was strong as well, meeting its goal by day 7.

^those were all sort of reboot / sequals / spiritual successors created by bigs name. I'd put Rap Rabbit in this category, but anyway...
now for some other stuff

Shovel Knight: $311,491 end total / $75,000 goal ✓
in the first two days they raised $17,431. 6% of the end total, and 23% of the goal
in the last seven days they raised $193,361. 58% of the end total, and 258% of the goal

(I'm curious about Indivisible but can't find an indiegogo tracker. I remember that had a big late push as well)

-------------

if this thing's not at like $400,000 by tomorrow then they're completely boned.
the second day's usually bigger than the first, so we'll see.
 

LAA

Member
I am very interested in this game but...
The gameplay doesn't seem as much like gitaroo man as I hoped, and rap isn't really my thing, unless it is really catchy and the biggest problem really for me at this point... £30 for 6 levels doesn't seem like very much. I think Gitaroo man had 9/10 maybe, more if you count the PSP extra ones.

Gonna keep an eye on it and think about it though.
 

dickroach

Member
Unless they have a spot on the Sony E3 show or something, I don't see any way in hell this reaches its goal.

if they could present anything around E3, a short video of gameplay or whatever, when everyone's video game hype is at an all time high, they might be able to pick up some traction and get that last week bump
 
They can't honestly be betting the farm on people giving them millions of dollars for free? The Kickstarter well was poisoned years ago. They might've been successful in 2013, but not in 2017.



Under the right circumstances, a rhythm game would perform well. Make a Pokémon rhythm game for iOS and it will become the new fad. A Kickstarter with questionable finances is not the right circumstances.



Even in 2013, I dont see it being a success. I mean, Shenmue 3 is sitting at 6 millions while carrying a freaking big name, shown on stage at E3. Other successful ones are not-Castlevania by Igarashi, not-Megaman by Inafune and not-Banjo by ex-Rare people.

All these games either had a name or a creator attached to it. Parappa and Gitaroo-man are a lot more niche, smaller and unknown than any of these games. And it's asking a lot already.



Oh and, game is fuckin expensive. 40€ for your base tier ??? And that's for a 6 levels rythm game. No early birds, no gameplay, nothing.

Shenmue 3 was 30 euros, Bloodstained was 30 euros, Yooka Laylee was 18 euros and Mighty n9 was 18 euros.
 

dickroach

Member
Oh and, game is fuckin expensive. 40€ for your base tier ??? And that's for a 6 levels rythm game. No early birds, no gameplay, nothing.

Shenmue 3 was 30 euros, Bloodstained was 30 euros, Yooka Laylee was 18 euros and Mighty n9 was 18 euros.
and none of those games were looking for over 1,000,000
 
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