The creators of classic rhythm games PaRappa the Rapper and Gitaroo Man have partnered up to create a brand-new rapping and rhythm game, with a strong narrative and Eastern stylings, called Project Rap Rabbit. While the nature of the project is rather mysterious for now, a short trailer video introducing it has many a musical gaming fan excited.
If you’re a fan of rhythm games, especially from the ’90s and early ’00s, then Masaya Matsuura and Keiichi Yano are two names that even if not immediately familiar, will certainly have made a game that you enjoyed. Matsuura is best known for creating PaRappa the Rapper on the PS1 and its PSP port, while Keiichi Yano developed Gitaroo Man for the PS2 and more recently Lips for the Xbox 360.
The new game is being made by Matsuura’s NanaOn-Sha and Yano’s iNis. As a rhythm game it will draw on the strengths of both its creative leads, though we’re told it will also have a strong narrative.
Actual details of the game though are almost non-existent at this point. The new official site features the same video as the header, with the — presumably — eponymous rapping rabbit relaxing on a rooftop surrounded by a pseudo-industrialized Japanese cityscape. There’s also a giant, bearded frog leaning over the landscape, while a smaller, green creature rests on the seat of a motorized unicycle.
There are aliens and quadcopter drones, too, so making a solid prediction about any aspect of this game is difficult. However, judging by its name and the cited rhythm genre, we can assume some sort of lyrical mechanic will be a major component of the game. That sort of title is so rare though, that beyond making comparisons with the original PaRappa, it’s hard to really guess what the game will be like.
All we know for now is that it’s in production and we’ll learn more soon. Perhaps as soon as E3.
