Music game studio Harmonix is gearing up for an HD remake of their cult classic, Amplitude. Because this project will be self published, the studio is looking to crowdfunding to gather the necessary funds so that they can finish the game in time for a March 2015 launch.
Originally released in March 2003 for the PlayStation 2, Amplitude had the player controlling a ship traveling along paths with musical notes similar to Harmonix’s more well-known games, Guitar Hero and Rock Band.
However, Amplitude had up to six tracks the player could switch between during the song, each track representing a different instrument. Successfully hitting enough notes on each track would “capture” it, allowing that track to play on its own for several bars. In short, the player could conduct and remix the songs.
Despite receiving rave reviews, Amplitude did not sell well because of its unorthodox gameplay, but it has a very strong cult following, which is what Harmonix is banking on to fund the HD remake. “This project is intended to be a love letter to old-school PS2® fans, but we need to know that this is something you actually want. This is the project WE desperately want to make, but we can’t do it without your interest and support” reads the game’s Kickstarter page.
With 17 out of 18 days left to fund the project, Harmonix have so far accumulated $136,602 from 4195 backers. The game will need $775,000 to reach its goal, and if funding continues at this pace, Harmonix will far surpass that marker.
Some of the more lucrative rewards for generous donors include dinner with the development team and Double Fine’s Tim Schafer, a jam session with Harmonix’s in-house bands, and a helicopter tour of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the studio is based in.
Harmonix are planning to make improvements and updates to Amplitude‘s successful formula. These include creating an all-new electronic-based soundtrack through its various in-house bands, updating the game’s visuals to a new proprietary engine that will run at 60 frames per second, and maintaining the original’s notorious Dark Souls-like difficulty.
Amplitude will be released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, and if funding surpasses the $775,000 mark, Harmonix will also be able to develop the game for the PlayStation Vita.