With PaRappa the Rapper getting a 20th anniversary high-definition remake, there’s no better time to look back on the game that made the little two-dimensional rapping dog one of PlayStation’s earliest mascot characters.
The original title arrived on the PS1 on December 6, 1996 in Japan, and the following year in other territories. The story followed Parappa, an anthropomorphic dog, who wants to win the affection of the flower girl Sunny Funny. In his attempts to impress her, he learns kung-fu, takes driver’s ed, and tries to earn money to get her a gift. The gameplay focused on rhythm elements, with Parappa having to rap his way out of the various situations he gets himself into.
PaRappa is fondly remembered for its unique graphical style, in which visibly two-dimensional, flat characters interacted with a three-dimensional environment. (Nintendo’s Paper Mario also used the aesthetic, but wouldn’t come out for four years.) The designs came from Rodney Greenblat, an American artist who had been popular in Japan for his comic Thunder Bunny. Greenblat was responsible for the character designs for the game.
The game was an instant success, receiving positive reviews and later picking up the Interactive Achievement Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design and Outstanding Achievement in Sound and Music in 1998. A spinoff, UmJammer Lammy, arrived in 1999; it featured similar gameplay and the same visual style. A direct sequel, PaRappa the Rapper 2, released on the PlayStation 2 in 2001. Rumors of a third entry in the series surfaced as recently as 2014, but nothing materialized until the announcement of the HD edition of the original game.
A PaRappa the Rapper anime series was also made, originally airing for a total of 30 episodes between 2001 and 2002 in Japan. The series focused on most of the main characters from the games, though new characters were created exclusively for the series. The soundtrack for the anime was composed by Masa Matsuura, the game’s original designer.
With nostalgia for the ‘90s in full swing these days, it’s not a shock that PaRappa would be making a comeback. By introducing the dog and his funky flow to a new generation, perhaps it’s the spark that’s needed for a third game to finally get made after 15 years.
