Harmonix Seeks to Kickstart “Amplitude” Sequel
Put Away the Plastic Guitar, They're Going Back to Controllers
Harmonix has posted a new Kickstarter project seeking to create a next-gen successor the 2003 music and rhythm-based games, “Frequency” and “Amplitude”. Discounted pricing for the game has gone to the first 1,000 contributors, but backers can still grab a PS3/PS4 cross-buy code for $20 or a two week pre-launch code for $40.
The campaign ends on May 23 and has already garnered $100,000 of support in its first day toward its $775,000 goal. According to Eran Egozy, Harmonix CTO and co-founder:
We’ve been eager to return to our roots for a while, and to develop a next-gen controller-based rhythm game.
In the 11 years since “Amplitude’s” release, Harmonix has produced several other music themed games, including “Guitar Hero,” “Rock Band,” and “Dance Central.” All of these have utilized alternate input options - mock guitars and drums, microphones, motion capture - but none were intended for use with the controller.
“Frequency” and “Amplitude” gameplay put the player in charge of the Beat Blaster, a ship which used player input to tap out a rhythm along a certain section of track for a short time. Once the player successfully completed a track segment, it would vanish from the screen and play automatically for a short time, giving the player a chance to continue the process on other tracks. Rather than the rock, metal, and alternative sounds of "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," the controller-based games featured music more akin to club mixes of popular songs.
As opposed to its predecessors, however, the new project will include music created within Harmonix’s studios rather than popular licensed tracks. Harmonix attributes this decision to the expense of acquiring licensed music for a relatively small game developer and the ability to use their own music to create more powerful gameplay. Harmonix also says that it will pursue licensed music if it secures the necessary funding.
Even if the goal is met, Harmonix has no plans for the next-gen "Amplitude" on other consoles. From the Kickstarter’s FAQ:
We think it’s important for a game built on the history of "Amplitude" and "FreQuency" to be focused on Sony hardware in order to remain faithful to the core gameplay experience.
Meanwhile, Harmonix does say in the same section that support for the PlayStation Vita will be among the project’s stretch goals.
Details are not concrete yet, but the delivery estimate given by Harmonix slates the new Amplitude to be ready near April 2015.
Source: "Amplitude" Kickstarter
