This article is about the first video game of the series. If you were looking for the titular character, go to PaRappa Rappa.
PaRappa the Rapper (パラッパラッパー Parappa Rappā) is a rhythm video game by NanaOn-Sha, and is considered the originator of its genre. It was released on Playstation in Japan on December 6, 1996, a year later other continents followed. The game is named after its protagonist, Parappa Rappa, a rapping dog with the motto "I gotta believe!"
Plot
We are introduced to a group of young adults in their daily life, having finished watching a movie of Jet Baby in the cinema's and follow it up with fast-food at the Chunky Burger.
The protagonist, Parappa, struggles with his wish to become a 'real' adult, or to be perceived as such.
Parappa is in love with his friend, Sunny Funny, and tries to win her heart, but is intimidated by Joe Chin, who goes overboard with trying to impress Sunny. In hopes of impressing her on his own, Parappa learns to fight at The Fruits Kung-Fu Dojo, and take a driver's education course to get his license.
After crashing his dad's car, Parappa has to earn money at the flea market to pay for it.
When Sunny's birthday comes up, Parappa has to get cake, but ends up ruining it after an unfortunate encounter with Joe. He makes a new one instead by watching a cooking show, and at Sunny's Birthday get-together, he eats a lot of it.
Later, as he spends time alone with Sunny, he is suddenly overcome with an upset stomach and the urgent need to use the bathroom. At the gas station, he has to rap against his former teachers to get to the front of the queue.
Then one night, Parappa is invited to Club Fun, and asks Sunny to go with him, to which she agrees. Upon entering, both PaRappa and Sunny are mobbed by the club patrons. After getting separated from Sunny, Parappa is called by King Kong Mooshi up onto the stage to perform. Parappa then raps on stage with his former teachers, along with doing a rapping solo at the end of the song and expressing his feelings for Sunny.
After the credits end, a message saying 'PaRappa The Rapper 2' appears. The sequel, named PaRappa The Rapper 2 was made in 2001 and was released for the Sony PlayStation 2. This message was removed in the PlayStation Portable (PSP) edition of the game, but Sony re-released the game, due to PaRappa the Rapper 2 already had been released at the time the ports were made.
The message after the end credits.
Stages
- Stage 1: I need to become a hero!
- Stage 2: You guys sit in the back
- Stage 3: My dad's gonna bite me!!
- Stage 4: Guaranteed to catch her heart
- Stage 5: Full Tank
- Stage 6: I gotta believe!!
Gameplay
Considered ahead of its time in its day, PaRappa the Rapper is somewhat similar to the classic 1980s game Simon, in which the player is required to repeat a sequence of sounds and buttons. PaRappa the Rapper demands that the player not only get the sequence correct but also the timing of the sequence. The game provides small portions of spoken vocals that are triggered when the appropriate buttons are pressed. Pressing the buttons in the correct order, with the correct timing, provides an intelligible imitation of the words spoken by the character; pressing the buttons in an incorrect order or with incorrect timing rewards the player with nothing more than unintelligible gibberish.
Points are awarded for correctness and "style." By simply following the given sequence, the best a player can attain is the "U rappin' GOOD" rating. To get a higher rating, the player must "freestyle"; that is, to deviate from the given sequence but still keep in time with the song's rhythm. Through this method, the player can attain a "U rappin' COOL" rating. A player needs to have completed a level first before a COOL level can be obtained (this is not the case in its sequels). Alternately, if the player continues to play poorly, they may lose points and attain "U rappin' BAD" and "U rappin' AWFUL" ratings. A player drops down a rank after playing 2 wrong lines in succession, or on occasion an utterly ridiculous line, and can only go back up a level by getting two consecutive good lines.
If the stage is completed with a BAD or AWFUL rating, or if at any point the "U rappin'" meter falls below AWFUL, the stage is failed and the player is offered an option to try to attempt the stage again or to quit. If the stage is completed with a GOOD or COOL rating, the player continues to the next stage. If all stages are completed at COOL rating, the player is awarded with an alternate game ending, and a bonus song can be accessed.
Rank-changing aspects of a level are only apparent during the first of every 2 lines. If the player successfully times the first line of a pair, but fails on the second, the rank meter will not blink BAD or AWFUL. Likewise, once the game has been cleared, a good play is only necessary on the first of every two lines to get a shot at COOL mode on the second line. This is fixed in the game's sequels, but not in the PSP remake.
Reception
While the gameplay is simplistic on a certain level, the game is remembered for its unique graphic design, its quirky soundtrack, and its bizarre plot.
Spin Off and Merchandise
PaRappa became somewhat popular in Japan. Spawning plenty of merchandise, a spinoff in 1999, a widget-series anime, and a direct sequel for PlayStation 2 in 2001.
Five years later, a PlayStation Portable (PSP) port of the original game was released in Japan in December 2006 and in North America and Europe in July 2007. On 4th April 2017, a remastered version of the game was released on PS4, with improved visuals, rumble features and trophies. This conversion was produced by SCE Japan Studio.
Trivia
- In the game's root directory exists a folder named "S8". It contains files that contain an unused scene that would take place after Stage 6 on Cool Mode, where the player can control PaRappa during the "Somebody say ho!" segment at the very end. This actually happens in the sequel on the final stage if the player completes it on Cool Mode. It can be determined this sequence was planned for the original game but not implemented for whatever reason.[1]
- When the game was featured as a challenge on Gamesmaster in 1998, the contestants, a team of two people, were given an extra large controller to make the game harder. The size of the buttons were that of the palm of a hand.
- The very year it was released in Japan, Parappa was the 7th top selling game.
- Stage 2 has PaRappa, Sunny, Katy and PJ were eating ice cream at the "Phat Donut", which Joe Chin purposely drove into, destroying the place. In Stage 4 the restaurant was renamed "Flat Donut" due to it's state after the crash.
- KT & The Sunny Funny Band is an extra feature in Parappa the Rapper which is unlocked after completing All stages on Cool Mode. Their clothes can be changed.