Apocalypse Now, the epic 1979 Vietnam War movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is considered as a cinematic classic.
Nearly 40 years later, Coppola is now looking to revive Apocalypse Now as a video game, with the director having assembled a team of industry veterans to make the project become reality.
Apocalypse Now Video Game Details
Coppola has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding for the Apocalypse Now video game. The campaign, which is looking to raise a hefty goal of $900,000, will only partly finance the ambitious project.
"Forty years ago, I set out to make a personal art picture that could hopefully influence generations of viewers for years to come," Coppola said in a statement, referring to the 1979 film. He envisions the game as having players take on the role of Captain Benjamin Willard, played in the movie by Martin Sheen, as they embark on a mission to assassinate renegade Col. Walter Kurtz, played in the movie by Marlon Brando.
To aid Coppola in his vision for the Apocalypse Now video game is a team of veteran game developers that includes Rob Auten, lead writer for multiple franchises such as Far Cry, Battlefield, and Gears of War; Lawrence Liberty, executive producer and director for DC Universe Online, The Witcher, and Fallout: New Vegas; and Montgomery Markland, lead producer for two of the most successful crowdfunded video games in history, namely Torment: Tides of Numenera and Wasteland 2. If any team can replicate the magnificence of the film on a video game, it might very well be this team.
The video game of Apocalypse Now will look to blend a cinematic narrative with the mechanics of a role-playing game, with the title described as an interactive recreation of Willard's story in the film. Players will be able to make decisions that are different from those made in the movie, resulting in different outcomes. However, unlike traditional RPGs, the focus will not be on the dialogue but rather on actions and postures, with combat to be focused on stealth as the game is said to be "not Call of Duty in Vietnam."
Aside from the Vietnam War, the title will also be featuring a war against limited resources, which players should deftly manage to ensure Willard's success. These resources include food, water, ammo, drugs, and gasoline.
Apocalypse Now Video Game Kickstarter Campaign
The Kickstarter campaign launched for the Apocalypse Now video game offers a wide range of rewards, with the lowest pledge with a reward being $25 for a digital copy of the video game. In comparison, the highest reward tier for a pledge of $10,000 also includes early access to the Apocalypse Now video game, a multitude of collector's items such as a limited edition Air Cav surfboard and a prop from the set of the film, invitations to the wrap-up party of the project in Hollywood, and a personalized NPC created through full-motion capture.
According to the campaign, the estimated shipping date for the Apocalypse Now video game will not be until October 2020, though backers who will gain early access to the title will be able to play it in 2019, in time for the film's 40th anniversary.
