Based on the 1979 Vietnam classic war film "Apocalypse Now," director Francis Ford Coppola is steaming an ambitious roleplaying game based on the film's title. The game aims to raise $900,000 to fund the game development. It is set to launch in 2020.

The gameplay and storyline is distinctively different from the film since it will be turned into a horror RPG under a new project led by the director's American Zoetrope banner, Variety reported. The RPG version of "Apocalypse Now" aims to blend a cinematic narrative with role-playing game mechanics.

With a budget that huge, the company has launched a Kickstarter campaign to solicit support and input from gamers and fans of the 1979 Vietnam War classic. Those who will pledge money to the project will be provided with an array of rewards such as unique game options, digital novels, and props used in the original motion picture, Kickstarter reported.

According to Coppola, forty years ago he sets out to make a personal art picture that could hopefully influence generation of viewers for years to come. Today, he is now enjoined by a new team that wants to make an interactive version of the film through an RPG. Players will have to enjoy themselves as Captain Benjamin Willard and take on secret missions to assassinate the renegade Colonel Kurtz amidst the harsh backdrop of the Vietnam War.

The source added that Coppola's game development team is composed of game-industry veterans like Rob Auten, lead writer of "Gears of War," "Battlefield" and "Far Cry;" Laurence Liberty, executive producer and director of "Fallout:New Vegas," "The Witcher" and "DC Universe Online;" and Montgomery Markland, who was the lead producer on crowdfunded titles "Wasteland 2" and "Torment: Tides of Numenera."

Game director Montgomery Markland emphasized that they will create a game that challenges what an interactive experience can be, just as the original motion picture challenged the concept of cinema. He promised to deliver a greater variety of experience and interaction to players.

Tags RPG