Nearly four decades have passed since the release of Apocalypse Now, one of the most critically acclaimed films set during the Vietnam War. Despite the passage of time, there was never a game, but now Francis Ford Coppola has finally announced the Apocalypse Now video game.
American Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola's film factory, is partnering with a team of video game industry veterans to turn the classic war film Apocalypse Now into a psychological horror role-playing game. Nearly four decades have passed since Coppola adapted the novel El corazón de las tinieblas (Heart of Darkness) by Joseph Conrad, though he moved the action to the Vietnam War with the belligerent performances of Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen, who suffered a near-fatal heart attack on set. Despite the infamous difficulty of the production, Apocalypse Now remains today one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time.
Apocalypse Now will be an immersive and psychedelic horror RPG set in the midst of the Vietnam War. Here you will take on the role of Captain Benjamin Willard, an American tasked with assassinating Colonel Walter E. Kurtz. The game is an interactive recreation of Willard's journey, where you will have limited resources while facing inexplicable terrors. By choosing how to react to these situations, each player shapes a unique version of Willard within the loose confines of the film's story. Unlike a traditional RPG, the emphasis is not on choosing dialogue, but rather on actions and postures. In fact, your actions will also have severe repercussions that affect the relationship with the crew of the PBR Streetgang (also known as the Erebus).
Combat is based on survival horror to emphasize combat avoidance and stealth. So if you want to survive, you will have to proceed cautiously and manage resources carefully. The game needs $900,000 to be funded through the site Kickstarter, and as usual there are several rewards for the most generous contributors. Apocalypse Now is being developed by a team of designers and writers who have worked on games like Fallout: New Vegas, Far Cry, and The Witcher, among others. The game does not have a concrete platform and release date, but it is expected to arrive sometime in 2020 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the film.
