Today i had an epiphany, a potentially very good idea for a game, but it has already been made, and is very much like the one i had in mind, although it has been years since it was released, and its part of a series, all with the same idea as mine.

Information about the games : My game will have the same overall idea, yet not the same title or characters, although some will be the same species(animal and/or alien) as in the previous game, but with different characteristics. The gameplay might include some fairly similar objectives(very common in this type of game), but I will add additional objectives that aren't in the previous game. Both games are in 2d yet mine is more retro and the previous has more of a 3d look.

My questions are the following:

1. If i would go on to design this game, using a different title, with the same idea as the previously released game would I be breaching copyrights just because Im using the same idea?

2. Is the chance of copyright breaching higher since this is a game series?

3. Would this work with all the difference listed above?

1. The "overall idea" is not copyrighted or copyrightable.
2. Not if you didn't use any copyrighted material (graphics, text, audio) or trademarked material (titles, logos, names including species names if original to the previous IP).
3. What are you asking? Your question #3 is unclear.
BTW, I am not a lawyer. My words above are not to be relied upon as legal advice.

What Tom said.
ideas can't be copyrighted - only the embodiment of the idea (so the code, graphics sound, original characters etc are protected). So, provided you don't use someone else's fictional world/characters (you create your own story) and you create you own original code, graphics, sound you will be ok.

^^^ Agreed with all of the above.
No one can copyright an idea. With the information you have given, using different characters, graphics, code, maps, and so on I don't think you would be copyrighting in any way.

Go for it bra!!

Thanks guys, now I can stop worrying about this and start designing it!

Btw Tom, question 3 wasn't even that important, since you guys pretty much answered everything i needed to know.

I am doing something very similar but coding/drawing/making everything my own and not using their name or similar characters. This was very helpful thanks!