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RPG Maker

RPG Tsukūru (RPGツクール),1) often called RPG Maker, is a series of game development programs that are often published under ASCII, Enterbrain, or Kadokawa Games. These programs are Japanese in origin, but has amassed a sizable international cult following.

Main releases

While these programs have been released for various different platforms, this article will mostly focus on the major ones that's been released for Microsoft Windows and occasionally go on sale. You will typically find these on Komodo Plaza, Steam, Humble Bundle, etc.

Title Abbr. Release date Download Notes
RPG Maker 95
RPGツクール95 		RM95 1997-03-28 • Doesn't run well on a modern computer.
RPG Maker 2000
RPGツクール2000 		RM2k
2k 		2000-04-05 Steam • The classic! 16-bit and tiny sprites!
• Sadly, it's the least intuitive of the bunch.
• If you're making an RPG, use RM2k3.
• Very common for Yume Nikki fangames.
RPG Maker 2003
RPGツクール2003 		RM2k3
2k3 		2002-12-18 Official
Steam
RPG Maker XP
RPGツクールXP 		RMXP
XP 		2004-07-22 Official
Steam 		• The first 32-bit entry with Ruby.
• I am not a fan of Pokémon Essentials.
RPG Maker VX
RPGツクールVX 		RMVX
VX 		2007-12-27 Official
Steam 		• Avoid this. You want VX Ace instead.
• How are they still selling this anyways?
RPG Maker VX Ace
RPGツクールVX Ace 		RMVXA
VXA 		2011-12-15 Official
Steam 		• RPG Maker VX, with improvements.
• This was everywhere in the early 2010s.
RPG Maker MV
RPGツクールMV 		RMMV
MV 		2015-12-17 Official
Steam 		• First major cross-platform entries.
• JavaScript has replaced Ruby.
• As a result, you can find tons of assets.
RPG Maker MZ
RPGツクールMZ 		RMMZ
MZ 		2020-08-20 Official
Steam

List of noteworthy games

This section contains a list of noteworthy games, that use one of the aforementioned engines, along with the initial or full release year.2) Do not interpret this section as a recommendation list, since I personally haven't played through every single entry listed below. I apologize if this news disappoints readers that are really into the horror game or surreal game developed in RPG Maker aesthetic.

RPG Maker 2000 (2000)

RPG Maker 2003 (2002)

  • [2004] Yume Nikki
  • [2008] Off
  • [2009] Mother: Cognitive Dissonance
  • [2010] Space Funeral
  • [2012] Touhou-A-Live
  • [2013] Pom Gets Wi-Fi
  • [2014] OneShot (original)
  • [2019] Grimm's Hollow

RPG Maker XP (2004)

RPG Maker VX (2007)

  • [2012] The Witch's House (original)
  • [2018] Changed

RPG Maker VX Ace (2011)

RPG Maker MV (2015)

Notes

  • As long as you've purchased a license, you can legally sell games that were made in RPG Maker, though you still have to be careful with copyright infringement.
1)
“Tsukūru” (ツクール) is a portmanteau of “tsukuru” (作る, lit. “make/create”) and “tsūru” (ツール, lit. “tool”), which is why “RPG Tsukūru” is sometimes romanized as “RPG Tkool” for some reason.
2)
A significant portion of RPG Maker games may continue to receive updates to this date and some of these have never entered a “full release” state, forcing me to use the “initial release” year if necessary.
3)
Hanayome no Kanmuri (花嫁の冠, lit. “Bridal Crown”) is one of the sample games that ASCII packaged with RPG Maker 2000. It's usually described as a simple RPG, with way too much effort put into it.
4)
The original, award-winning Corpse Party for the PC-98 was made in “RPG Tsukūru Dante98” in 1996, while Corpse Party: Rebuild is a fan-made remaster made in “RPG Maker XP” in 2011. The game's official remakes (available on numerous platforms) are technically an enhanced reboot, not made in an RPG Maker engine, thus creating a need to recreate the original game.
5) , 6)
Super Lesbian Horse RPG (SLHRPG) was a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fangame in 2013, later reworked into the non-infringing Super Lesbian Animal RPG (SLARPG) in 2022.
rpg_maker.txt · Last modified: 2024-04-13 00:15:23 by namelessrumia