DevelopmentGame DevelopmentJRPG

What are the best tools for your epic 16-bit JRPG?

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RPG Maker VX Ace vs MonoGame vs Pixel Studio - pixel art editor

 vs EasyRPG vs Tiled vs RPG Playground vs Itch.io - 16-bit game assets vs Tiny Tales: Mega Sprite Pack vs RPG Toolkit

Specs

Platforms

Windows

Mobile targets

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Languages

-

Steam Rating

-

Console targets

-

Platforms

Windows, Linux, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Mobile targets

Android, IOS, Windows phone

Languages

C#

Steam Rating

-

Console targets

-

Platforms

Windows, Mobile

Mobile targets

-

Languages

-

Steam Rating

Overwhelmingly Positive

Console targets

-

Platforms

Windows, Linux, Mac

Mobile targets

Android, iOS

Languages

-

Steam Rating

-

Console targets

Nintendo, Playstation

Platforms

Windows, Linux, Mac

Mobile targets

-

Languages

-

Steam Rating

-

Console targets

-

Platforms

Web

Mobile targets

-

Languages

-

Steam Rating

-

Console targets

-

Platforms

-

Mobile targets

-

Languages

-

Steam Rating

-

Console targets

-

Platforms

-

Mobile targets

-

Languages

-

Steam Rating

-

Console targets

-

Platforms

-

Mobile targets

-

Languages

-

Steam Rating

-

Console targets

-

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Quick and easy to learn

Built for ease of use to get your game made quickly!
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Pro
 Plenty of premade assets to get you started

Super high quality art assets get you making a game quickly without it looking terrible.
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Con
 Windows only development

With the ability to only work and deploy on Windows RPG Maker misses a major opportunity to create awesome RPG’s that anyone can play.
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Pro
 Steam support

Get a ton of great assets for the community by the community through Steam’s Workshop support.
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Con
 Multi-user development can be a hassle

RPG Maker was not really intended for multi-user support. There are a few tactics but for those of you who are used to with multi-user development may get annoyed.
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Pro
 Large community

Never a shortage of user tutorials, assets, or support.
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Pro
 Simple scripting implementation

Quickly script simple events with a few clicks. This powerful part of the editor allows you to get through the tedious amount of content for quests and other in game sequences quickly.
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Pro
 Creating maps is simple

Choose a tileset and get to mapping! Supported tiles will connect automatically to help you speed through the mapping process. Setting events on tiles is easy to do and populating your world with NPC’s and other items is easy to do.
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Pro
 Uses Ruby as a scripting language

Need more power for things like battle systems, plugins, or awesome effects? RPG Maker uses Ruby along with its own library to bring you the tools you need to stand out.
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Pro
 Powerful Database for everything you need

Everything you make is done through this powerful expansive database. You customize every character, weapon, enemy, and skill through this and so much more to make a designer's life easier.
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Pro
 Ton of customization options

Create things quickly with things like the character customizer or the experience curve editor. RPG Maker is made to let you change every single thing in your game swiftly and simply.
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Pro
 Relatively cheap

Although not free it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to get RPG Maker VX Ace. You can buy RPG Maker for $69.99 or get a free trial to see if it’s right for you.
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Con
 Isometric not out of the box

Want to make a tactics game? Well you’re going to have to do some extra work to get those awesome isometric tiles in your game.
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Con
 RPG Maker stigma

There is a major stigma with using RPG Maker since it does have such a low bar to entry. If you do use this engine just make sure your game is so awesome that no one will care what it was made in.
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Con
 Only one tileset per map

While a tileset in RPG Maker can encompass many files it also can be a hassle if you want to use multiple tilesets on a map. You can switch tilesets through code for multi-world game though.
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Pro
 Well-known and documented API

The framework implements the XNA 4 API, so games made in XNA can be ported to other platforms using this. This was the same API used by the Xbox Live Indie Games platform so there's lots of documentation online for it.
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Pro
 Performance on desktop

The performance on desktop platforms matches that of C++, but you still get all the pleasant features that C# has to offer.
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Pro
 Managed code

By leveraging C# and other .NET languages on Microsoft and Mono platforms you can write modern, fast, and reliable game code.
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Pro
 Cross-platform

Support for iOS, Android, Mac OS X, Linux, Windows (both OpenGL and DirectX), Windows 8 Store, Windows Phone 8, PlayStation Mobile, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and the OUYA console with even more platforms on the way.
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Pro
 Open source

All the code is available to you ensuring you'll have the ability to make changes when you need to or even port to whole new platforms.
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Con
 Not for beginners

Aimed at experienced developers, specifically in C#.
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Con
 Slow rate of updates

Version 3.9 is overdue by a year, and version 4.0 is set to be released in 2040.
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Con
 Non-Windows tools are a bit funky

Monogame support for Xamarin Studio or Monodevelop is a bit shaky especially for library references. Only good non-Windows IDE compatible with MonoGame is Rider and that costs money & isn't open-source.
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Con
 Slow Rate of Updates

Versions 3.8 and 3.9 are both overdue by a year, and version 4.0 is set to release in 2040.
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Pro
 Free version

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Pro
 Mobile version

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Pro
 Supports animations

Possibility to create frame-by-frame animations.
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Pro
 Large community

A large community that shares its arts.
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Pro
 Free

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Pro
 Free and open source

EasyRPG is licensed under the GPL license, with source code available on GitHub.
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Pro
 EasyRPG's player works with assorted games

Game player can run assorted RPG Maker 2000/2003 games out of the box with few glitches currently.
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Pro
 Aims to be compatible with RPG Maker 2000/2003 games

EasyRPG's editor aims to be compatible with projects made with RPG Maker 2000/2003.
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Pro
 Multi-platform

Not everyone uses the same operating system and why should they? Tiled supports Windows, Mac, and Linux so you can work in any environment you like. Also with daily builds you get to stay ahead of the curve!
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Pro
 Free and open-source

Using the GPL license means you get to use this software free and are free to make changes to it as you see fit.
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Pro
 Unlimited layers

Sometimes you need 20 layers to make something epic. Tiled lets you create as many layers as you need.
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Pro
 Use shell commands

Setup shell commands within Tiled so you can setup workflows for each of your games.
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Pro
 Supports Orthographic and Isometric tiles

Whether you want a straight on look at your world or a slightly skewed one Tiled has you covered.
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Pro
 Terrains

Setup boarders with your tilesets so making tiles provide the correct connections automatically. This feature will speed up your level creation.
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Pro
 Auto-mapping

One of the coolest things is to create rules so you can automate the mapping process. Want to have certain tiles to always have a collider? Simply make a rule for it and it'll do it automatically. Speed up your mapping process with this feature.
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Pro
 Many engines already have support

A big list of engines already have support for Tiled provided by those in the community. See if the engine you use is already on the list.
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Pro
 Can create colliders and triggers within editor

Tiled makes it easy to setup triggers and colliders with its vector tools or you can set up a tile that’s invisible in your game. Change collider/trigger properties so you can access them within your game.
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Pro
 Tile size and image size do not have to match

Want to import a giant object but don’t want to split it up? Import it and place it the exact size you want it as one object.
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Pro
 Properties

Create properties for your map, layers, tilesets, tiles, and objects. Have the flexibility you need to create the best levels for your game.
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Pro
 Engine agnostic

Tiled provides an easy solution for tile maps for any engine even the custom engine you are now making. This makes Tiled a very versatile tool for 2D games.
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Con
 Must implement .tmx if your engine doesn’t support Tiled.

It’s not a huge deal but you do need to implement Tiled into your engine if you don’t have it. Don't be lazy just follow this guideline to get your game running. Must implement .tmx if your engine doesn’t support Tiled.
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Pro
 Easy to use Scripting system

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Pro
 Many tiles and items

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Pro
 Free

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Pro
 Really easy to use

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Pro
 No download required

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Con
 Cannot import custom resources

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Con
 No plugins supported

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Con
 Discontinued

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Pro
 Object oriented scripting language

The scripting language RPG Code allows you to create robust games that don’t have to be an RPG.
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Pro
 Tile Based Lighting

Want to create cool scenes complete with light sources? This engine give tile based lighting to enhance the mood for your RPG epic!
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Pro
 Supports plugins

Want to expand upon the editor without having to recompile it? RPG Toolkit allows for plugins to create the tools you need.
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Pro
 Comes with it’s own code editor

Many times engines with their own scripting language make you stay in a less than helpful text editor. RPG Toolkit comes with it’s own editor along with code completion.
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Pro
 Database of objects

Quickly change stats, graphics, and properties of every game object in your game.
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Pro
 Orthographic and Isometric tiles supported

Straight on or at an angle? It’s up to you with the RPG Toolkit!
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Pro
 Vector based collisions and pathfinding

Create vectors right in the scene to define NPC paths, colliders, and program triggers.
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Pro
 Built in tutorial

Find out all of the features of RPG Toolkit from within the Toolkit itself! Giving you a guided tour to produce a simple scene to get moving with your own development.
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Pro
 Free and Opensource

Get the freedom you want with the BSD and GNU license so you can touch every single aspect of this engine.
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Con
 Default menu/fighting systems cause build errors

If you open up a new game and check the checkbox that copies the default assets it will create an error due to the default Battle System. You will have to create your own Battle System to get around this.
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Con
 Windows only

There are so many devices and operating systems out there now that it doesn’t make sense to only support windows anymore.
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Con
 Cumbersome workflow

Often the window you need is buried in another window which does not completely make sense. A UX update is definitely needed with this engine.
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Con
 Buggy

Make sure to save often since things can be a bit buggy.
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