What Is RPG Maker?
There should be a fair number of people in the English-speaking world who have heard of the RPG Maker franchise. This is because said franchise started up in 1992 with RPG Tsukuru Dante 98, which was followed up by further installments. Some of these installments have managed to make it to the English-speaking world under names such as RPG Maker 95 and RPG Maker MV. In contrast, others were released in their native Japan but nowhere else.
Summed up, the RPG Maker franchise has had a long time to build up its reputation, though it should be noted that there was sufficient interest for even some of the earlier installments to make it to the English-speaking world through unpfficial means.
As for what the RPG Maker franchise is supposed to be, well, suffice to say that it is in the name. Simply put, the installments in the RPG Maker franchise let interested individuals make RPGs of their own, though some of them have been versatile enough to support the making of games in other genres as well. Over time, there have been a lot of games made using one RPG Maker or another, which have ranged from the famous to the infamous.
What Is RPG Maker MV?
RPG Maker MV isn’t the latest RPG Maker to have been released. Instead, that would be RPG Maker Fes, which was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016 and 2017. However, since RPG Maker Fes was released for a portable platform, it should come as no surprise to learn that it is rather lacking compared to the much more robust RPG Maker MV, which was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linus in 2015.
Now, this particular installment is being brought to an even wider audience, seeing as how it is set to be released for the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One in November of 2018.
Of course, RPG Maker MV boasts a number of features that weren’t included in its predecessors. For example, it will be providing native support for mobile platforms, which is an important feature in a time when more people are playing mobile games than ever before. Furthermore, game pads will now be supported for PC games, which are in addition to the traditional mouse and keyboard layout. On top of this, RPG Maker MV is now supporting side-view battles in the manner of older Final Fantasy games in addition to the front-view battles that are characteristic of the franchise.
There are other notable facts as well. For instance, RPG Maker MV uses a three-layer system, which should come as welcome news to those who loved either RPG Maker 2000 or RPG Maker XP. Moreover, there are higher resolutions, more database items, and the option to purchase more database items via DLCs.
Summed up, RPG Maker MV won’t wow people who have no interest in the RPG Maker franchise whatsoever. However, for those with a creative bent, it could prove very interesting, particularly if they have previous experience with the franchise.
