Over the past couple of years, indie games have become one of the most reliable sources of great gaming experiences. Amazing games with tiny budgets are now common in the industry, like those created through the RPG Maker engine.
This creation tool has allowed many small developers to create several of the most incredible indie gems on the modern market, thus becoming a staple of the independent development scene.
Unfortunately, these are not as popular as they should be. However, if you’re looking for special adventures different from everything you have seen, we have ranked the 10 best RPG Maker games.
10 Seraphic Blue
The True Essence Of RPG Maker
Genre
RPG
Platform(s)
PC (Windows)
Released
May 15, 2004
Developer(s)
Tempura
Publisher(s)
Tempura
Engine
RPG Maker 2000
How Long To Beat
50 hours
When it comes to the more well-known and best RPG Maker games, Seraphic Blue is one of the first to appear in the conversation.
Developed in 2004 with RPG Maker 2000, one of the most popular versions of the engine, this heavily J-RPG-influenced journey became famous thanks to its huge dimensions and mature approach.
With cutscenes that could last over an hour and more than 50 hours of overall experience, Seraphic Blue is long and complex even by today’s standards, touching deep subjects like nihilism, suicide, and war.
It’s an iconic work that takes full advantage of the tools provided by RPG Maker, even if it can be pretentious and fuzzy at times, but that adds to its charm.
9 Ib
2D Creepiness At Its Peak
Genre
RPG, Horror, Puzzles
Platform(s)
PC (Windows)
Released
February 27, 2012
Developer(s)
Kouri
Publisher(s)
Kouri
Engine
RPG Maker 2000
How Long To Beat
6 hours
Alongside the J-RPG genre, horror games are the most common among RPG Maker creations, and that includes Ib: a terrific terror game that adds RPG and puzzles elements to the mix.
From its atmosphere to its music, from its characters to its puzzles, it’s highly regarded as one of the best of its kind. It has a pretty simple proposal, but every aspect works like a charm, having an aura that easily lures the fans of terror.
Short but wonderful, Ib is indeed special, so give it a try if you’re into the affable and spooky 2D creepiness that RPG Maker games have become known for.
8 Fear & Hunger 2: Termina
Relentless Hopelessness Can Be Entertaining
Systems
Released
December 9, 2022
Developer
Miro Haverinen
Publisher
Miro Haverinen
Engine
RPG Maker
ESRB
Adults Only
How Long To Beat
20 Hours
Developer(s)
Miro Haverinen
Publisher(s)
Miro Haverinen
Steam Deck Compatibility
Verified
As the sequel to one of the best indie games of all time, Fear & Hunger 2: Termina is prime RPG Maker development.
Even though it didn’t quite make the impact that its predecessor made years ago, it’s a perfect example of what characterizes the engine: titles with exceptional ideas created by people who deeply love the video game industry.
Interestingly enough, that statement has been made when discussing one of the most bizarre, eerie, relentless, terrifying, and sanity-bending pieces of media ever to exist. That’s how good Fear & Hunger 2: Termina really is.
7 Corpse Party
Shocking And Gruesome Classic
Released
October 20, 2021
Engine
RPG Maker software
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Just like Ib, Corpse Party is the type of horror RPG game that, with its twisted interpretation of the genre, makes it unavoidable to be constantly at the edge of your seat.
Without the need for grandiloquent jump scares or high-fidelity graphics, this game makes you uncomfortable through pure psychological horror; a very descriptive and dense text and a memorable story are all Corpse Party needs to get into your head.
Like most of the list, it’s not a game made for all kinds of players, but if it is your thing, let me tell you that you are bound to experience true shivers.
6 Yume Nikki
The RPG Maker ‘Tour De Force’
Systems
Released
June 26, 2004
Developer
Kikiyama
Publisher
Kikiyama
Engine
RPG Maker 2003
ESRB
t
How Long To Beat
5 Hours
Yume Nikki is, first and foremost, a unique title. It has no real goals and strange mechanics, but everyone who has played it agrees with the same thing: it’s a cult classic.
It’s probably more of a walking simulator than your traditional horror game, and it can be a real patience test, but its unsettling world and notorious creativity are more than enough to keep you hooked.
Fascinating and original, Yume Nikki is a one-of-a-kind experience that, in its own way, transcends the canons of the genre and even the medium. The perfect dream to get lost even when you’re not playing.
5 OneShot
Or One Opportunity?
Released
December 8, 2016
Developer
Future Cat
Engine
rpg maker 2003, RGSS
ESRB
e
As the first genuine popular game on this list, OneShot’s success is no coincidence: it’s a magnificent story-driven indie that has rightfully earned its praise.
Do you know that long-lasting debate about video games being art? Well, if we were to evoke that conversation once again, we would absolutely be talking about OneShot, whether because of its soundtrack, its approach to interactivity, its relationship with the player, and so on.
One simple playthrough. That is all that you have with this game. But that is more than enough to make you feel things that many titles can’t, even with dozens of hours to try. That’s the magic of OneShot.
4 To the Moon
Story-driven Modern Classic
Systems
Platform(s)
Switch
Released
November 1, 2011
Engine
unity
ESRB
t
How Long To Beat
4 Hours
Publisher(s)
X.D. Network
When there were even fewer story-driven indies with deep protagonists, and they were nowhere near the massive phenomenon they are today, To the Moon arrived and changed the situation for good.
Dr. Rosalene and Dr. Watts’ tale captivated everyone, presenting a story that simply cannot be forgotten. The themes, the narrative, the dialogues, the characters, the meanings, the symbols… Everything functions in harmony to deliver one of the greatest indies on the market.
Also, it has a gorgeous soundtrack and amazing pixel art that perfectly accompanies the story. It may not have “true gameplay”, but that doesn’t matter when you’re experiencing this level of beauty.
3 Omori
Life-changing Experience
Released
December 25, 2020
Developer
Omocat
Publisher
Omocat, Playism
Engine
RPG Maker MV
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Strong Language, Violence
How Long To Beat
21 Hours
When you’re in a specific emotional context, video games as a form of art can channel those feelings in ways that no other medium can. And that’s precisely what Omori does.
Because of that, sometimes Omori turns out to be hard to explain, especially because it’s a departure from J-RPG usual norms. However, what most people seem to agree with, among which I include myself, is that it’s a masterpiece, the type of adventure that can easily change your life when played at the right moment.
There are a number of indie gems that paved the way for stellar, modern titles, with some making a legacy of their own.
Of course, you can allude to the normal perceptible elements to justify Omori’s inclusion in this list, as it excels in every single one. Nevertheless, the main reason for its presence will always be a personal one. That’s, too, the magic of Omori.
2 LISA: The Painful
The Miserable Journey Of A Broken Man
Released
December 15, 2014
Developer
Dingaling
Publisher
Dingaling
Engine
degica rpg maker
ESRB
e
How Long To Beat
11 Hours
Steam User Rating
95% (October 25, 2023)
To talk about tragedy it’s to talk about LISA: The Painful. Going from a loud laugh to a stone-cold face in a matter of seconds is a feeling that, I believe, no game has achieved like this one.
It’s fun, it’s replayable, and it’s easy to understand, but what separates it from the rest is the fact that it’s so painfully peak. It has the Undertale-kind-of excellence through which you will feel joy, sorrow, hope, and grief all at the same time.
The miserable journey of a broken man will be burned into your memory if you allow LISA: The Painful to come in. It’s a one-way ticket to perpetual melancholy, but it’s completely worth it.
1 Fear & Hunger
Generational Masterpiece
Systems
Released
December 11, 2018
Developer(s)
Miro Haverinen
Developer
Miro Haverinen
Publisher(s)
Happy Paintings
Publisher
Happy Paintings
Engine
rpg maker
ESRB
Adults Only
How Long To Beat
10 Hours
If there’s a work that can claim the title of best RPG Maker game, that’s Fear & Hunger. More than a lustrum has passed since its launch, and I doubt that we’re even close to living something like that again.
The creation of Miro Haverinen is a generational masterpiece, with one of the best world-building that the industry has witnessed. It also has some of the best bosses in gaming, with a mechanical approach to the J-RPG formula that is just superb.
With feelings of despair and hopelessness swarming every inch of its dungeons, the game is to be studied for the years to come, as it can provide a lot of examples of great design in any aspect you can think of.
Fear & Hunger’s immersion, severe difficulty, and disturbing but fascinating concepts convert it into not only the best RPG Maker game but also one of the best indies of all history.
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