RPG Maker Fes

 3DS
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 27
  3. Negative: 8 out of 27
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  1. Redroom100
    Jul 2, 2017
    8
    While has a learning curve, this is a great creative tool and it is fun to play other peoples creations. Not much of a tutorial, but skills can be learn through looking at other people's work such as Annatictac or Michibiku. However there are updates that are not available in North America at this time that other countries do have, making user made content from other country unplayable.While has a learning curve, this is a great creative tool and it is fun to play other peoples creations. Not much of a tutorial, but skills can be learn through looking at other people's work such as Annatictac or Michibiku. However there are updates that are not available in North America at this time that other countries do have, making user made content from other country unplayable. That should be fixed soon though.… Expand
  2. JustinWayne
    Jul 17, 2017
    8
    I am enjoying this tool a lot. While the negative review here cites the lack of ability to create super complicated titles, that's not what it is supposed to do. It certainly allows much more than making " a map, make a character, then have them wander around aimlessly", which does make me wonder whether they played the thing for more than 5 minutes.

    This isn't me picking on one person    I am enjoying this tool a lot. While the negative review here cites the lack of ability to create super complicated titles, that's not what it is supposed to do. It certainly allows much more than making " a map, make a character, then have them wander around aimlessly", which does make me wonder whether they played the thing for more than 5 minutes.

    This isn't me picking on one person though, this seems to be a general sentiment amoung the "hardcore RPGMaker crowd", which is not who this game seems to be geared towards. This game is much more geared towards people who like things like Mario Maker, who would like a similar tool but for a simple 2D RPG to write fun little stories and adventures with.

    As someone who played the PSOne RPGMaker game (and who thoroughly loved it) I'd say if you liked that, you will definitely like this. The interface is very user-friendly and I found the learning curve far less steep because of this. I didn't care for the more Anime inspired art-style and prefered the designs of the PSOne RPGMaker, but that is likely just personal preference.

    I also find the DLC packs are really lacking when it comes to content, which is a shame. If you are mostly looking to create fantasy worlds for your RPG, don't bother with any of the paid stuff as it simply isn't worth it.

    Overall, if you are a fan of the PSOne RPGMaker game or are just looking for a simple playbox to create your own little story without any pretention to actually "develop" in the same way a lot of PC RPGMaker users do, give this game a shot. Otherwise, this game may well not be for you.    … Expand
  3. Knavish
    Jul 16, 2017
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. RPG Maker FES is definitely limited compared to the other versions on PC, but this doesn't stop it from being a good software. While some may complain about the limited maps (99) and design, plus some removed features like conditional branching, the software is designed to make an RPG no matter how small or big it may be. The limitations people complain about just make others work harder to find another way around them, to accomplish similar results through more pages or switches.

    For those in Japanese and Europe regions, there are DLC packs which although they do have a high price range (last I checked the second Modern set was $9.00) they are not needed to create your RPG - the fantasy set you get with the game has enough to really build upon. Despite buying many of the DLC packs myself, I still use a lot of the Fantasy elements (mainly because the DLC adds very little in the way of music, but I'll get to that later).

    Once you've finished your game you can upload it to the world. If you want to upload more than one product you'll have to pay for extra upload slots, but when it comes to downloading others projects (either through the game or the freely downloadable player) you're golden. Up to 16 projects can be downloaded at a time allowing for 16 different free to play games available to your library.

    Now, the tool in general is, as I mentioned earlier, limited. Many features that were quick to access in PC versions are gone from this release, however that doesn't mean you have nothing available. You can choose from multiple different events, emotion expressions, text dialogue, switches and choice branches, stat changes to characters, and much more. Not only that, but you add multiple pages to the one event, adding conditions to these pages such as certain switches being on, holding a certain item, or even having a certain party member present.

    There are limitations on items, monsters, characters, and the like, with 99 items max and 64 weapons and armours respectively. Monsters and characters are also limited to 99, same for groups and encounters, which is how you set up random encounters in your RPG.
    This won't affect your game at all if you plan correctly, as there are options to help work around these limits (for example, setting up two enemies in one group but making their numbers random, so sometimes you'll find them both together or have the same enemy twice).

    The map creator works as expected. Creating maps for me felt a little tedious but enjoyable, especially when placing down little details such as skulls and dropped weapons. Placing them down is easy enough, and if you find the limit is annoying, simply choosing a large map and placing down several smaller maps within it work best. In this method you can have up to 40 different towns take up only 10 of your map slots.

    One thing to note is that there is no tutorial, much like other RPG Makers, so once you choose to make a new game you're thrown right into the creator. If you've never used an RPG Maker before, you might be a little stumped, so I'd recommend either browsing through forums or communities dedicated to the subject - otherwise explore and experiment.

    Finally, the DLC - so far, the packs include Sci-Fi, Modern, Horror, and Sengoku (Japanese style). They go from $1.50 to $9.00, so once you've payed the initial price and want to make something other than a fantasy RPG, you'll most likely spend a little bit more than you probably intended. The packs in general add tile-sets and characters. Some do add background music and sound effects, although the number of packs that do is very small. It just depends on what kind of RPG you want to make, and how much you're willing to pay to do it.

    All in all, RPG Maker FES gets the job done right and is perfect for those looking for a bit of game creation. Creativity, imagination, and determination are all a must when working within the software, so when you're presented with these limitations, you're able to work around them to the best of your ability. I give this an 8/10 only due to the previously mentioned limitations and the cost of DLC (although that part is more a 0.5 since you don't need the DLC).    … Expand
  4. CmdrCrunk
    Aug 28, 2017
    8
    Put a good amount of time into creating a project and overall the experience has been good, although limited.

    By buying RPG Maker FES all you are getting the game creator aspect of the software, the RPG Maker Player is a free app on the 3DS that allows access to all the user made content, and it is also free. If you are only interested in playing free games, just get the player. For    Put a good amount of time into creating a project and overall the experience has been good, although limited.

    By buying RPG Maker FES all you are getting the game creator aspect of the software, the RPG Maker Player is a free app on the 3DS that allows access to all the user made content, and it is also free. If you are only interested in playing free games, just get the player. For those interested in creating content, you can still do a decent job and make fairly complex games, albeit not without its fair share of problems.

    Firstly, this is not a game but a creative tool. There are no example games provided (there may be in the future to buy... but none at launch, and not for free) and no tutorial. If you want to create a game, you are very much on your own. When you do actually create something, I did not find it too hard to work out, but requires a good amount of trial and error at first. The creation is based on setting tiles to make a map and events for anything you interact or fight with. My initial issue is with the amount of content for creating your game is quite limited. You really have to be creative with what you use to get the most out of the game. The tile sets provided cover the basics, but if you are like me, you'll need to purchase all the DLC to have a broad enough approach to do what you want. On the subject of the DLC, you do not get much for your money and there is no preview before purchase. I recommend checking out the official website to browse before you consider buying.

    Other negative comments are about limitations in regards to the number of maps being 100 and limited to 64 weapons and armour etc. I do not think this is a limitation, as unless you are planning a major project (and you really should have the latest PC version for this), these limitations will not effect you too much. Also if you are planning a major project there is no way of monetising your creation, so again go with the PC version.

    A few problems do exist when in creation mode. The most catastrophic is a bug that kills the program, losing all your unsaved work to that point. I have encountered this multiple times, and the only solution is to remember to save regularly. Hopefully this can be fixed, but I'm not holding my breath. Other problems are when creating you can only copy and paste a limited area, less than a screen size. I do like the touch controls for map creation which are intuitive, but often you have to work around the limitations, repeating simple tasks constantly.

    The main reason you I give this a positive review is in the ease it is to upload, share and download other creations via the network function. RPG Maker FES is a limited version of the full tool, but it is not designed for a complex userbase. It is designed more for the starter or for people making small projects to share for free. The network function is far from perfect however, especially when compared to something like Mario Maker (on Wii U, I've not got the 3DS version). The only categories are best rated within 7 days or most downloaded within 7 days, so if your game is 8 days old it will be buried. The star rating system, like most rating systems, can be gamed by groups of people and the quality of games available can vary significantly. Where Mario Maker shined was that you had to demonstrate that the level could be completed before you could upload, not so here. Prepare for bugs galore, uncompleted stories and impossible to progress situations. Now, an RPG project is a long endeavour and it can't be expected that each game is 100% complete, however people can upload anything, and without a reviewing system (more than the star rating) it is impossible to know if you are going to waste a significant amount of your time.

    The positive side to the network in RPG Maker FES, and the point where the whole program is worth the purchase for me, is that you can share your game with anyone with a 3DS, without them having to pay for any software. This is the key value to this game, that truly anyone can play, no limitations. All a player needs is the free RPG Maker FES Player software and the name of your game and they are good to go, streamlining and simplifying the sharing process.

    That's it, as for the takeaway point to this game. If you want to create small project, simplified RPG games (although with a good bit of scope for larger, more complex projects) to share with your friends easily, this is the game for you. If you want to create a massive and complex RPG and have the option of monetising it, go for the PC version. If you want to just play the games, download the free RPG Maker FES Player. I'm enjoying using it for what it is, and that's all I want.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Best 3DS Game of 2017
19
#19 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2017
19
#19 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Aug 24, 2017
    65
    If you're a complete newbie to RPG Maker, then I would not recommend this being your starting point. [Issue #29, p. 70]
  2. Vooks
    Jul 31, 2017
    60
    For the creators out there, RPG Maker Fes is a great little package with plenty of basic development tools to play with – a “My First RPG Maker”, if you will. For those who just want to play some quality RPG games, step away and play almost any other standalone RPG on the 3DS.
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  3. Multiplayer.it
    Jul 19, 2017
    55
    RPG Maker FES fail to deliver a nice experience to beginners. Without a real tutorial, the game lacks of fundamental information to create something appealing, leaving the players bored and frustrated. It may give some satisfaction only to those who are already experienced with the series. ​
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