Reviewing a Bunch of RPG Maker Games

Join me as I take a look at 10 different games made with RPG Maker. From cult classics like Yume Nikki, to surprise hits like OneShot, and even some modern takes on the classic RPG formula, like Lawmage Academy, let's see what these developers can do!
NOTE: Due to a copyright claim, there's a weird hard-cut in the Space Funeral section. I knew I was playing with fire including 5 seconds of a licensed song. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Special thanks to Jon Turcotte for the awesome thumbnail!
You can purchase/download the games here:
YUME NIKKI:
store.steampowered.com/app/65...
HYLICS:
mason-lindroth.itch.io/hylics
store.steampowered.com/app/39...
LAWMAGE ACADEMY:
store.steampowered.com/app/13...
TOILET IN WONDERLAND:
memoriesoffear.tumblr.com/pos...
ONESHOT:
store.steampowered.com/app/42...
SUITS:
store.steampowered.com/app/41...
FEAR & HUNGER:
store.steampowered.com/app/10...
SPACE FUNERAL:
thecatamites.itch.io/space-fu...
TO THE MOON:
www.gog.com/en/game/to_the_moon
store.steampowered.com/app/20...
THE WITCH'S HOUSE MV
www.gog.com/en/game/the_witch...
store.steampowered.com/app/88...
SOCIAL:
majuular
majuular
patreon.com/majuular
00:00 - Introduction
4:00 - Yume Nikki
9:25 - Hylics
15:18 - Lawmage Academy (Demo)
22:42 - Toilet in Wonderland
29:06 - OneShot
35:46 - Suits: A Business RPG
40:33 - Fear & Hunger
48:28 - Space Funeral
54:29 - To The Moon
59:56 - The Witch's House MV
1:07:30 - Conclusion

[@eXtremeLink859]

fun fact about Hylics dialogue: 95% of it is randomized jargon. this changed in the sequel but the original game legitimately is just nonsense in its dialogue, it's great

[@Majuular]

That makes a whole hell of a lot of sense.

[@jojojo8835]

😂

[@bradleydevron]

@@Majuular Plus, in the second game, an event causes some NPCs to have random dialogue again...and given what he cause is, the result is context for why the shift happened.

[@Bane_Amesta]

@@Majuular Yeah, only the important dialogues that are meant to help the player are normal, lol Also the city's name is randomized! the character that tells you the city's name will change it everytime you talk to him, and the other characters will follow 🤣

[@apollyonnoctis1291]

@Majuular Basically, the reason why everyone speaks like that in Hylics 1 is because the final boss, the moon king Gibby causes madness in people. After Gibby is killed at the end of Hylics 1, people start talking normally in Hylics 2, but when Gibby is revived, people start going mad again.

[@Verinius]

Hello! This is the developer of Lawmage Academy. Thank you so much for including my game in your list! It's an honor to even be included among these outstanding RPG Maker games! To anyone who is curious, yes this is a mostly solo project. I say mostly because while I did nearly all of the work, I did commission the hand drawn portraits, some music tracks, and of course I used asset packs which was created by other people. I did the pixel art characters, weapons, and monsters. There's a lot to work on so I prioritized the game experience first because polishing the visuals can always come later. Thank you for your criticisms and suggestions as well! I can certainly work on polishing the maps and adding content to make player choice even more significant. Once I finish the base game, I'll make free updates that adds Clubs, Student Council system, Familiars (pets, sort of), Birthdays, Duel System and expanding on what's currently there. E.g.) Missions, new areas, new classes, exclusive friendship quests. It's a very exciting project and I intend to finish it in a few more years. I hope more people try it out themselves and just have fun with it for what it is. The demo is free and the standard first playthrough could be 4-5 hours. Once again thank you so much for including Lawmage Academy!

[@Majuular]

Cheers! Huge respect to your work ethic for solo-dev'ing while working a full-time job (Verinius is a human rights lawyer, for anyone reading this). It'd be nigh impossible to finish a project of this scale without some external assistance, be it commissions or plugins. Certainly doesn't diminish the hard work. Looking forward to seeing future updates, keep it up!

[@Verinius]

@@Majuular Many thanks, Majulaar. Thank you for showcasing these other wonderful games too. I noticed Fear & Hunger getting praised in the comments and I've never heard of this game, so this is a delightful discovery! Looking forward to more of your vids! I'll be sure to play your vids and listen in while I work! 😁

[@Dekent]

Lawmage academy is on my radar thanks to this video, will try the demo when I have time!

[@Verinius]

@@Dekent Enjoy! My only tip is to explore as much as you can. 😏

[@multilad816]

When you first published this demo?

[@BraveAbandon]

Fear and hunger is truly horrifying. I'm impressed it was made. It really doesn't hold back.

[@adriansoto3061]

i love that game :3

[@viscountrainbows2857]

The kinda game that either murders you in the first 30 seconds, or lets you suffer for 30 minutes just to find out your efforts were futile anyway It's like an extreme metal album and Berserk had rough sex and the baby came out malformed, yet found a way to be king. I might take a crack at it someday; I have sorta spoiled it for myself via YT essays on it but, I am infinitely curious on what my particular campaigns could play out as.

[@byakurenhijiri69]

There is also an extra ending in The Witch's House (at least in the original one, I haven't played the MV version) where you wait in the first screen (where "Viola" wakes up) for about an hour. The vines will disappear and you can go home. It implies that the real Viola dies and it makes it even worse after you realize that the time you have to wait is also close to the amount of time it takes to beat the game... Which means that Viola really didn't have a lot of time (or will) left to live.

[@blitzie66]

witch’s house is still insanely amazing all these years later

[@nahro1001]

Why is the Pixel Art on Toilet in Wonderland so good? Because its made by one of the OG pixel artists in the RPG Maker scene known as refmaps. And the assets are broadly free to use.

[@Rajalae]

"People who say Unity sucks or Unreal Sucks, couldn't hello world their way out of a shoebox" Absolute banger and also made me feel way better about learning how to develop games on something like GameMakerStudio 2 instead of something more higher level like unity or unreal.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

Unity is great if you want to actually get a game out the door and sell it on various platforms, but I'd never use it in a personal project myself. Like most off-the-shelf engines, it's pretty painful stuff IMO. As with any development process, I prefer libraries and individual tools that can be stuck together in a way that works for a specific project. But if you're a professional game developer, you unfortunately can't afford the luxury of not working with one of these engines.

[@SuperLlama42]

Unity definitely sucks now

[@viscountrainbows2857]

The engine itself will never be the problem; plenty of amazing, legendary games have been basically made with shoestrings, prayer, and a fuckton of effort. Then there are games made in engines that ideally should pump out good games consistently, made by shysters, rushjobbed into oblivion by either greed, negligence, or both. An engine is only as good as the work one is willing to put into it. I couldn't play an expensive guitar any better than a cheap one, is what I'm saying. Hell to expand on this music nerd metaphor, my latest axe I picked up is probably one of the smoothest rides and best action I have felt yet out of the about maybe 6+ guitars I have had over the last 15 years I have been playing, and I got it free. Looked it up and it retails for not even 200 bucks. Price tags and name brands ain't always indicators of quality or lack thereof. Reputation, I will allow, has basically destroyed the once brimming possibility of Unity and Unreal being taken seriously because any shovelware sadist can pump out like 50 games in one year with them using God only knows how many pre-bought assets and no concept of game design. Also if you have made it so far, thanks for coming to my TED Talk, but also I am very much not a game designer; just an at time of writing 30-something very passionate about games, even if at the current moment, sadly stuck with some passable mobile titles for the time.

[@felitastic]

If you have a good idea and work hard on it, you can do something great with any tool. The tool/engine doesn't matter: You matter. Never give up if you wanna create something. Look for people who support you with good feedback and help you grow. I think thats also a reason many people use "simpler" engines like RPGMaker or GameMaker. They are accessible but they also have great communities. I used RPGMaker for some of my first ideas as well and it has so many good tools and scripts made by the community.

[@zimNvgcatsfan]

​@@viscountrainbows2857 ​When you said "Oblivion" I thought you meant the game, which in context is fair. That game is so buggy and broken that it is a source of unintentional comedy 2 decades after the fact.

[@wolfsongaz]

RPGmaker attracted a bunch of very creative people who didn't really have any programming experience or any desire to focus on that so if not for a prebuilt engine they simply never would have made anything at all, and what a shame that would be. If programmers can have programmer art, why can't artists have artist code? Unity and Unreal have replaced it as the "lazy" engine known for a bunch of garbage existing, but RPGmaker has quite the legacy that I always like hearing about, and the occasional people still making games in them to this day. Also glad to see someone else share my opinion on Yume Nikki that it feels like you really need to look things up, and if you have to do this enough in a game about exploration it starts to make you wonder why you're even playing it yourself. Since it got really popular through discussion online about finding things, maybe you weren't meant to find it yourself, but with that era long gone its left feeling a bit awkward.

[@waterdrinker90]

Also, I feel like RPGMaker gets a bad rep, because most people who never touched it think that it is just a pre-made game, where you just assemble its parts. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Even when working only with the assets included with the engine, it takes a whole lot of effort, time and knowledge of game design and programming logic to make a game in it. And for those who are familiar with the engine, seeing some of the wizardry that people pull off with it becomes even more impressive.

[@ledumpsterfire6474]

If anything, Unity is the concrete proof for why you can't fault the tools for having bad games made with them. Unity is many times more powerful than RPG Maker, yet still just has heaps of shovelware, while there are some shining gems with RPG Maker too. To top it off, there are games made with totally custom from-scratch engines that are utter crap too. Should we blame the languages they used to build the engine at that point?

[@Nassifeh]

​@@ledumpsterfire6474 Any good tool can be used to make bad stuff in greater quantities than it can be used to make good stuff. And will be, probably. You can't make people more productive without that being more visible in the people who are laziest. We saw it with stuff like Photoshop. Contrast something like the AI art tools where no amount of skill can make them give humans consistently correct numbers of fingers or teeth at the moment. It's possible for tools to create consistently bad quality output even from skilled users, but there's no reason to think that's true of either Unity or RPG Maker.

[@IDOLL_Dev]

One quick addition to the "not having programming experience" argument - I know how to program and I still really enjoy RPG Maker precisely because it already comes with assets. Even as a programmer I think hating on RPG Maker is part of a larger problem where people think programming is the hardest and most important thing in GameDev. Good games aren't just "programming + art + music + writing", Game Design is it's own skill - and you can only get good at it by **making games**, putting yourself out there, not by learning all those skills individually and then show them off in a game. RPG Maker is super great for making stuff for the sake of making stuff!

[@EmergencyChannel]

Yeah, I feel the same way about Fez and Frog Fractions. Once the community found all or most of the secrets, these games lose some of their appeal. Being around and active when Fez was brand new and closely following the progress of the community to solve that game was crazy.

[@abelunseen739]

Man. I just can’t wait to abandon my family this thanksgiving and watch some peak content about RPGMAKER games.

[@meesteranonymous8177]

Families are important

[@FingerinUrDaughter]

peak content? he seems to have looked for the absolute worst trash he could find, bonus points for projects running on a premade engine that have been in "development" for 10+ years.

[@GreatRusio]

@@FingerinUrDaughter whats your list of great rpgm games?

[@FingerinUrDaughter]

@@GreatRusio your sister.

[@GreatRusio]

@@FingerinUrDaughter haven't heard of that one, I'll try your sister out after I am done with your mother

[@riftwraith5113]

I found a glitch in fear and hunger where picking up a coin in the root area didn't cause it to disappear. I sat there repeatedly picking it up until I had enough coins to (almost) trivialise every single remaining coin-flip in the game. I could actually use the save points and it saved me so much frustration...

[@JamesL0717]

Yep. It’s in the tree dungeon and makes my life so much easier after abusing that bug.😅 Still gets killed by god knows what and have to resort to save file an hour back.

[@nesssness3062]

DUDE I DISCOVERED THAT YESTERDAY WTF IDEK HOW IT HAPPENED

[@johnnymo4000]

I eventually have a text issue that makes reading text impossible. Only thing that fixes it is completely starting a new game, but it eventually happens again. Unfortunately I've not been able to playthrough it.

[@imogenmangle]

Hahahaha, hearing Hylics get called ugly was such a shock to the system! The beautiful pastel palettes? The uniquely smooth and tactile clay textures? I mean I can now see that it's not to everyone's taste but I've really been a huge fan of it for years and genuinely consider it to be one of the coolest looking games I've ever seen. Anyway, loved hearing you talk about it, and thanks for the great recs!

[@ineedac1g]

I agree. Hylics is the most unique looking game I've seen in recent years.

[@Bane_Amesta]

Lol same here, to me Hylics is the prettiest game in the list, mainly by the unique artstyle, and only Hylics 2 can took the crown

[@mellowyello1478]

Tbf he said ugly as a stylistic choice, its a work of art and he seems to be aware of it.

[@ColtonPhillips]

Bizarre would probably be more apt. Like Dali, though Dali also painted the grotesque and the ugly.

[@Majuular]

Ah yes, I think I failed to convey my meaning. To be clear, Hylics has an extremely unique visual style. Gaudy & eccentric may have been a better description. If that intro to The Witch's House were a painting, I'd hang it in my living room. If Hylics were a painting, I'd hang it in my party garage. I live in a basement suite so I actually don't have any of those things, but hopefully you catch my meaning 😀 It's also worth mentioning that I'm colorblind, so contrast & shapes (both of which are pretty wild in Hylics) usually jump out at me before color.

[@fearhunger3983]

Oh wow! Thanks for the review! I've been following your channel for a while now, (found it from Legend of Dragoon vid) never imagined to see F&H pop up here. Great video otherwise too. There are some classics here I haven't played myself yet. Thanks for shedding light on RPG Maker games.

[@Majuular]

Cheers! Awesome work with the game, my ass is being kicked less and less with each run. Looking forward to Termina!

[@fearhunger3983]

​@@Majuular Awesome! The game is less RNG based than how it might first seem, or at least there are many ways to avoid the 'bad' RNG, so hopefully the ass kicking gets better. I was actually about to send some early copies of Termina to all the reviewers and streamers I can think of maybe next week, I'll remember to throw a key to your direction too.

[@ninototo1]

@@fearhunger3983 Hi, I love rpg games and I looove the artstyle and creativity of F&H but I have never played it because it's too scary for me. Will you ever develop a non-horror game ?

[@sunloon]

Insane how this video came out just before your games took off to the moon, hope you're enjoying the love and admiration of it all

[@dasutin]

I spent so much time as a teen making terrible RPG maker games (in the rm2k and 2k3 days) and I truly loved every second of it. Very happy to see this video!

[@dasutin]

Also, Mayo Snakes Rule. ⬜🐍⬜

[@frionelhero]

Same

[@SeeUontheDSOTM]

I spent way too much time in my youth making my DBZ fan game on the RPG Maker for the PS1. Still have all the memory cards too. Spoiler alert: Krillin was the hero the whole time

[@Ichthyodactyl]

I distinctly remember creating a shitty FF-style game where your party members are poorly animated fruits that go Super Saiyan. I was very proud of myself.

[@Ichthyodactyl]

@@SeeUontheDSOTM Krillin is unironically the best choice for a main hero. I'd play that game.

[@Karanthaneos]

The witch's house still shock me to this day. It's so incredibly dark in it's final reveal I both hate and love it. Such an amazing work of art

[@RaphielShiraha64]

Agreed, the true ending was surprising amazing and shocking, but as someone that hates when a game has a bad ending that you can't avoid it made me super depressed and also angry making it be a love and hate relationship. I always wanted some kind of fangame or maybe even a well made sprite fanfic where we see a alternate universe take of the game where we actually play as the kid in the witch body and must stop the witch from progressing through the house, with the true ending leading to a actual bad outcome to the witch. It would be kinda neat since instead of being chased around you would be the one causing the chasing instead, kinda like a reverse fnaf in a way, sadly the game don't really have such huge fanbase to the point of fangames existing much less super well made sprite fanfics (or fanfics in general) but who knows maybe someday that will happen that game didn't got forgotten after all.

[@flaco3462]

witch's house's true ending is a twist that still impresses me and infuriates me to this day

[@Slaanash]

Dude it made me so upset when I was a kid. Then I went back later and the remake new ending isnt any better, lol... At least Mad Father had kind of a nicer ending in the updated release...

[@PumppActionPete]

It always fucked me up man. It's one of those things where I went from anxiety and fear to depressions and seething anger in a few minutes. If they kept it relatively ambiguous, it'd just make me uncomfortable and depressed. But reading her gloat and taunt her before having her killed destroyed me

[@draculactica]

space funeral rules. that game got me into the band love back in the day ("7 and 7 is" is seriously one of the best songs ever written). it's just weirdly vibrant and joyful for a game whose main menu options are all just "BLOOD"

[@denjismissingnut2222]

One rpgmaker game series that is dear to me is the Hello Charlotte trilogy. The artstyle has that hand-drawn notebook feel, the story is built up through the three games and is compellingly horrifying at times, it's hard to describe why the series sticks with me, but it's definitely a gem

[@akiradkcn]

I love the how it makes fun of these pretentious "its all a dream" twists

[@grammarmaid]

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I went through the comments to see if anyone had mentioned Hello Charlotte before I started ranting about it. Glad to see at least two folks (as of writing) know what's up.

[@kasiajarzebska3739]

Yes! This series is so interesting

[@TCSyd]

Space Funeral is probably my personal favorite of this list. The punchline, if nothing else, is just so good. Outside of the games mentioned in the video, OFF and Endroll are both excellent. I also like Middens a lot for its distinctive aesthetic.

[@trustytrest]

Middens is fine, but its developer is a scammer. He made a Kickstarter for a fully priced game while he was finishing up Gingiva as a free side project, only to release Gingiva and then never develop the Kickstarter game. If anybody complained he'd just tell them to "go play Gingiva and be satisfied with that."

[@goldensp3038]

@@trustytrest Isn't kickstarter game is Where they Cremate the Roadkill that is out?

[@carolinewheeler77]

Suits to me seems very inspired by Off. I’ve seen some comments already say this but I agree, this absolutely needs a part two. Your sense of humor is quaint and fun, going over each game in a bite sized section made the video feel like a breeze despite the length. Here’s some of my recommendations -Ib, off, ao oni, the heavy hitters that aren’t quite as long as say omori or lisa -Wadanohara, the grey garden, and mogeko castle could be really fun to go over. I remember them actually having a fanbase back in the day. -Re:kinder was an even more cult hit but I remember loving it as a teen. -1bitheart is my game of choice, though I’m not even fully sure if it’s made in rpgmaker? It’s cute as fuck though, and has some fantastic character designs.

[@Majuular]

Thanks for the kind words! I definitely plan on doing a part 2 some time in the future (Off & Ib are both priorities). I appreciate the recommendations too, making a note of these.

[@Dragonatrix]

1bitheart (and its sequel 1beatheart) was made in WOLF RPG Editor, unfortunately.

[@carolinewheeler77]

@@Dragonatrix it has a sequel!???

[@StanleyG23]

@@Majuular I highly recommend also checking out some other classic RPG Maker games like Misao, Mogeko Castle and Kanye Quest 3030 if you plan to make a Part 2. Maybe even consider checking out Corpse Party. P.S. I also recommend checking out the fanmade Mother: Cognitive Dissonance if you are a fan of the Mother/EarthBound series. It's a fantastic RPG Maker game that takes place between the events of the original Mother and EarthBound (Mother 2).

[@underscore2554]

OFF is incredible and I immediately thought of it when I saw Suits as well. The combat in OFF isn’t great but the game as a whole is outstanding

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

Man, I played both Yume Nikki and Space Funeral in 2010 and I'm so glad I did. Not only did both really influence my music taste to this day, but they also introduced to me the idea that games can just be whatever, as long as the experience of playing them is interesting. As a professonal level/game designer today, both games really stand out among the many examples I pull resources from, and I hope to one day create something in a game that's as interesting, unexpected and evocative as when Ruth White's spoken word poem "Spleen" starts playing in the Blood Cave in Space Funeral. The vision behind that segment especially is truly one-of-a-kind.

[@Slurpgerk]

fun fact: the name of the first city you visit in Hylics is randomly generated (and so is most of the dialogue). You can even change the name of the city by repeatedly speaking to the dancing guy outside Wayne's house.

[@gabmadXIII]

This video needs a sequel: Omori, Off, ib, close your eyes... Really great gems of RPG makers not included in the video (but I understand you were probably putting the spotlight on the less known games)

[@Ianman258]

I thought it was wild that an Off-inspired fangame made the cut (Suits) but not Off itself!

[@GregorianMG]

@BasilChannel Black souls is basically dark souls of RPGM... With a bit of questionable stuff included.

[@danielgiovanniello7217]

Ah, OMORI. The only game to, without fail, make me cry every time I play it.

[@secondleasegamer8312]

Needs more Lisa

[@stannosaurus]

Amazing amazing games!! Also the early corpse parties

[@NolanAlighieri]

Hi, RPG maker dev and regularly RPG Maker game streamer here, You're doing the RPG Maker community a big favor with this video. I've often talked about how the RPG Maker is very insular with it's community, which tends to be a double edged sword. The folks don't seem to care much about indie devs outside of the RPG Maker circle, but on the other hand, it's one of the most inviting communities - I get way more interaction from RPG Maker devs on my videos & reviews far more than whenever I review an indie game built in a different engine. I'm certain you have likely gotten many comments from other friendly RM devs. Thanks for the video. Whether you want me to or not, I'm going to send you my game once it's finished in a few months 😉

[@riddlerdiddler1425]

Please do a full video on fear and hunger, that game is criminally unknown and has some really interesting and compelling worldbuilding. Might be worth cheating in some more save scrolls to see all the endings though.

[@Majuular]

It's really cool to see the fanbase F&H has, I had no idea so many people were aware of it. I'd definitely consider expanding on it... perhaps when Termina comes out?

[@Unquestionable]

Another amazing video. I played To The Moon back when it first came out, before it even had a Steam release, and was definitely not prepared. My long term on/off again girlfriend was diagnosed with Asperger's as a child and when I realized what was going on in the plot and how absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking it was portrayed I couldn't stop crying because it hit so so close. It really helped give me some insight on our relationship and how to make it the best I can. An absolute piece of art I can not over recommend .

[@JazzyWaffles]

I'm a bit of a broken record, but if you haven't, I'd check out the sequels! Both of the sequels are phenomenal, though the third one is a bit less of an emotional journey compared to the first two and is more lore-focused (but don't get me wrong, it has some sob-worthy moments as well).

[@Maioly]

47:09 the AI in fear and hunger can be dangerously smart at times if you put a beartrap down IN VIEW of an enemy, 99% of the time they will walk around it Hell, you can stop a certain one hit killing piramid head expy from following you by placing a bear trap in a choke point while he sees you doing so. And that is generally how to best use them, chokepoints (which will cause enemies to try and run them over even if they see you putting them down, depending on the enemy) or with planning (being aware of an enemy, you put down a bear trap before they are aware of you and then bait them into it) Thankfully, you dont trigger your own traps, so you're free to run over them as much as you like.

[@desktorp]

When I was a teenager, I was working on an RPG Maker 95 project (I think it was 95.. couldn'tve been any later than XP though) .. of course I eventually gave up and forgot about it.. found it several years later and was surprised how good it was. Normally I look back at old stuff and cringe, but this was one of those rare moments where I felt like I should've kept going with what I was doing at the time. Even my sprite and tile art was pretty on point for my age. If I remember correctly, I ran in to some logic/technical issues and the only solution I could find was to go back and redo 75% of what I had done. RPG Maker is a solid concept. It's like musical instruments.. if a person has true talent and determination, great things can be made from even the most primitive tools.

[@TheAether666]

Why not finish it and release it?

[@megsley]

I highly recommend "weird and unfortunate things are happening" - a really fun rpg with a modern setting, nice hand drawn character art, and a unique story!

[@AstralHammer]

The RPG Maker game rabbit hole is insanely cavernous. "The Gray Garden" was a cute one I remember fondly~

[@brightargyle8950]

To the Moon was one of the first rpg maker games I played, it was a real knockout that caught me by surprise. It was way more emotional than I expected from such a simple game and to this day is one of the only games that brought legitimate tears to my eyes time multiple times throughout the game. At 45 I wasn't expecting to be so emotionally impacted by a game like that and I STILL get choked up when I listen to the soundtrack. They did a fantastic job and deserve every credit they've earned since. I encourage people to try some of these lower budget games, you might find a gem! (Also absolutely loved Ara Fell!)

[@zephshoir]

44:45 The coin flips are peak masochist design. They could simply be simple RNG hidden from the player without their input, but by giving the illusion of choice to them, and making it obvious, it ends up being like pouring lemon on your own wounds. Heck this still is the case with the new Lucky Coin item in the sequel and iirc it was added to the first F&H in one of the new updates. Getting both coins wrong feels awful, but even winning with 2 coins can too because it feels like you just wasted one of them. On another note about F&H, knowledge is one of the most important things to actually get good at the game. What items can and do what, where to find certain things, hell IIRC some one use items like Throwing Knifes are (or were) OP. There is a lot more to it than what is explicit, and while it can be a burden to play, that is the point, to travel the dungeon is painful and only those who truly persevere can beat it. I love it.

[@Majuular]

Great point, if the coin flips were a hidden mechanic, it might make the game feel a *bit* less masochistic. As another commenter mentioned, you can use those lucky coins to increase your chance, so no doubt it's evil by design. I'm definitely going to keep playing more, I feel myself improving as I learn how the class-specific skills work.

[@zephshoir]

@@Majuular Glad to see you are going to keep giving it a try, and I am happy whenever I see the game get some degree of recognition. From what is out of the demo, its sequel seems more fair and balanced while still being hard and punishing, and it seems to be close to release from what the game dev has teased on their twitter. On that note, IIRC the dev made like 90% of the game entirely by themselves, including the music, which is outstanding! On a final note, the games also have really neat worldbuilding and lore!

[@Deexeh]

You had me with Don Miguel's Demo. RPG Maker is such a fun tool to play around with.

[@thewinner59278]

Art direction vs graphics continues to make games stronger and better and more impactful. When a small team or one person is at the helm and all parts of the ship, you can really feel the personal touch and direction instead of a larger committee games. They may not be for everyone, but they definitely have a strong personal touch

[@shuysnoopy]

I was so emotionally invested to 'To the moon' that each time I saw a screenshot of the game or a piece of soundtrack, tears well up in my eyes uncontrollably.

[@JazzyWaffles]

Yesss, it's incredible! Check out its 2 sequels if you haven't, they're just as great.

[@dragoneye6229]

I ended up playing Lawmage Academy twice. The second time I went full in on my own character and was WAY powerful compared to my friends and enemies. I hope this "Archmage" run is not only possible but built on in the finished game. It was interesting to have a game actually let you go solo while obviously wanting you to take allies everywhere. It would also be really interesting to have a more evil response to people and events.

[@Verinius]

Wow nice! Actually, it was the community that pointed out the bugs in solo runs. That's why I fixed those bugs, added some new dialogue options, and dropped an update called the "Soloist Update" for the demo. I totally would like to expand on that route in the full game. However, first I have to finish the base content with friends. The soloist route will be the "hard mode" with extra content and a possible hidden ending... maybe.

[@maofive5933]

Thanks for covering Fear & Hunger in a sober way. Btw I would highly recommend getting dash in character creation and coming back to it. Also there are guarenteed spawns for herbs in the upper levels, and there are advancement mechanics but not traditional levels or exp. The game is still brutal, and I haven't told you even more tips to make it easier, but I think the key of Fear & Hunger is that it deliberately tries to misdirect you with a blunt fist of GRIMDARK, where the actual game is learning how to play the game. Eventually you'll be abusing the mechanics to your advantage so you can counter-act the randomness. Good players at fear & hunger are REALLY good. What I'm trying to say is, don't give up hope that you can get better at the game as you play it. Even when the game opens up a new present box of 'fuck you'. Thanks for the review!

[@Majuular]

I'm not done with F&H by a longshot! I've started improving with recent runs (thanks to actually forcing myself to learn how class skills affect combat), and I've got lofty ambitions of beating the game before Termina drops. Thanks for the comment!

[@confetti8160]

I played To the Moon about 8 years ago, and hearing the music again still tugged at my tear ducts.

[@JazzyWaffles]

Check out its two sequels if you haven't already! They're both also good as heck.

[@LolaTheGardevoir]

Love seeing Space Funeral get some attention. It’s so simple yet it makes me crave for more.

[@justinkroboth360]

"Hylics is a recreational program" is a great way to describe a game this ugly by design. It's like Cruelty Squad in that regard. And of course, that is the best kind of ugly! Fantastic work as always, duder.

[@youraveragenickel2177]

If you ever make a sequel to this video you definitely have to include Your Turn To Die and Dreaming Mary. They're possibly the RPG Maker Games that look the least like they'd be RPG Maker Games. OH! More recommendations would be Fleshport and Last Word. Unlike the other two, they definitely look like RPG Maker Games, but I don't care because I really enjoyed both of them for completely different reasons and want more people to play them.

[@HolarMusic]

My absolute favourite of the lesser-known rpgmaker games are Hello Charlotte and A Witch's Heart (not to be confused with A Witch's House). Definitely recommend to check these out

[@gfslamguitar]

"They couldn't "hello world" their way out of a fucking shoebox." Subscribed.

[@Pekay_P]

I know you prioritized shorter games in this video, but since you haven't mentioned "Jimmy and The Pulsating Mass" at any point in the introduction, conclusiom or during any other interjection, I'm inclined to believe you haven't played or even heard of it before, and I'm further inclined to recommend this game because I believe it deserves more recognition. It's an Earthbound-inspired JRPG set in the dream world of the titular kid, Jimmy. The world of the game is filled with dreamlike imagery made out of everything Jimmy experienced and processed in his mind, be it actual events from his daily life, things he saw on TV, heard and misinterpreted, etc. Just like Earthbound, it is equally charming and funny as it is disturbing, the latter of which comes up as you dig deeper into Jimmy's psyche and uncover his fears and trauma. I could write a few paragraphs about everything I love about this game, but I think it's better to just title-drop it and let you (or anybody else reading this comment who might be interested in the game) check it out for yourself. Imo it's a fantastic game through and through with impressive amount of content for a project done by one guy and one I always feel the need to promote whenever possible because I believe it is as worthwhile as any other known RPG Maker titles like Lisa or Omori.

[@GooTheMighty]

Of the RPG Horror games, my favorite is Mermaid Swamp. It just has great atmosphere, and the dual threat it’s monsters is fascinating!

[@Ecey_]

an hour long video on one of my fav guilty pleasures, count me in

[@Ichigo111293]

God, I love OneShot so much! I was not expecting the game to destroy my emotions the way it did. Definitely my favorite RPGmaker game that everyone should play. I miss you Niko. ;-;

[@Vulpas]

Fun Fact: OneShot's creator amputated his family jewels and had them cremated, then baked into actual jewelry to wear.

[@JoshuaPAMployee]

​@@Vulpaswhy though?

[@BenSaintComix]

Nice. glad my faves Hylics and Space Funeral made the cut. Lawmage Academy actually looks like it could be really fun, shame it sounds pretty incomplete.

[@Verinius]

Hi! As it stands, Lawmage Academy is still a demo. The demo covers 2 out of 10 in game months. The video didn't go in depth on all of the game's features and mechanics, probably to avoid spoilers and encourage people to try it out themselves. I highly encourage people to try out the demo though! It has the core mechanics in place already so it's only a matter of expanding on the content. 😁

[@GribbleGob]

@@Verinius I could literally just play Persona instead.

[@Verinius]

@@GribbleGob Yes, you could. I recommend Persona 3, 4, and 5.

[@Zabe_B]

mario has logged in

[@Swarming-Languendo]

Literally just here for Hylics content. was not disappointed. absolute 10/10

[@ablancer3582]

Me too. Hylics 1 and 2 are like my favorite games, but I liked seeing Space Funeral, Suits, and The Witch’s House too!

[@whyisblue923taken]

Hylics is like someone had a fever dream after playing Shin Megami Tensei and decided to turn that into a new game. Lawmage Academy is impressive. We hardly see demos that large for AAA games. It shows a lot of ambition.

[@Verinius]

Thank you for the support! A lot of people liked the demo and it recently breached the 5k wishlist mark. It gives me confidence that people will enjoy it for what it is. ^-^

[@kupari906]

You got me to pick up OneShot just now, and I can't wait to give it a try. You're quickly becoming one of my favorite KZbinrs, and I'm looking forward to what you have in store next!

[@Majuular]

I consider that a major victory on my end. Thanks for the comment!

[@Holgast]

BTW, it has a Steam release now that added some extra stuff

[@TheKaiserTia]

Just bought it in the winter sale!

[@antzerobooks]

rpg maker games just had that extra charm when it is so well done, idk why, maybe it's the ex newgrounds enjoyer in me

[@Majuular]

So true, there's the "amateur who busted their ass for hours making something unique" vibe.

[@seigeengine]

I also find an appreciation for smaller works simply by virtue of them being small. Part of it's that your expectations are lower. You're not expecting a triple-A product, and so not only do the good parts feel more significant, but you're invested more because you're not holding the game at the same distance you would if you were expecting higher quality. There's also that you know you're getting a more direct creative expression, since these projects are the work of one person, or a small team, whereas larger games involve dozens or hundreds of people's input, which may create a "better" overall product, but, in so doing, leaves you with products that rarely have more than the rudiments of a voice.

[@OldyAlbert]

Fear & Hunger is really special. It's sesitive stuff sertanly limit it's appeal (you can't even see the game on steam without log-in AND enabling 18+ content), but it is so much more then just shock content, glad more people giving it a try

[@LTDLetsPlays]

black souls is also equally special especially the 2nd game both of them need more popularity

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

I just can't enjoy it because of it's unfair design. I WANT to love it, but there's a difference between challenging and horse malarky. I get that it's meant to be that way...but it doesn't make it good in my eyes.

[@OldyAlbert]

@@ramenbomberdeluxe4958 It's a niche game indeed, it's not challenging as like Sekiro is, it's more like trying different stuff and trying to get the most with what you have. There's hard mode without saving that i do not even want to try, but normal mode is fine i think. Also - Fear & Hunger 2 just released, let's go!!!

[@hello-gx6oi]

@@LTDLetsPlays bruh bs2 i was planing on playing that but first i wanted to finish all endings in bs1 but damn i failed doing that one ending that i want to get because nobody told me that i have to die to a certain boss

[@wires8054]

I love how your videos come out just often enough, and the content is just that varied enough, that when I see the name and thumbnail I’m like ‘Oh, yeah, I want that in my life’ 😂

[@Majuular]

My social engineering is working perfectly 😈

[@DurdleDers]

@@Majuular your timing is quite impeccable

[@rabidrivas]

@@Majuular Nocturne Rebirth Is a great game.

[@dben4355]

Really nice list; there were a few big names like OneShot and The Witch’s House that I wasn’t expecting. I remember the latter had an ending added in an update where you could wait in the starting room for a full hour which results in not having to go into the house at all, which makes sense given what you learn at the end. A few things that I had put on my bingo card but didn’t show up were Dreaming Mary, Dear Mariko, Peret Em Heru, something by Oates (No Delivery, Nobody’s Home) and a segment/lightning round touching on fangames, either/or on fangames of rpg maker games ( the Yume Nikki, OFF, or Space Funeral fan “spheres”) or ones based on broader franchises (7th Stand User, Touhou Mother), but some of those fangames aren’t exactly bite size.

[@polaknasieci1331]

OMORI not being on here was also really shocking, seeing how it's wildly considered THE RPG maker game, alongside just being one of the best games ever made in general.

[@Moshugaani]

I think the graphics in Space Funeral are actually very good! It's absurd and childish, but everything follows the same art style and it's certainly expressive! The game is a one big fever dream and the graphics serve to enhance it.

[@ethribin4188]

Glad you added Witch's House at the end. I was desperately screaming at the screen that you should mention it.

[@davidsburningdumpster8728]

I was randomly feeling a bit under the weather today. But this just fixed it! Especially the part about oneshot! Awesome as always.

[@ricardoaalucard]

damn. that lawmage academy looks awesome! can someone hire that guy and give him a team so he can create a masterpiece?

[@Verinius]

Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate the support!

[@theonlybilge]

SQUENIX HIRE THIS MAN

[@Kammereer]

21:57 Almost all of these are actually good. Though "Summer Memories" raises hard hitting questions such as "Why does a boy the game has assured me is an 18+ genuine adult collecting bugs as his homework for summer". Real ballbusting criticisms of Japanese education and such

[@Majuular]

lol, I was hoping for a comment on that section from you.

[@Kammereer]

@@Majuular I strive to please.

[@DistractedGlobeGuy]

Are entomology and ecology not offered as valid majors at any reputable Japanese universities?

[@sugarfreejelly5577]

Are you trying to tell me that this all of that shit are actually good games?

[@Kammereer]

@@sugarfreejelly5577 Yeah

[@italian504]

Something to note about The Witch's House, there IS a Prequel Manga that talks more in dept about the Witch herself prior to the events to give more context as to WHY she is the way she is. If you are curious about that kind of detail, Go search for 'The Witch's House: The Diary of Ellen' but I also recommend not if you want a bit more vagueness to be intact for the game's ending and overall wordless plot as i know some people prefer less information in this kind of story.

[@joearnold6881]

I’m so glad you had so much fun and comfiness with Fear & Hunger! (To anyone on the fence, you _can_ weight the coin flips with any extra coins you find, so it’s ever so slightly less punishing when you want it to be… unless you play it on Steam Deck like I did at first and didn’t map the “weight coin-flip” key (shift) to a button…) Sweet list of games I literally took OneShot off my wishlist not long ago when I trimmed it down… I was completely wrong about what sort of game it was! Oh, look. It’s on sale right now! MAYO SNAKES RULE

[@Majuular]

I gotta sit down and play some more Fear & Hunger in the future. There's a wicked initial learning curve that I'd like to overcome because Termina looks wicked. As for OneShot... DO IT JOE. MAYO SNAKES RULE!

[@jesse.qua.]

MAYO SNAKES RULE

[@joearnold6881]

@@jesse.qua. coolest gang in town

[@qwertasdf6657]

Yesss Majuular and Rpg maker games! My favorite things! Another banger video.

[@TheDarkblade511]

To The Moon and it's sequels are some of my favorite games/stories. Glad to see it covered in this video.

[@megasocky]

oneshot just hits me in a specific way since one of the people who helped the dev with some of the puzzles was a good friend of mine that passed. i think theres a dedication to him in the steam version

[@shaterlemming2549]

Thank you for the intro provided great context. I had no idea RPG Maker had such a storied past. I thought it was more of a meme game I guess you could say.

[@Dasten]

Damn, i remember perusing the rm2k forums and geocities for suggestions back in the day. At that awkward interim between ps2 and next gen, rpgmaker games has this strange, unpolished allure. Watching folks from many walks of life put their thoughts to paper, as it were. Got some good meat from this vid to rip my teeth into. Thanks for the content Maj!

[@milofranklin5386]

I'm not sure exactly why this video got recommended to me. I haven't been watching RPG content, let alone RPG Maker content. I wasn't subscribed to your channel at the time. That said, I loved this video and subbed near immediately. This was a great blast from the past for games like Yume Nikki and Space Funeral. Suits reminds me aesthetically of OFF, another one of these that I played as a kid with an internet connection. I look forward to trying a few of these when I can. I'm glad your channel got sent my way.

[@doritosempire9952]

I recommend the Hello Charlotte series , truly an hidden gem that more people should know about

[@edd1549]

Majuular, your channel is criminally underrated for the quality of content that you put out. I really enjoy your sense of humor and the level of analysis you do. Stay comfy my friend.

[@Grandosco]

As an RPGMaker dev, I appreciate this video!

[@Majuular]

Keep up the good work!

[@Grandosco]

Thanks a bunch!

[@KumoKumiko]

I know people have already flooded the comments with OFF, so I'll only add that 'Suits: A Business RPG' was developed in the wake of OFF blowing up really big on tumblr, so I think that might lend to that feeling of...derivativeness? maybe? like, it's working from a lot of similar concepts while having a very different main story/ takeaway. it feels like that's necessary context that said, I had no idea the dev was making a sequel, and as you said, making ANYTHING to completion is a feat in and of itself, so hopefully the dev can learn from what worked and make something really neat

[@systemrestart120]

Here's a recommendation I haven't seen yet; End Roll. End Roll is an actual RPG, where you play as Russell, a young boy who is taking part in the "Happy Dream Rehabilitation Program", and must explore your/his dreams with an end goal in mind. I won't say much more as I'd rather people play it, but besides the story intrigue, this game has; a big 'world' inside Russell's head to explore with lots of extra content to find (areas, special events, secret bosses or characters, etc), a somewhat basic but pretty fun and engaging (with cool sprite animation!!) battle system, really good sprite and portrait artwork, a loveable and Memorable cast in a largely ominous and oppressive setting............ all of which informs you of who Russell, the person, is. I love Russell. He's my fucked up son and I highly recommend this game. Warning, though, it is, Bleak. Maybe not the absolute bleakest, there's humor in there, but it can get dismal, so if you're sensitive to anything read the content warnings. Also, while I'm here, that creator has two other (translated) games, Farethere City, and Walking on a Star Unknown. Both are good in their own right, give them a look!!! I even did speedruns of Farethere City lol

[@gylotip8393]

I am halfway through this game. The funny part is that I started playing this one year ago, yet I still haven't finished it yet.

[@bossuhole]

it was really cool to see someone talk about fear&hunger! it's SO hard, but lord, the secrets were rewarding.

[@cirokuma]

i suddenly ended up alone on thanksgiving due to a family emergency so this is just what i needed. thanks majuular!

[@Majuular]

Hope everything is okay!

[@cirokuma]

@@Majuular everythings fine! im glad that youre doing a video on rpgmaker games, though! i've been in love with them for a long time now and i'm even currently working together with some lesser-known devs to translate their games into english. do you have any plans to make a follow up to this video? id love to hear your thoughts on other classics like OFF, dreaming mary, ib, hello charlotte, etc. also holy shit, fear and hunger! not to mention you flashed etrian odyssey and smt on screen...based majuular strikes again.

[@Killamajigg]

On this day I give thanks for Majuular and his fantastic videos!

[@Majuular]

The thankfulness is all mine, I assure you!

[@TheRealTr0n]

An awesome video! I love seeing RPG Maker content like this. If you’re looking for some good upcoming games like Lawmage to check out, I highly suggest, Trailblazer, Our Dying World, The Last Chronomancer, Haven, Amerons Legacy, and Trials of Cascadia!

[@Verinius]

Up! Heya RealTron! :D

[@jacuul6735]

God yes Space Funeral. I found the dev during college years ago and keep a lot of the games on a flash drive (which might be a considered a virus in some countries) but you should definitely check out Goblet Grotto (if it runs) and CrimeZone (if it runs) thought these aren't RPG maker games. Franken is also incredible, though I think some other KZbinrs have covered it.

[@groenteboer]

What a great compilation of games with a good short summary. Really deserves a pt. 2 in the future.

[@newbrowny]

Hay Maj, just gotta say, I saw your video and audibly said "AWE SWEET!!"

[@idontlikethis980]

Lovely video! Quite liked the formatting, editing, and script writting, it was insightful but also emotional in the later stories. I did not expect myself to cry and think about my own life and its missed out momments, yet i did during the 'to the moon' segment. The oneshot segment warmed my heart and made my eyes watery. I feel this video will become a special memory forever ingrained into my head. The oneshot, fear and hunger, space funeral, to the moon segmants were my favorite, and i expect to never forget, but this whole video was very well put together. Thank you for letting me experience this.

[@liquidcore_]

Ah excellent a perfect way to spend the next hour. Still not a 12 hour review of Sneak King but good enough for sure.

[@Majuular]

Like a Double Whopper w/ Cheese, good things take time to prepare!

[@xBarlen]

Great! Another cozy video. The chapter thumbnails are perfect

[@ryanm5880]

The Kenny vs spenny clip in there brought back so much nostalgia

[@CBman11037]

Your Turn To Die is another RPG MAKER banger

[@yordlop]

Not sure if you'll ever see this, but Rakuen would fit right in on this list. You play a terminally ill boy as he explores his favorite fantasy picture book world from his hospital room, and the fantasy narrative reflects his and other patients' struggles of battling their illnesses and ultimately coming to terms with the inevitability of dying. It made me cry more than To the Moon and I love it so much. Also it has beautiful pixel art and an amazing original soundtrack.

[@theFado96]

Y'all deserve to check out "Theia: The Crismon Eclipse" and "Alter AILA Genesis". Long 30ish hours JRPG which blew my ind when I've heard they were made in RPG Maker. Suprised they weren't in the vide actually, probably because they are longer games.

[@shards-of-glass-man]

Alter AILA Genesis blew my little teen head off back in the day, because the madlad really did stick an ATB system into the engine that did not have the in-built functionality for it

[@Bulbonius]

Will be checking out Oneshot, Toilet in Wonderland, Hylics, and Space funeral. Thanks for the list.

[@ZeroPlayerGame]

> Sees Space Funeral mention rubles so that's where distorted sad world inspirations came from! Anyway, gr8 review, I can't wait to try out, like, half of those at least.

[@SylvesterAshcroft88]

To The Moon and other games in that series are extremely heart wrenching, and are definitely worth checking out if you have a chance, and all of them were made in RPG Maker. Edit: I'm glad you covered the game in the video, thank you.

[@deerecoyote2040]

My only problem with his section on To The Moon was him using the phrase "her autistic tendencies worsen over time." From my interpretation at least, it sounds like he's saying that autism is some sort of brain disease that degenerate over time, which is straight up untrue. And as someone on the spectrum that kinda hurt. It's a disorder, but I and many others just call it a nuerotype due to the negative associations people make with the word disorder. It's a small thing to take issue with, but for some reason I did.

[@gnbman]

I can't help but find myself wishing that Lawmage Academy was in 3D, in addition to having a more unique artstyle.

[@jorixpalorn3738]

There is one RPG maker game that I find particularly addictive. Its got the most in depth extensive job system I've ever seen in an rpg, with damn near 150 jobs and just as many races for your more monstrous party members. With tons of characters you can recruit to your party. The first 2 parts alone provide a rather long story already with a 3rd part on the way. The plot can be a bit convoluted with your party occasionally visiting parallel realities and a collapsing dimension, but overall is amazingly well written for what it is, and I personally really dig the high stakes plot and somewhat reality bending narrative. Beyond even that there is a pretty HUGE post game, with lots of additional side content released over the years, and an extensive post game dungeon that pretty much requires you to delve deep into the game's mechanics and learn how to manipulate and break them if you want to succeed against otherwise impossible challenges. Most people probably will have no idea what game I'm talking about, just curious to see if anyone here does.

[@johnnyaugust5015]

Are you going to say what it is

[@ferociousmaliciousghost]

I see. It seems like basically no one knows or cares to tell anyone what this game is.

[@qjgs]

Motherfuvker Just say you Jacked it to monster Girls, The game is very probably monster girl quest paradox for those that may want to look it up. Beware tho it is NSFW

[@stannosaurus]

This video is fantastic. Thank you for all of your work. Everything on this list was surprising to me!! Can't wait to check out some new games as well as come back to some I already knew.

[@bigboopus5059]

Great picks. You should also try OFF and Ib

[@megadick6billion512]

The composition of this video is really goddamn good. Great job on this!

[@NKolbe]

Amazing! Would love to see some more game reviews you feel like giving.

[@bestevie311]

I find it so hilarious the combat in Space Funeral is purposefully piss easy to poke fun at how some rpg maker games focus so much time on their story telling they neglect the gameplay.

[@kuktacz]

Your Xenogears review actually forced me to finally finish the game, thanksalot. It was great, now it's chrono time

[@aneitalt]

1:08:33 6 games, and I'm still working on my 7th and planning my 8th. That being said, game making is hard and kudos for those who use RPG Maker. I doubt they had as many guides as I do with Unity for making games and they were able to do so much. ♥

[@bubblesrbubbles]

I love the bit at 4:45 , thank you for this xD

[@user-zn5zr2ed3x]

Thanks for such a good video to chill to! It reminded me of late summer evenings where i would download rpg makers games on my then old and rusty laptop just fall in the world of weird and bizzare games. And i too still cry hearing to the moon ost, what a beautiful beautiful game.

[@brya9681]

You have no idea how happy I am that you played Toilet in Wonderland lol. I fucking love it. It actually has more of the spirit of Though the Looking Glass than that nonsense Tim Burton made. Also yes please give Hylics more eyes,. those games are great.

[@endlesswanderer1753]

Hylics deserves more ears as well. Those soundtracks remain some of my regular listens.