RPG Maker Classics

[null.problem]

I think the thing I really loved about the classic "RMN.net era" was all the really cool experimental stuff.
Stuff that was actually about pushing and refining turn-based RPG systems and the narrative form, too.

Everything made by Craze was cool, short and experimental. Hat Testament: A New World was awesome. Helen's mysterious castle. Grist of Flies. Coats. Cassia. There was a kind of broken but really expansive one that reminded me of fear and hunger, I hope to find again.
Sadly, I don't know where to get many of these anymore (rip RMN), except some scattered about:

Some of craze's work

VGperson translated a lot of good stuff, I recommend Standstill girl and Hero and Daughter

All of sraëka-lillian's earlier works are about cool mechanics and hard fights, and are short: https://itch.io/c/1633273/rpg-studies

L.O.V.E. games (better known for mouth sweet, which is awesome) has rxcovery

Unity's work, especially Wierd and Uncomfortable things

Dominic Esquire made some cool stuff, start with Trash Planet

Wow- I was able to find more than I thought! I hope some of you try these out if you haven't...

Post automatically merged: Jul 2, 2025

Also that Grist of Flies link is from a rpgmaker.net game archive over on archive.org that I just found. Maybe someone else mentioned it, but looks like people tried to move stuff there before RMN.net went down.

Umbral Soul is another banger. I'll probably be back with more, this is like a trip down memory lane!

Born under the Rain

 

[KaiserMk7]

Are really damn good contemporary made-in-RPGMaker games that are love letters to a past era welcome here?

 

[null.problem]

Are really damn good contemporary made-in-RPGMaker games that are love letters to a past era welcome here?

I'd welcome them, for one

 

[KaiserMk7]

I'd welcome them, for one

Aight, so, this is a paid title, but...
Horrorvale
Wonderfully thought-out worldbuilding that addresses the videogame mechanics, an unusual elemental weakness system, good art and music, a novel take on an underworld setting, charming and complex cast of characters with 31(28 optional) permanent party members to recruit, a "rescue your kidnapped dog" story that somehow doesn't stop escalating, a great many well-integrated classic horror and early modern internet references, abundant side content including optional party member story arcs and hidden major bosses, the works.
It's unambiguous present obsession material that's Earthbound levels of special.
And it's dozens of hours long.

 

[Noon]

Awesome thank you!

 

[Dr.Kisaragi Dr.Kisaragi]

I still learning how to make games in rpg maker mz my exposure was on ps1 and xp since my dream to make video games I want to study it in my free time.

 

[Graves Ruinwalker]

I have more experience with Horror RPG Makers to be honest.
My favorite game of all time is in fact a rpg maker, yume nikki.
But i really love Hello Charlotte trilogy(anything made by etherane really), Lisa series and Okegom/Deep Sea Prisoner games

I know a Classic Horror one that i played in the 2000s often . Was an older RPG-maker engine but the Pixels actually helped to be immersive imo .

Calm Falls . Its an Silent Hill homage with its own cool spins and ideas . Linear but was pretty good in its delivery and suprises . It had an sequel too which was a bit weaker than the first one but still an outstanding game on its own and huge amount of work that was shown in its enemy and charakter modells .

And somehow in the 2000s , people made some really great games with the RPG-maker-engine that are in the same concept and in its scope like the Triple A industry of its stories and gameplay . In Europe was the RPG-maker engine Something like a underground hit . Many German , british and weirdly italian indie-devs made really cool games at the 2000s . Alot of These games i got back then are from CDs that we're sold with a Magazine called "Screenfun" . Alot of RPG-maker games we're on those discs combined with other small Games and older PC Games like Diablo , MDK2 or even Turok 1 and 2 for PC . Only for 5 bucks . Thats how knew about the RPG-maker Scene and its games.

 

[solnK!]

Call me normie, but I really like Yume Nikki

 

[sun0wl]

Anyone remember Velsarbor? The game by Lachsen, the guy who used pointers in RM2k3 lol

English version available via https://www.rpgmakerarchive.net/2022/06/archive-velsarbor-by-lachsen-rm2k.html

Seriously, his event programming was insane.

 

[DorfleFlorp]

Peret Em Heru

 

[KaiserMk7]

Come to think of it, a lot of the "classics" can't really be talked about. There's so much peak with deeply disturbing subject matter and incidental explicit imagery. Doujin circles do some real magic.

 

[Deleted member 58254]

I've made some really stupid shit for gamejolt and newgrounds on rpg maker

https://gamejolt.com/games/ponybrap/771260

 

[KaiserMk7]

https://gamejolt.com/games/ponybrap/771260

Hmm... can't be much worse than "Why is Itch recommending me obvious fetish games for downloading some inconspicuous RPGMaker freeware with Kobold in the title and no preview images? ... Oh..."

 

[blindpr0phet]

I was legit obsessed with 7th Stand User for a few months. Yumejoshi ass game

Maybe not classic, but Dreaming Mary is both interesting and quite disturbing.

 

[Deleted member 560402]

As long as it's the 7th and not the 4th

 

[thumbsdown]

Dunno if this was previously shared, but that's a homage zine to the classics... It was organized by Mala :)

RPZinemaker by ophazines

A digital zine celebrating RPG Maker games

ophazines.itch.io