Editor's Note: Entry is a WIP. There may also be spoilers and violent imagery in its galleries. View at your own discretion.

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About

RPG Maker Games are games that originate from the RPG Maker software. Although the software is originally used to make role playing games, the most popular games to have come out of RPG Maker are of the horror-genre. Some prevalent rpg-horror games are Ib, Mad Father, Yume Nikki, and more.

History

All RPG Maker games originate from the RPG Maker software which was first released in 1988.^[1] The fact that the games come from this software is one of the factors for crossovers to be a popular theme for artists. The first game to become famous and have its own fandom is Yume Nikki by Kikiyama, which was released in 2004.^[2]

The inspiration and pioneer to RPG Maker horror games is the 1995 SNES video game Clock Tower, a point and click survival horror game. RPG Maker horror games show multiple gaming elements and mechanics that Clock Tower have sported, such as having multiple endings and puzzles that the player must solve.^[10]

In addition to horror games, RPG Maker is also used to make "classic" RPG styled games like OFF by Mortis Ghost,^[15] and fan games for YouTubers like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye.

Reception

Many RPG Maker games have been reviewed by critics and almost all of the games have received critical acclaim for their story and innovative gameplay. Ib was well received by Screw Attack's MissEsme not for its horror, but its story.^[7] Leviathyn's Zach B. wrote a review for The Witch's House stating "if you don’t care for RPG maker gamers or puzzle-horror games in general, this just might be the game to change your mind."^[8] Mad Father was reviewed by Game Debate's Eduard Bortkevitsh and says "just give it a go and you won’t regret it!"^[9]

By 2011-2012, multiple hit RPG Maker games were released such as Ib by Kouri, The Witch's House by Fummy, and Mad Father by Sen.^[3][4][5] These games were popularized by Let's Players such as Markiplier and PewDiePie. Their exposure of the games allowed the games to quickly gain a cult following.

Impact

Many RPG Maker horror games are uncannily similar (most of the protagonists are young female characters and the games themselves are horror-esque in which puzzles riddled with death traps must be solved), is yet another factor as to why the games are often drawn together.

On April Fool's Day 2014, animator Mike Enel (popular for the Gravity Falls Anime video,) uploaded a fake trailer crossover of Ib, Mad Father, and The Witch's House.

Fandom

An RPG Maker Wiki exists which documents information on any game made in the RPG Maker software. It currently has 216 pages^[6]. Most of the individual games themselves have their own wiki, such as Ib, The Witch's House, and Yume Nikki^[11][12][13].

Notable Games

Horror

• The Witch's House
• Ib
• Mogeko Castle
• Ao Oni
• Mad Father
• Misao
• The Crooked Man
• Yume Nikki
• Mermaid Swamp
• Bevel's Painting
• Fantasy Maidens Odd Hideout
• Corpse Party Classic
• Blank Dream

Classic

• OFF
• Monster Girl Quest: Paradox
• Five Nights at Fuckboy's trilogy

Fan Games

• Dream.EXE
• .flow
• Yume 2kki
• Jack to the Future
• Home

Story Driven

• Mikoto Nikki
• Mix Ore
• Yanderella
• The Dark Side of Red Riding Hood
• To The Moon
• Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea

Fan Art

As of July 2015, searching 'rpg maker' on DeviantArt yields 24,753 results^[14] and 'RPGツクール' on Pixiv yields 7,463 results.

Notable Examples

Related Memes

Uboa

Uboa is an NPC found in the game Yume Nikki by messing with the lightwitch, famous for his deformed and creepy self.

Search Interest

External References