Pixel Game Maker MV allows you to build up a 2D game from the very beginning, with no games design knowledge required. Featuring an easy to follow set of tutorials and different ways to make your dream game, this game/program is one of the best tools for making a game as an upcoming solo developer. Due to this game being a development program or tool-set, reviewing it was quite different from the usual process. Key elements such as graphics or story don’t apply. However, it still held its own as an enjoyable experience that taught many lessons along the way.
The Tutorials
The tutorials are the very first thing players will interact with. Whilst tutorials in games and programs are often there to guide you, these tutorials show you step by step exactly what you need to do. Starting off with creating a scene, the tutorials break down the areas of the user interface and how they impact the experience.
Each of these tutorials vary in terms of how much time they’ll take to complete. Creating a scene for example is a lot faster than creating enemy long ranged attacks. The program does an excellent job transitioning from one tutorial to another, easily guiding the player through the entire process of making a simple game. I’d fully recommend putting a few hours aside to sit through all the tutorials at once, as it would be easy to forget where you left off.
The only major issue I ran into whilst following the tutorials is that they on occasion didn’t work as intended. If the display window is maximised, it leads to the assistant box pointing at incorrect areas. There were also certain elements of the game that didn’t turn out right despite following these tutorials correctly multiple times. Fixing the issues was easy enough, however it was a shame that such issues were caused by the tutorials themselves.
The Tools
The tools consist of six main areas. Resources, Tiles, Objects, Animation, Scenes and Transition. Resources allows the preperation and arrangement of image assets in the game. Tiles allows the management of the objects used for map creation, such as the floor and walls. Objects allow the characters and items to have certain characteristics and traits. Animation is of course a place to manage the animation. Scenes is the area to manage the different levels available in the game. Transition is the area that manages the connections between the different scenes.
All of these of course go into various levels of detail. Some areas are naturally more complicated than others. Scenes for example is a fairly easy area to use, as it only consists of the level itself, whereas Objects or Animation have an incredibly large amount of options throughout the game.
Using and understanding all these options would require many hours of gameplay, as the tutorials do not cover absolutely everything there is to know. Pixel Game Maker MVÂ is a learning tool for this very reason, as every individual will learn and progress with the tools at their own pace.
Expanding your vision
Pixel Game Maker MVÂ supports both single player and multiplayer creation. The game prides itself in having 4 player support straight out of the box, without any additional programming or plugins. This 4 player support can be for both competitive and cooperative local play.
Just because you don’t need plugins doesn’t mean you can’t use them. Pixel Game Maker MVÂ supports JavaScript, meaning you can create plugins and perform actions you might not be able to do in the visual scripting system of the game.
The visuals and graphics are not limited by the presets. The program also has a graphic import feature that allows you to shape the games appearance the way you want it. You can also edit this via particle effects, the physics engine and the multiplayer layer combination function. All of these features truly allow the game to be your very own creation.
Summary
This program allows both new and veteran game developers alike to easily create a 2D game of their choice. Creating original platformers or action games without games design knowledge has never been easier. The software plans to allow users to launch their creations on Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop in 2020.
KADOKAWA are currently holding a Pixel Game Maker MV Game Development Challenge, in which they’ll seek out the best creations to launch on Nintendo Switch. The contest will run from Oct. 3, 2019, to March 31, 2020. This is absolute proof that using this program can get you into the industry and can get you a good portfolio, if you’re willing to put in the time.
After putting a decent amount of hours into this game, I’d say it was an easy to understand experience that taught me new lessons about 2D games design. Having created my own 2D games before, this easy of use was a breath of fresh air compared to the industry level programs. With game creation as its selling point, i’d say this program ticks every box. I truly enjoyed my time using this program.
Pixel Game Maker MV is out now on Steam. You can check out more details about the game here.
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