RPG Maker MV was one of the first games I ever reviewed for Gaming Respawn, so I felt a little bit of nostalgia jumping into RPG Maker WITH – a console-specific entry into the RPG Maker franchise available for the Nintendo Switch and, later this month, the PS4 and PS5. It might look like I’ve made a mistake with the game title – perhaps I missed out the rest of it – but no, that’s it. The name likely comes from the game’s focus on collaboration and sharing assets, but it’s still a bit of a weird one.
What Is RPG Maker WITH?
You can probably guess from the title, but RPG Maker is a piece of software that allows you to make your own old-school pixel RPGs. It’s designed for that purpose, so most of the assets and commands are geared towards that. I have, however, seen a few visual novel-style games created as well, showing that creativity is key. I’ve been going down the typical fantasy RPG route, but there’s nothing stopping you going down a sci-fi, mystery, or even slice of life route.
The primary draw is the ability to create your own RPGs, but you can also download and play games that others have published, which can give you a good idea of what is and isn’t possible to achieve using the software. This was especially useful for me going in – I downloaded a couple of games across different genres to get a feel for what I could potentially do. Since WITH has been available on the Nintendo Switch for several months now, there’s a decent library of games for you to check out, and this number is no doubt going to grow with the PlayStation release.
How Does It Work?
When you boot up the game, the main menu has five categories.
First, you have “Create”, where you’ll be taken into the game editor to – you guessed it – create your games. The “Play” section allows you to play your own game or any games you’ve downloaded. “Maker Plaza” is where you can publish any games or assets you’ve made or download those made by others. The “Shop” allows you to purchase and download DLC, but this was unavailable when I was testing the game, probably because it was prior to release. The final section is” Options”. This is where you can make changes to your preferences, though all you can really do is change the BGM and cycle through tips that will help you use the software.
User Interface
RPG Maker WITH is designed to be accessible, and to a degree, it is. The user interface is easy enough to use once you get the hang of it, though some elements are a little tricky with a controller. WITH does feature keyboard support, so you might want to hook one up when you’re inputting text because using the pop-up keyboard is a pain for anything longer than a few words.
The real issue is that, outside of a collection of tips, WITH doesn’t offer a concrete tutorial. The software is pretty easy to use once you know what you’re doing, but it seems to assume the user has some level of experience with it. It’s been a few years since I reviewed MV, so I had no idea what I was doing when I first launched the game.
Luckily, there are some pretty good tutorials on YouTube, and there’s an in-depth guide on Game8. Still, I would have liked a tutorial that at least covered the basics. MV had a tutorial, so this was almost a step backwards. I was willing to put the time in to do my research, but I can imagine it might be daunting for those who just want to jump into it.
Building a Map
Creating a map using WITH is pretty straightforward, and it needs to be done because it’s likely the first thing you’ll be doing. There are several tile sets available for you to choose from, with options for your overworld and more specific sets for areas like towns and castles.
There’s even a catalogue of pre-made maps, which I highly recommend you use when you’re first starting out and just want to get the hang of using the software. I certainly didn’t want to spend hours creating the perfect map before I could start actually building my game.
Creating Your Game
The user interface can be a little tricky to navigate using a controller, but a list of shortcuts makes it easier. It takes some time to get used to – I accidentally backed out of an event I was creating because I pressed the wrong button a few times. This happened less and less the more time I spent with the software though.
Like I’ve already mentioned, you’ll probably need to look at some tutorials if you’re not familiar with RPG Maker, but most things are pretty easy to do, albeit fairly time-consuming.
In an effort to make it as accessible as possible, the RPG Maker franchise takes care of the coding for you. Instead of inputting lines of code, all the player has to do is create an event. Events handle everything from cutscenes to moving graphics, like a waterfall. I think that some PC entries let you explore the coding side, but consoles limit what you can do, which can be a pro or a con depending on your outlook.
Creating a basic event, for the most part, is pretty easy. You choose the tile to link it to, then decide how to trigger it and focus on whatever determines what happens next. It’s a little trickier to make sure an event only triggers in certain situations or only plays once, but there are tutorials that walk you through this.
Assets
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or just want to focus on learning how to use the software, there are plenty of assets you can download from the “Maker Plaza”.
In fact, from background music to a substantial cast of characters, WITH includes pretty much all the assets you’ll need to create your first RPG without even needing to look at player-made assets. Unfortunately, you can only use the pre-existing graphics because console regulations prevent you from importing your own. This is a shame, but there’s not much you can do about it.
Final Thoughts
Despite the limitations of playing on a console, RPG Maker WITH is a great choice for those without access to a PC and a good starting point for those who might eventually jump to the more powerful PC versions. Its simplicity and wide range of assets really work in its favour, but its lack of a tutorial might leave newcomers feeling lost.
It is definitely something you need to work at. So far, I’ve made an opening cutscene, linked my various maps together so I can move between them, and set it so random encounters will appear in certain areas. There are still some of the more complex elements I’ve set to try, but I’m learning, and it’s truly satisfying seeing everything come together.
Developer: Gotcha Gotcha Games
Publisher: NIS America
Platforms: PS4/5, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 10th November 2024
Gaming Respawn’s copy of RPG Maker WITH was provided by the publisher.
