RPG Maker FES

Genre: Content Creation Application

Players: 1, Online Content Sharing

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Review:

RPG Maker FES, released on Nintendo 3DS in 2017, is only the second entry in this long-running series of Content Creation Applications to be made for a Nintendo platform, and the first to be released outside of Japan. As with other releases in this franchise, RPG Maker FES provides players with the tools to create their own RPG, as well as giving them access to a wealth of content created by other users.

Well… or at least, that’s the idea. Of course, as I write this review in 2023, this game will soon be losing much of this functionality. With the Nintendo 3DS eShop closing on March 27, 2023, NIS America has followed suit in announcing that the online servers for this game will be shut down soon after, on March 31, 2023. This means that those interested in using this Application to share their creations with the world only have a few weeks to do so, and likewise you only have a few weeks to download others’ creations (though after that time, you’ll be able to replay the downloaded content you’ve previously grabbed whenever you like).

With this being the case, one might wonder why to bother downloading this game when its online community is about to be killed off? That’s… actually a really good question. There are multiple entries in the RPG Maker series on PC that are still fully-supported, and consoles also have RPG Maker MV, which even got a Nintendo Switch release so you can create your RPGs on the go. With this being the case, RPG Maker FES looks mostly-pointless in 2023.

Well, there are a few things RPG Maker FES does still have to offer, even in 2023. Firstly, the user-created content for this title was specifically made for this game, meaning this content is unique and unavailable elsewhere. In addition, I feel like in many ways this is a simpler and easier-to-understand game than many others in the series, though sadly this element is undermined by a lack of any sort of tutorial. And finally, while the pixel art visuals here are in line with much of the rest of the series, I think the soundtrack in RPG Maker FES is a bit better than the average RPG Maker game.

As a counter-point, if your main interest here is to play others’ creations, you’re better off getting the RPG Maker FES Player, which will let you do so for free… though of course that comes with the caveat that once March 31, 2023 comes to pass, you won’t be using that Application to do anything other than play the games you’ve already downloaded.

In any case, RPG Maker FES had a lot of value to offer, but as I write this in 2023, that time has pretty much come to pass. If you’re interested in creating RPGs, you’re better off getting an entry in this series on another platform. If you’re interested in playing the work of others, you should go for RPG Maker FES Player. Between those two alternatives, I can’t imagine there’s much reason left for anyone to get this game.

tl;dr – RPG Maker FES is a Content Creation Application for creating your own RPGs. Unfortunately, with this title’s servers being shut down in March 31, 2023, RPG Maker FES’s time seems to be coming to an end. Players who still want to try out the creations of others are encouraged to download RPG Maker FES Player instead, and those who want to create and share RPGs would be better off grabbing a more modern entry in this series on another platform.

Grade: D+

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