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Ren'Py

Game engine for the creation of visual novels

Summary

Game engine for the creation of visual novels

FieldValue
nameRen'Py Visual Novel Engine
logoRen’Py Logo 6-13-6 200x307px.png
logo size100px
logo captionRen'Py's mascot, Eileen, surrounded by a python
screenshotWikipe-tan visual novel (Ren'Py).png
screenshot size240px
captionAn example of a Ren'Py-created scene
authorTom "PyTom" Rothamel
developerTom "PyTom" Rothamel
released
latest release version8.4.1
latest release date
programming languagePython, Cython
middleware
operating systemWindows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Android, iOS
size115 MB
languageEnglish for the engine – UTF-8 use for resulting programs
genreGame engine (visual novel)
licenseMIT
website

The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine (or RenPy for short) is a free and open-source game engine which facilitates the creation of visual novels. Ren'Py is a portmanteau of ren'ai, the Japanese word for 'romantic love', a common element of games made using Ren'Py; and Python, the programming language that Ren'Py runs on.

Features

Ren'Py includes the ability to create branching stories, save file systems, rollback to previous points in the story, a variety of scene transitions, DLC, and so on. The engine also allows for movie playback for both full-screen movies and animated sprites, in-engine animation (using the built in "Animation and Translation Language", or ATL), and full animation and customization of UI elements via "Screen Language". Ren'Py scripts have a screenplay-like syntax, and can also include blocks of Python code to allow advanced users to add new features of their own. In addition, tools are included in the engine distribution to obfuscate scripts and archive game assets to mitigate copyright infringement.

Ren'Py is built on pygame, which is built with Python on SDL. The Ren'Py SDK is officially supported on Windows, recent versions of macOS, and Linux; and can be installed via the package managers of the Arch Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, and Gentoo (in experimental overlay) Linux distributions. Ren'Py can build games for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, OpenBSD, iOS, and HTML5 with WebAssembly.

Reception

Ren'Py has been recommended as a video game creation engine by several outlets, including Indie Games Plus, MakeUseOf, PC Gamer, and The Guardian. It has been used in classes at Carnegie Mellon School of Art, Faculty of Art at University Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia, and as a tool for information literacy.

Notable games

TitleGenre(s)Developer(s)Publisher(s)Release datePlatformAndiOSLXMacWinAnalogue: A Hate StoryBlack ClosetButterfly SoupCafé 0: The Drowned MermaidComing Out on TopDate WarpA Date with DeathDigital: A Love StoryDoki Doki Literature Club!don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your storyDoomed LoveDysfunctional Systems seriesExogenesis: Perils of Rebirth demoFatal HeartsFault Milestone OneFault Milestone Two** seriesHeart of the WoodsHeileen seriesJuniper's KnotKatawa ShoujoLadykiller in a BindLong Live the QueenLoren the Amazon PrincessMagical DiaryMilk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk seriesMomotypeOne Night StandPlanet StrongholdRaptor Boyfriend**Scarlet HollowSlay the PrincessSummer SessionTales of Aravorn: Seasons of the WolfVera Blanc series
Visual novelLove Conquers All GamesChristine LoveSeptember 22, 2017
Visual novel, Strategy RPG, Life simulationHanako GamesHanako GamesSeptember 16, 2015
Visual novel, Romantic comedyBrianna LeiBrianna LeiSeptember 16, 2017
Visual novel, MysteryROSEVERTEROSEVERTEOctober 4, 2011
Visual novel, Dating simObscurasoftObscurasoftDecember 10, 2014
Visual novel, Science fictionSpiky Caterpillar, Hanako GamesHanako GamesMay 22, 2010
Visual novel, Dating simTwo and a Half StudiosTwo and a Half StudiosDecember 7, 2023
Visual novelLove Conquers All GamesChristine LoveFebruary 28, 2010
Visual novel, Dating sim, HorrorTeam SalvatoTeam SalvatoSeptember 22, 2017
Visual novelLove Conquers All GamesChristine LoveApril 4, 2011
Point-and-click, Dating sim, Visual novel, FangameDavid B. CooperDavid B. CooperJune 11, 2021
Visual novelDischan MediaDischan MediaApril 4, 2013
Adventure game, Visual novel, Sci-fiKwanSekai ProjectApril 19, 2019
Visual novel, Adventure game, OtomeHanako GamesHanako GamesOctober 23, 2007
Visual novelAlice in DissonanceSekai ProjectAugust 12, 2013
Visual novelAlice in DissonanceSekai ProjectAugust 16, 2015
Visual novelWinter WolvesWinter WolvesFebruary 1, 2010
Visual novelStudio ÉlanStudio ÉlanFebruary 15, 2019
Visual novelTycoon GamesTycoon GamesOctober 21, 2008
Visual novelDischan MediaDischan MediaApril 4, 2013
Visual novel, NakigeFour Leaf StudiosFour Leaf StudiosJanuary 4, 2012
Visual novel, Eroge, Romantic comedyLove Conquers All GamesChristine LoveOctober 10, 2016
Visual novel, RPG, Political simulationSpiky Caterpillar, Hanako GamesHanako GamesJune 2, 2012
RPG, Visual novel, FantasyWinter WolvesWinter WolvesApril 30, 2012
Visual novel, Fantasy, OtomeSpiky Caterpillar, Hanako GamesHanako GamesJune 19, 2011
Visual novelNikita KryukovMissing CalmAugust 26, 2020
Visual novel, Digital petRimatoadRimatoadDecember 3, 2021
Visual novelKinmokuKinmokuOctober 20, 2016
Visual novel, RPG, Sci-fiWinter WolvesWinter WolvesFebruary 28, 2011
Visual novel, Dating simRocket AdriftRocket AdriftJuly 15, 2021
Visual novelHanako GamesHanako GamesFebruary 23, 2013
Visual novel, HorrorBlack Tabby GamesBlack Tabby GamesJune 11, 2021
Visual novel, HorrorBlack Tabby GamesBlack Tabby GamesOctober 23, 2023
Dating simHanako Games, Tycoon GamesHanako Games, Tycoon GamesJuly 2, 2008
Visual novel, RPG, FantasyWinter WolvesWinter WolvesNovember 15, 2014
Visual novel, MysteryWinter WolvesWinter WolvesJune 30, 2010

References

Notes Citations

References

  1. "Art Card Information".
  2. Lin, Maria. (December 2005). "Returning the Love: Three Fans Taking the Next Step".
  3. "License".
  4. "The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine". Ren'Py.
  5. "Writing Visual Novels with Ren'Py: The Ren'Py Tutorial". Ren'Py.
  6. "Building Distributions". Ren'Py.
  7. "Why Ren'Py?". Ren'Py.
  8. "Installing Ren'Py on Gentoo Linux".
  9. "games/renpy".
  10. "Ren'Py 6.99".
  11. D., Konstantinos. (8 May 2012). "Indie Tools: Ren'Py".
  12. Wiesehan, Robert. (7 July 2014). "Learn To Make Your Own Visual Novels With Ren'Py, Or Play One Of These".
  13. (2 April 2020). "The best engines for making your own visual novel".
  14. Stuart, Keith. (20 March 2014). "How to get into the games industry – an insiders' guide".
  15. "Experimental Game Design".
  16. (2014-11-01). "Adventures in Research Creating a video game textbook for an information literacy course". College & Research Libraries News.
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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