Visual novel engine: Difference between revisions

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Visual novel engines refer to engines such as [[Ren'Py]], [[NaniNovel]], or [[VNMaker]], which are focused around the creation of visual novels or visual novel adjacent games, rather than general purpose game engines such as Unity or Godot.  
A '''visual novel engine''' is a package of code designed to simplify the [[programming]] of [[visual novel]]s. They often provide default [[Graphical User Interface|graphical user interfaces]]; utilities for displaying sprites, backgrounds, and music; and pre-built [[accessibility]] features.
General purpose game engines such as Gamemaker, Unity or Godot are not included in these lists.


==Popular engines==
==Most popular engines==


* [[Ren'Py]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
* [[NaniNovel]]
|-
* [[VNMaker]]
! Name
! Creator/Developer
! Link
! Price
! Details
|-
| '''[[Ren'Py]]'''
| PyTom
| https://www.renpy.org/
| Free
| Supports Python 3
|-
| '''[[NaniNovel]]'''
| Elringus
| https://naninovel.com/
| One time purchase
| Supports Unity
|-
| '''[[TyranoBuilder]]'''
| STRIKEWORKS
| https://tyranobuilder.com/
| One time purchase
|
|-
| '''[[VNMaker|Visual Novel Maker]]'''
| Degica
| https://visualnovelmaker.com/
| One time purchase
|
|}


== Other engines ==
== Other engines ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Name !! Last Update
! Name !! Last Update !! Platforms || Access
|-
|-
| [https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=8030&p=109888#p109888 BASS] ||  
| [https://fr33mind.github.io/Belle/about.html Belle] || 2017 || Web || Open Source
|-
|-
| [https://fr33mind.github.io/Belle/about.html Belle] || 2017
| [https://cs2.suki.jp/ CatSystem2] || 2016 || Windows || Free/Commercial
|-
|-
| [https://cs2.suki.jp/ CatSystem2] || 2016
| [https://home.dorian.live/ Dorian] || 2023 || iOS, Android || Gated
|-
|-
| [https://cloudnovel.net/ CloudNovel] ||
| [https://github.com/krkrz/krkrz KiriKiri Z] || 2017 || Windows, Android (Kirikiroid2) || Open Source
|-
|-
| [https://home.dorian.live/ Dorian] || 2022
| [https://www.kocho.io/ Kocho] || 2021 || iOS, Android || Free
|-
|-
| [https://intale.app/ Intale] || 2021
| [https://github.com/FGRE/libnpengine libnpengine] || 2019 ||  ||
|-
|-
| [https://ramifygames.com/jstory/ jStory] ||  
| [https://lightvn.net/ Light.vn] || 2024 || Windows, Web, iOS, Android || Free
|-
|-
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_visual_novel_engines#KiriKiri KiriKiri] || 2010
| [https://www.livemaker.net/ LiveMaker] || 2018 || Windows || Free
|-
|-
| [https://www.kocho.io/ Kocho] || 2021
| [https://monogatari.io/ Monogatari] || 2022 || Web || Open Source
|-
|-
| [https://github.com/FGRE/libnpengine libnpengine] || 2019
| [http://www.visualnovelty.com/ Novelty] || 2010 || Windows || Free
|-
|-
| [https://www.livemaker.net/ LiveMaker] ||  
| [https://www.nscripter.com/ nScripter] || 2018 || Windows
|-
|-
| [https://github.com/Slynchy/March22-Unity March22-Unity] || 2019
| [https://github.com/anonl/nvlist NVList] || 2022 || Multiple || Open Source
|-
|-
| [https://www.deviantart.com/matag/posts/journals MATAG.Tokyo] || 2016
| [http://www.vnengine.com/ Om3ga Visual Novel Engine] || 2018 ||  || Free
|-
|-
| [http://www.visualnovelty.com/ Novelty] || 2010
| [https://github.com/suika2team/suika2 OpenEngine] || 2024 ||  || Free
|-
|-
| [https://www.nscripter.com/ nScripter] ||  
| [https://lunafromthemoon.itch.io/renjs RenJS] || 2022 || Web || Free
|-
|-
| [https://github.com/anonl/nvlist NVList] || 2022
| [https://www.richcast.com RichCast] || 2023 || Windows, macOS ||  
|-
| [http://www.vnengine.com/ Om3ga Visual Novel Engine] || 2018
|-
| [https://www.richcast.com RichCast] || 2022
|-  
|-  
| [https://wcu.itch.io/seevn SEEVN 2] || 2020
| [https://wcu.itch.io/seevn SEEVN 2] || 2021 || Windows, macOS, Linux || Free
|-
|-
| [https://github.com/ktabata/suika2 Suika2] || 2022
| [https://kirilllive.github.io/tuesday-js/ Tuesday JS visual novel engine] || 2023 || Multiple || Open Source
|-
|-
| [https://talefab.com/ Talefab.com] || 2021
| [https://docs.xgasoft.com/vngen/index/ VNgen] || 2020 ||  || Commercial
|-
|-
| [https://kirilllive.github.io/tuesday-js/ Tuesday JS visual novel engine] || 2022
| [https://docs.narrat.dev/ Narrat] || 2024 || Windows, macOS, Linux || Free
|}
 
== Narrative engines & middleware ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Name !! Last Update !! Platforms || Access
|-
|-
| [https://twinery.org/ Twine] || 2022
| [https://www.inklestudios.com/ink/ Inky] || 2023 || Web || Free
|-
|-
| [https://www.nyu-media.com/tyranobuilder-visual-novel-studio TyranoBuilder Visual Novel Studio] || 2022
| [https://twinery.org/ Twine] || 2023 || Windows, macOS, Linux || Open Source
|-
|-
| [https://docs.xgasoft.com/vngen/index/ VNgen] || 2020
| [https://github.com/Slynchy/March22-Unity March22-Unity] || 2019 || Unity || Open Source
|}
|}


== Defunct engines ==
== Defunct engines ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20240323232501/http://www.bassnovel.com/ BASS]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060806230137/http://www.bladeengine.com/ Blade Visual Novel Engine]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060806230137/http://www.bladeengine.com/ Blade Visual Novel Engine]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20240301132102/https://cloudnovel.net/ CloudNovel]
* [https://docs.xgasoft.com/legacy/ Edge Visual Novel Engine]
* [https://docs.xgasoft.com/legacy/ Edge Visual Novel Engine]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20220531190642/https://intale.app/ Intale]
* jStory
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_visual_novel_engines#KiriKiri KiriKiri 2] (Replaced by KiriKiri Z)
* [https://www.deviantart.com/matag/posts/journals MATAG.Tokyo]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080726190843/http://www.mazenove.com/ MazeNovel]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080726190843/http://www.mazenove.com/ MazeNovel]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160106011926/https://www.tonypottier.info/ngengine/index.html Narrative Game Engine]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160106011926/https://www.tonypottier.info/ngengine/index.html Narrative Game Engine]
* [http://renai.sourceforge.net/ Ren'ai/Dating Simulation Engine] (2008)
* [http://renai.sourceforge.net/ Ren'ai/Dating Simulation Engine] (2008)
* Suika2 (Replaced by OpenEngine)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090717055922/http://www.studiomab.co.uk:80/Content.aspx/Sylph Sylph]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090717055922/http://www.studiomab.co.uk:80/Content.aspx/Sylph Sylph]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20240528002800/https://talefab.com/ Talefab.com]
* [https://namu.wiki/w/UCnovel UCnovel]
* [https://namu.wiki/w/UCnovel UCnovel]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081214191203/http://vasilriot.just4fun.co.kr/ Vasilriot]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081214191203/http://vasilriot.just4fun.co.kr/ Vasilriot]
* [https://webstoryengine.org/ WebStory Engine]


==Guides==
==Guides==
* [[Guide:Choosing an engine|Choosing an engine]]
* [[Guide:Choosing an engine|Choosing an engine]]
==External links==
* [https://query.vndb.org/query-table/HcE83RzfGxZ0RIL2 Engines by number of releases on VNDB]




{{engine nav}}
{{engine nav}}
{{development nav}}
[[Category:Visual novel engines]]
[[Category:Programming]]

Latest revision as of 16:07, 5 November 2024

 This article needs expansion. You can help by adding to it.

A visual novel engine is a package of code designed to simplify the programming of visual novels. They often provide default graphical user interfaces; utilities for displaying sprites, backgrounds, and music; and pre-built accessibility features. General purpose game engines such as Gamemaker, Unity or Godot are not included in these lists.

Most popular engines

Name Creator/Developer Link Price Details
Ren'Py PyTom https://www.renpy.org/ Free Supports Python 3
NaniNovel Elringus https://naninovel.com/ One time purchase Supports Unity
TyranoBuilder STRIKEWORKS https://tyranobuilder.com/ One time purchase
Visual Novel Maker Degica https://visualnovelmaker.com/ One time purchase

Other engines

Name Last Update Platforms Access
Belle 2017 Web Open Source
CatSystem2 2016 Windows Free/Commercial
Dorian 2023 iOS, Android Gated
KiriKiri Z 2017 Windows, Android (Kirikiroid2) Open Source
Kocho 2021 iOS, Android Free
libnpengine 2019
Light.vn 2024 Windows, Web, iOS, Android Free
LiveMaker 2018 Windows Free
Monogatari 2022 Web Open Source
Novelty 2010 Windows Free
nScripter 2018 Windows
NVList 2022 Multiple Open Source
Om3ga Visual Novel Engine 2018 Free
OpenEngine 2024 Free
RenJS 2022 Web Free
RichCast 2023 Windows, macOS
SEEVN 2 2021 Windows, macOS, Linux Free
Tuesday JS visual novel engine 2023 Multiple Open Source
VNgen 2020 Commercial
Narrat 2024 Windows, macOS, Linux Free

Narrative engines & middleware

Name Last Update Platforms Access
Inky 2023 Web Free
Twine 2023 Windows, macOS, Linux Open Source
March22-Unity 2019 Unity Open Source

Defunct engines

Guides

External links


Engines
Planning
Funding
Production
Productivity
Marketing
Assets
Asset Subcategories
Narrative
Art
Audio
Programming
User Experience
Gameplay
Marketing
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