I made an RPG that’s playable on the Gameshell using RPG Maker 2003.
Game: Zacharias
A while back, I read some posts in this forum about playing RPG Maker games on the Gameshell. At the time there was some speculation that this would most likely be possible using EasyRPG core on RetroArch.
Reading that post inspired me to buy RPG Maker 2003 and build a game for this reason! I have to say, the Gameshell is the perfect way to play RPG Maker 2000/2003 games. The console is portable and fits perfectly with the retro vibe. The default screen resolution that of RPG Maker 2k3 games perfectly matches the Gameshell. And the RPG Maker games run beautifully right out of the box (with the caveat explained below).
The only thing I’d keep in mind when developing an RPG Maker game specifically for the Gameshell is the EasyRPG emulator doesn’t fully support all of the hacks and patches that are out there (and often used in the older RPG Maker games). So I’d just make sure to test everything as you go, and keep in mind that certain patches might not work without bugs (unless otherwise listed on the EasyRPG site). But otherwise, if you’re building a game using the official Steam version of of RPG Maker 2k3 with no patches, everything will most likely run smoothly.
Give it a try if you haven’t, it’s a fun way to build games. Or if not building your own, it’s a great way to play a lot of the old school RPG Maker games that are out there (hint - the EasyRPG site has a list of all the tested games and their compatibility with EasyRPG).
Have fun!
