Ren'Py icon

Ren'Py icon

Ren'Py

Desktop Software Development
Description
Ren'Py is a development studio that allows programmers to quickly write visual novels using the Python programming language. The name comes form a portmanteau of Ren'ai, which means romantic love in J...apanese, and Python. Since it features a completely permissive MIT License, Ren'Py has been ported to a number of different platforms. The engine has been used to make successful visual novel games, such as SC2VN and Megatokyo's Endgames Persistence. Read moreless
Platforms
Windows macOS Linux Browser
Links

Alternatives to Ren'Py

  1. Blender alternatives

    Blender

    Opensource

    Blender is the free and open source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, even video e...

    {{ alternatives[0].votes }}
  2. Unreal Engine alternatives

    Unreal Engine is a game development engine that's been used to develop and powers some of the most popular AAA and indie games around.

    {{ alternatives[1].votes }}
  3. GameMaker alternatives

    GameMaker

    Commercial

    From Wikipedia: GameMaker (originally Animo and later Game Maker until 2011) is a series of cross-platform game engines created by Mark Overmars in 1999 and developed by YoYo Games since 2007. The...

    {{ alternatives[2].votes }}
  4. Stencyl alternatives

    Stencyl

    Freemium

    Make iOS (iPhone/iPad), Android, Flash, Windows & Mac games without code using Stencyl.

    {{ alternatives[3].votes }}
  5. Twine alternatives

    Twine

    Free

    Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories. You don't need to write any code to create a simple story with Twine, but you can extend your stories with variables, condit...

    {{ alternatives[4].votes }}
  6. Gamesalad alternatives

    Gamesalad

    Commercial

    About Us. GameSalad is the revolutionary game development platform that allows anyone to create the game of their dreams without writing a line of code. It's also the best way to introduce programm...

    {{ alternatives[5].votes }}
  7. Kivy alternatives

    Kivy

    Free

    Open source Python framework for rapid development of applications that make use of innovative user interfaces, such as multi-touch apps.

    {{ alternatives[6].votes }}
  8. Godot alternatives

    Godot

    Opensource

    Godot provides a huge set of common tools, so you can just focus on making your game without reinventing the wheel. Godot is completely free and open-source under the very permissive MIT license. ...

    {{ alternatives[7].votes }}
  9. RPG Maker VX Ace alternatives

    Make your own PC game with RPG Maker. Our easy to use tools are simple enough for a child, and powerful enough for a developer. Try it free today!

    {{ alternatives[8].votes }}
  10. ENIGMA alternatives

    ENIGMA

    Free

    The Enigma Protector - Software Protection, Software Licensing and Software Virtualization system.

    {{ alternatives[9].votes }}
  11. Alice alternatives

    Alice

    Free

    Alice is an easy to use virtual environment creation and animation tool that allows you to craft rich stories.

    {{ alternatives[10].votes }}
  12. ZGameEditor alternatives

    Green Marinee theme adapted by David Gilbert, powered by PmWiki.

    {{ alternatives[11].votes }}
  13. Naninovel — Visual Novel Engine alternatives

    Naninovel is a full-featured, writer-friendly and completely customizable visual novel extension for Unity game engine

    {{ alternatives[12].votes }}
Suggest an Alternative

Missing a software in the list? We are always happy if you help us making our site even better.

Suggest an Alternative

Ren'Py Reviews

We have 1 review for Ren'Py. The average overall ratings is 4.0 / 5 stars.

Write a Review
grex avatar
My Opinion on Ren'Py
written by grex on 2018-03-08 08:05:01
Overall
Ease of Use
Customer Service
Value For Money

Overall Opinion: While it wouldn't appeal to those who don't already have a background in the Python programming language, developers who want to be able to put out software-mediated stories that can run on a multitude of devices should certainly look at Ren'Py. Visual novels are a type of video game particularly popular in Japan that generally involve animé-style character illustrators coupled with branching plots. Many of these are dating simulators, which feature a character who tries to win the heart of one of several choices they're given in game. Nevertheless, the Ren'Py engine doesn't hold developers down to this formula. Those who already have art that represents a variety of emotions can import it into the development studio to generate plots based around any script. Since the game engine takes care of opcode compilation, developers won't have to worry about making separate visual novel distributions for each type of system software that gamers might have. Developers can also provide multiple language packages, which should aid those working on simulations they'd prefer to offer to an international consumer base. While a few small examples do come with the package, developers will have to create all their own art in most cases if they wanted to craft a complete visual novel. Those who find themselves stuck might want to consult the extensive documentation, which is available in both English and Japanese. Since the plot scripts for games feature a sort of screenplay-like syntax, it might be easy for those who don't code to still write the script for another developer. This should make it simple for those porting a manga series to a visual novel to recycle as many assets as possible. The Ren'Py engine attaches itself to the finished game, which means developers won't have to author any subroutines for saving games or rolling back to previous points in the story. There's also support for DLC packages compiled into the studio itself.

Pros: Supports both visual novels with branching stories and kinetic novels with static ones Runs on a wide variety of devices Streamlines development to make game programs quickly Works with the Ubuntu, Debian, Gentoo and Arch Linux package managers

Cons: Requires knowledge of Python to use May be difficult for some users to correctly configure Unix permissions in game software Development studio takes up over 60 megabytes when users opt for a full install Lacks a simple way for users to create game assets in the Ren'Py studio, though the studio does accept imports of the most common formats

grex is using Ren'Py every other week recently.

Ren'Py Videos

Youtube Video: Lesson Night: Making Visual Novels With Ren'Py

Ren'Py is a powerful and accessible tool that is primarily used for creating visual novels, which are a form of "choose your own adventure" stories that mix text and images. As part of our...

Disclaimer: This video was not made by us, but we found it interesting enough to embed it here.

Comments

Commenting on this article is disabled right now.

About This Article

This page was composed by Alternative.me and published by Alternative.me. It was created at 2018-04-29 17:41:59 and last edited by Alternative.me at 2020-03-06 07:50:24. This page has been viewed 8986 times.

Did you like this article about Ren'Py? Please rate it!
4 of 4 liked this article. This is equivalent to a star rating of 5.00 / 5.
Yes
No

More Software in Desktop Software > Development

More Popular Desktop Software

Filter Platforms

{{key}}

Filter Features

Python code execution Customizable appearance Animation Animation creation and editing functions Rendering module D modeling Sculpting tools VFX Ready Edit 3D Scripting 3D Models and Materials Multiplayer framework built in to the engine Free 30-day trial Open source and completely free to use Game Development Framework integration Visual editor
Suggest an Alternative to Ren'Py
{{ suggestSubmitSuccess }}
You can only sugggest alternatives that are already published on our platform. If you want to submit a software or app, please visit your account page to submit a software.
List of Suggestions
Please start typing the name of the software you want to suggest as alternative to Ren'Py in the field above.
{{ suggestSubmitError }}
Suggest {{ suggestedAlternatives.length }} Alternative(s)
Login
This action requires user authentication. Please log in.
Don't have an account yet? Sign up.