SHMUP Creator
- March 15, 2022
- bulo studio
Get on Steam"SHMUP Creator is a user-friendly game development tool for creating your own shoot 'em ups, with 2D and 3D options, optimized bullet engine, and various editors for customization. It includes free assets and allows importing your own, with no coding or scripts required. Export your game as a stand-alone executable on Windows for free, with no royalties."
Reviews
- Extremely user-friendly, allowing users to create shmup games without any coding knowledge, making it accessible for beginners and artists.
- Regular updates and active developer engagement with the community, leading to continuous improvements and new features based on user feedback.
- Robust built-in tools for creating dynamic levels, bullet patterns, and enemy behaviors, enabling users to bring their game ideas to life quickly.
- Limited customization options and lack of advanced features, such as scripting or complex AI, which restricts the creativity of more experienced developers.
- Primarily focused on space-themed shmups, making it difficult for users wanting to create games in different settings or genres.
- Some essential features are still missing or in development, leading to a feeling that the software is not yet fully complete or polished.
- music7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game is highly praised for its flexibility, allowing players to import their own tracks and sound effects, while also providing a robust selection of stock sounds for those without musical expertise. The built-in tools enable extensive customization, including the creation of music player levels, enhancing the overall experience by allowing players to enjoy the game's soundtrack independently. Additionally, the level linking feature facilitates storytelling through music integration, making it easier for creators to develop their projects.
“Being a musician, I love being able to import my own music and sound effects into the game. If you don't have the time or expertise, the editor has lots of really good stock sounds that you can tweak with the GUI.”
“With the built-in tools, you can add your own models, particles, parallax scrolling, sound effects, and soundtracks, adjusting pretty much anything until you've made the dream shmup you've always wanted.”
“Being a musician, I love being able to import my own music and sound effects into the game. However, if you don't have the time or expertise, the editor has lots of really good stock sounds that you can tweak.”
“Level linking has been added, so you can link levels in any order and create stories. I have even created a music player level, so you can listen to all the music in the game. I now have 4 levels of my project complete, all this in a few weeks; it would have been impossible to achieve that in anything else.”
“You can hide HUDs for storyboard levels and even create a music player screen so players can listen to the game music without playing the game. This is all doable with a great set of triggers and events that can be queued up.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are customizable, allowing users to import and resize their own assets for a unique look, though the quality largely depends on the effort put into creating them. While the provided assets can make the game functional, a lack of creativity can lead to a generic appearance similar to other quickly made titles. Overall, the graphics can be impressive with dedication, but may fall flat if users opt for a more cookie-cutter approach.
“You can import your graphics, resize them, and snap them to the grid for easy alignment.”
“If you spend the time to make your own graphics and tweak a lot of parameters, you can have a game that looks uniquely yours.”
“With decent graphics or by using some of the provided assets, the game will be considered functional.”
“If you go with the cookie-cutter approach and make a game in half an hour, it will work, but then it will play pretty much like the dozen other shmup creator games that were made in a half hour. The game feel will be the same, and people playing the games will notice that there is no difference, other than maybe the graphics, something you might have already experienced when playing amateur RPG Maker games.”
“Yes, if you spend the time to make your own graphics, and you tweak a lot of parameters, you can have a game that looks uniquely yours.”
“Io or any other site, and you have decent graphics (or use some of the provided assets, which do the job)... the game will be considered functional.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay experience is a mixed bag; while the visual and audio quality can rival classic shmups, the lack of essential mechanics and limited feature options may leave players feeling disappointed. Users appreciate the potential for customization and rapid iteration, but the reliance on basic checkboxes can hinder the creation of engaging gameplay. Overall, it offers a decent foundation for building shmups, but may not satisfy those seeking deeper gameplay complexity.
“The visual quality of the games you can build with this and the level of gameplay detail can equal or surpass classic shmups made decades ago.”
“This software can't help you with the marketing aspect, but it can help you create a nice visual, audio, and gameplay experience that fits your personality.”
“I mean for the price of this app, it is truly disappointing that these simple mechanics are not included.”
“There is basically only checkboxes for some features, and if these features are not something you'd like, you're basically stuck with having no interesting gameplay.”
“Even if you want to use another engine for your shmup, this is worth checking out just to understand how fast you should be able to iterate to refine the gameplay.”
- stability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the software is highly stable and largely free of bugs, with developers actively providing support and addressing issues, resulting in a significant reduction in bugs over time.
“The software has been very stable and bug-free in my experience.”
“The developers are always on hand to offer advice, and bug fixes are becoming much more rare now as the software is stable and almost bug-free.”
- story2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users appreciate the story aspect of the game for its effective use of RPG Maker, which allows for engaging gameplay and storytelling through quick iterations. The ability to hide HUDs and create additional features like a music player enhances the narrative experience, showcasing the game's potential for creative storytelling.
“The story is engaging and well-crafted, making it a joy to experience as you progress through the game.”
“The narrative is rich and immersive, drawing players into a world filled with intriguing characters and plot twists.”
“The storytelling mechanics are innovative, allowing for a unique blend of gameplay and narrative that keeps players invested.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users report that the games are well-optimized and perform smoothly, indicating a positive experience in terms of technical execution.
“The games I've created are optimized and run smoothly.”
“The optimization in this game allows for seamless gameplay and enhances the overall experience.”
“I appreciate how well-optimized the game is; it runs flawlessly on my system.”
