TyranoBuilder Visual Novel Studio

About

TyranoBuilder Visual Novel Studio is a game development tool that allows users to create their own visual novels. It features an intuitive interface, making it accessible to beginners, while also offering advanced options for more experienced developers. Publish your stories as standalone games or share them with the TyranoBuilder community.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

TyranoBuilder Visual Novel Studio screenshot

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 500 reviews

story5 positive mentions

stability15 negative mentions

TyranoBuilder is incredibly easy to use, making it accessible for beginners without programming experience.
The drag-and-drop interface allows for quick creation of visual novels, enabling users to see their projects come to life rapidly.
The community support is active and helpful, providing resources and assistance for users encountering issues.

The software lacks pre-loaded assets, requiring users to source their own images, music, and sound effects.
There are numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt the workflow, such as issues with exporting projects and character positioning.
The customization options are limited, making it difficult to create more complex visual novels without additional coding knowledge.

music
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
88%
6%
The music aspect of the game engine has received mixed reviews, with users appreciating the ease of importing their own compositions and sound effects, but expressing frustration over the limited built-in music options and various audio glitches, such as looping issues and difficulties in editing tracks. While the software allows for the integration of external music resources, many users feel that the lack of comprehensive tutorials and support for different audio formats hampers the overall experience. Overall, while the potential for creative use of music exists, the execution and available resources leave much to be desired.
- “It has a nice library of free assets to use for those who aren't used to music composition, though there is unfortunately only one song that comes with the engine.”
- “Not only do you have the reward of a finished product, you also gain insight into how some very simple elements like music or sound effects can transform your narrative.”
- “I was able to import music of my choosing for the video book in just a few clicks, which really made the book shine.”
- “Tyranobuilder draws you in with the promise of being an easy-to-use and intuitive interface, promises you simple drag-and-drop scripting, but falls short of these promises due to its glitches in audio-looping (audio files will not loop without producing a delay between track end and track beginning), lack of functional 1080p interfaces, an incredibly buggy configuration screen which does not work in 1080p without complete redesign, bugs with fading out music tracks while trying to fade-in music tracks, causing you to put your music on the 'sound' channel which can cause other issues.”
- “It's impossible to edit sound effects and background music from where the user wants them to begin (in the middle of a sound effect/song) and where they want them to end.”
- “Talking about the gallery, the software doesn't come with images nor music (just a sky background for the title screen, an alternate message window, and some buttons) so you'll have to mount your own library.”
story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
79%
8%
The reviews highlight TyranoBuilder as an accessible tool for creating visual novels with branching storylines and multiple endings, making it ideal for beginner game designers and storytellers. While users appreciate its ease of use and the ability to quickly bring stories to life, they also note limitations in the software's features and user interface, which can complicate the storytelling process. Overall, it serves as a solid platform for those looking to experiment with narrative design, provided they are willing to invest time in planning and coding.
- “This is a very easy program to learn and a great way to get ideas out there quickly and build on a story.”
- “Honestly, you don't need much more if you have an incredible story to tell, all the images you need and a good amount of free time to create your very own visual novel.”
- “If you are a fan of visual novels, anime, or just plain old storytelling, you're going to love this program!”
- “Plugging in the actual story text using the project space gets tedious quickly if you've written all your text in a word processor like a normal person.”
- “Tb doesn't have the ability to intelligently start a newline if your text is going to overflow out of the screen, so be prepared to spend actual hundreds of hours playtesting, sniping these instances of overflow by manually sticking in a newline tag for every line of your story.”
- “There's a learning curve where you have to know the same logic as coding (just with pretty colorful blocks) and even then the program lacks features (like galleries, switching UIs, having a custom name or even just scrolling back in the story or having a backlog) that I assumed would be in there considering they already implemented Live2D and a bunch of fancy features.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The stability of the software is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs that hinder functionality, such as issues with audio looping, save file retention, and graphical glitches. While the interface is praised for its ease of use, the frequent need for troubleshooting and reinstallation detracts from the overall experience. Many users suggest that the software is better suited for amateurs who are willing to tolerate these stability issues.
- “Software is buggy and it can be annoying trying to account for that sometimes.”
- “Tyranobuilder draws you in with the promise of being an easy-to-use and intuitive interface, promises you simple drag-and-drop scripting, but falls short of these promises due to its glitches in audio-looping, lack of functional 1080p interfaces, and an incredibly buggy configuration screen which does not work in 1080p without complete redesign.”
- “Fun and fairly simple to use, but it has some glitches that require uninstalling and reinstalling to work.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics capabilities of Ren'Py and TyranoBuilder are noted for their efficiency, with Ren'Py supporting webp format for smaller file sizes, making it suitable for less graphic-intensive projects. However, both platforms lack abundant free artwork and resources, requiring users to create or source their own visuals, which can be a barrier for those aiming for high-quality, commercially viable visual novels. Overall, while these tools facilitate quick game development, they demand significant effort in artwork and storytelling from the user.
- “Ren'Py can use WebP graphics, which are smaller by 25% than PNG.”
- “Easy to import your own custom artwork, audio, and video.”
- “I had my first game completed in around five hours, most of which was just spent writing and creating graphics.”
- “This is for amateurs who don't care about audio, graphic glitches, and no 1080p support!”
- “In short, I like TyranoBuilder, but as mentioned, it is almost not possible to create your own visual novels for legal, commercial distribution, unless you are also very skilled in art, and also have the use of a tablet, like an Intuos or Cintiq, and also have the time to create such artwork for a quality, commercial visual novel.”
- “Of course, you'll have to put a lot of effort into the story and graphics since the program can't offer you that, but else you won't get into trouble with this.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the storytelling process can be tedious due to a cumbersome drag-and-drop interface, many appreciate the visual clarity and ease of use compared to other platforms like Ren'Py. Some note that while writing can be inherently tedious, the software's complexity in handling stat grinding adds an additional layer of challenge, though it remains manageable. Overall, the enjoyment of creating stories often outweighs the frustrations of the grinding mechanics.
- “The 'click and drag' for each element gets tedious; it would be much more user-friendly if we could double-click an element instead of dragging back and forth.”
- “Plugging in the actual story text using the project space gets tedious quickly if you've written all your text in a word processor like a normal person.”
- “What I got was the most tedious drag-and-drop interface ever.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The monetization options for mobile visual novels are criticized, with users advising against using this platform for in-app purchases or ads. Instead, they recommend Unity as a more suitable alternative for developers looking to monetize their visual novels effectively.
- “I would recommend using Unity if you want to create a mobile visual novel and implement in-app purchases.”
- “If you're looking to sell a visual novel with in-app purchases or ads on mobile, do not get this.”
- “I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who wants to sell in-app purchases or run ads on their mobile visual novel.”
- “I would recommend using Unity if you want to make a mobile visual novel and sell in-app purchases.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
Gameplay is accessible for beginners, allowing for simple branching story creation through drag-and-drop mechanics, while more complex features require coding. Although the engine has its flaws, developers continue to enhance it with new features and mechanics.
- “True, it may not be the most complicated engine, and it does have flaws, although developers add new features and introduce new mechanics to it from time to time.”
- “If you are looking to add complex mechanics and statistics, you will have to code, but a basic branching story is just drag and drop.”
- “True, it may not be the most complicated engine and it does have flaws, although developers add new features and introduce new mechanics to it from time to time.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users find the humor in the game to be enjoyable and entertaining, often describing it as "crap and funny," indicating that the comedic elements add value to the overall experience, making the purchase worthwhile.
- “I create hilarious and absurd things with it; the 15 bucks was totally worth it!”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch and keeps me laughing throughout!”
- “I love how the game incorporates witty jokes and funny scenarios that never get old!”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users appreciate the character development aspect of the game but express a desire for more customization options, such as a character designer or pre-made characters to enhance their experience.
- “The character development in this game is incredibly deep, allowing players to truly shape their characters' personalities and backstories.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making choices that impact their growth and relationships.”
- “The ability to customize and develop characters adds a personal touch, making each player's journey unique and engaging.”

Buy TyranoBuilder Visual Novel Studio

TyranoBuilder Visual Novel Studio
$14.99
See offer on Steam

80h Median play time

80h Average play time

80-80h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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TyranoBuilder Visual Novel Studio

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