Construct 3 – A 2D Game Design Software

In the vast gaming industry that has been built and grown in the last half century, there are always new companies and products coming out in order to help people create their own games. While some larger companies create their own to use, such as Bethesda Game Studios, other companies put out public software to help indie developers create their own games. One such program I will be looking at today is the Construct 3 software.

The Construct 3 game making software was created by Scirra LTD, a London-based company who released the first of their products in 2011. Construct is a Java-script and HTML5 coding software that allows for users to have a much simpler time trying to create their games. It specializes in 2D games like Platformers or RPGs and is typically used on Windows. The program is able to export a player’s games to many different avenues, including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, Steam, Itch.io, and many more.

A vast multitude of high-quality games can be created from this software. One such game is The Next Penelope: Race to Odysseus, an indie game that has made its way to the Nintendo Switch. This game is a fast-paced action racing game with a risk-reward system and original story. The Insanity Blade series has also been created in the Construct engine and is available on Windows through Steam. This game is a side-scrolling casual fighting game with upgrades and platforming mechanics.

One large aspect this software lacks is the ability to work with 3D worlds. Many games these days are expanding into 3D environments. For decades now have we been expanding into this extra dimension, games like Mario and Sonic, games from long ago with 2D origins. This does not have to fully be a weakness, as many games still are in 2D environments. Terraria is one of my favorite games by far, easily having more hours in it than I would care to share. It is an extremely complex game all put within a 2D space. Construct 3 is a very powerful game design system for 2D gaming, and it heavily specializes in this category.

If one were to be looking towards making a 2D game of any variety, I would have to suggest Construct 3. It has a user-friendly system and many videos for support on learning how to make anything you could put your mind to.