CharaMEL

Pixel art games are getting increasingly popular these days, and thanks to the streamlined process offered by tools like RPG Maker, aspiring and seasoned game developers alike can manifest their creativity like never before. There are many parts that make up a pixel art game, and characters — playable or otherwise — number among them.

How does one populate their game with characters, then? A tool such as CharaMEL is most welcome in such a situation: effortlessly create character sprites to use in your game through this free-of-charge program, which is as fun to use as it is intuitive.

The tool is as straightforward as you'll get in terms of installing: unpack it, launch the executable, and get started. The preview window that displays the character models is front-and-center, and users can start adjusting those models right away.

The more discerning eyes among you will appreciate the preview panel's functionality: namely, its ability to display the model in motion from various angles optimizes the creation process. To make changes to the model, the left panel affords you a wealth of options to choose from: select a body, hair, and face type, dress up your character, and accessorize their appearance.

The left and right panel menus work to complement one another: the latter allows you to particularize the selection from the former. You can color your characters however you want them: adjust their hue, brightness, saturation, the works. This way, you can change their colors of their skin, hair, eyes, and attire effortlessly.

In an effort to empower the process, the Effects tab helps users individualize their characters: use an inline, add a grid, dot mesh, or mask to their appearance to make your models stand out. To access the elements that make up your characters, you can head to the Layers tab to readily change the way in which they interact with one another.

CharaMEL manages to gamify a part of the development process in a way that is both engaging and rewarding. Make no mistake, though the tool is fun to use, its workflow is nevertheless conducive to productive and efficient character sprite creation.