Game Engines Explained Like You’re Choosing a Pokémon

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

Hey Dev Community!

Choosing a game engine is one of the most emotional decisions a developer can make.
It’s not just a tool.

It’s a lifestyle.
It’s a commitment.
It’s a relationship.

It’s the difference between:

• finishing your game
• or spending three years stuck on the settings menu

So instead of giving you a boring comparison chart, we’ll explain game engines the only way that makes sense:

Like choosing your starter Pokémon.

Because each engine has:

• strengths
• weaknesses
• personality
• evolution path

…and a hidden philosophy behind it.

This is the full, expanded, zero‑to‑hundred version.
Let’s begin.

🟦 1) Unity — Pikachu (Everywhere, Friendly, Reliable, Sometimes Unstable)

Unity is the Pikachu of game engines.
Everyone knows it. Everyone has used it. Everyone has at least one Unity project that died at 3 % progress.

✅ What Unity Actually Is

• a cross‑platform engine
• C# based
• asset‑store driven
• extremely flexible
• extremely popular

Unity is not:

• the fastest
• the cleanest
• the most stable
• the best for AAA

But it is the most accessible.

✅ Strengths

• Huge community
• Massive Asset Store
• Easy to learn
• Great for mobile, 2D, and indie 3D
• Tons of tutorials
• Works on basically every platform

Unity is the engine you pick when you want to start building immediately.

❌ Weaknesses

• Performance issues in large projects
• Garbage‑collection spikes
• Sometimes unstable
• UI system is… questionable
• Recent business decisions scared developers

Unity is powerful, but sometimes feels like Pikachu trying to fight a legendary Pokémon.

✅ Best For

• Mobile games
• 2D games
• Indie 3D games
• VR/AR
• Prototyping
• Small teams

🟩 2) Unreal Engine — Charizard (Powerful, Heavy, AAA Monster)

Unreal Engine is Charizard.
It breathes fire. It melts GPUs. It makes everything look cinematic.

✅ What Unreal Actually Is

• a AAA engine
• C++ based
• Blueprint powered
• Visually stunning
• Extremely powerful

Unreal is not:

• lightweight
• beginner‑friendly
• laptop‑friendly
• ideal for small games

Unreal is the engine you pick when you want to build Elden Ring, not Flappy Bird.

✅ Strengths

• Best graphics in the industry
• Blueprint visual scripting
• AAA tools (Nanite + Lumen)
• Perfect for FPS, RPG, cinematic games
• Used by major studios

“Do you want your game to look like a movie? I got you.”

❌ Weaknesses

• Heavy – requires strong hardware
• Steep learning curve
• Overkill for small projects
• C++ complexity

Unreal is Charizard: amazing, powerful, but not easy to control.

✅ Best For

• AAA games
• FPS
• RPG
• Cinematic experiences
• Large teams
• Developers who want maximum power

🟨 3) Godot — Eevee (Lightweight, Open‑Source, Evolves With You)

Godot is Eevee.
Cute. Flexible. Evolves into whatever you need.

✅ What Godot Actually Is

• Open‑source
• Lightweight
• Fast to learn
• Great for 2D
• Improving rapidly in 3D

Godot is not:

• AAA ready (yet)
• As polished as Unity/Unreal
• Backed by a giant corporation

But it is free, clean, and developer‑friendly.

✅ Strengths

• Zero cost, zero licensing drama
• GDScript is easy
• Great for 2D
• Lightweight, fast iteration
• Perfect for beginners

“Let’s build something cool without stress.”

❌ Weaknesses

• 3D still maturing
• Smaller community
• Fewer assets & tutorials

Godot is evolving fast — like Eevee with unlimited evolution stones.

✅ Best For

• 2D games
• Indie devs
• Beginners
• Game jams
• Lightweight 3D projects

🟥 4) GameMaker — Jigglypuff (Cute, Simple, Surprisingly Strong)

GameMaker is Jigglypuff.
It looks simple. It looks cute. But it can knock you out.

✅ What GameMaker Actually Is

• A 2D‑focused engine
• Extremely easy to learn
• Perfect for pixel art
• Used for real commercial hits (e.g., Undertale, Hyper Light Drifter, Hotline Miami)

✅ Strengths

• Perfect for 2D
• Very easy to learn
• Great for beginners
• Fast to build prototypes
• GML is simple

❌ Weaknesses

• Not good for 3D
• Limited compared to Unity/Godot
• Smaller ecosystem

For 2D, GameMaker is a beast.

✅ Best For

• Pixel‑art games
• Platformers
• Top‑down shooters
• Solo developers
• Beginners

🟪 5) RPG Maker — Togepi (Cute, Limited, But Perfect for Its Niche)

RPG Maker is Togepi.
Adorable. Limited. Perfect for one thing: JRPGs.

✅ What RPG Maker Actually Is

• A specialized engine
• Focused on JRPG‑style games
• Tile‑based, event‑driven
• Beginner‑friendly

✅ Strengths

• Extremely easy
• Perfect for story‑driven games
• Tons of assets
• No coding required

❌ Weaknesses

• Very limited
• Not suitable for action games
• Not flexible

✅ Best For

• JRPGs
• Story games
• Visual novels
• Beginners

🟧 6) Stride Engine — Lucario (Balanced, Powerful, Underrated)

Stride is Lucario.
Strong. Balanced. Underrated. Not mainstream — but surprisingly powerful.

✅ What Stride Actually Is

• C# based
• Open‑source
• Good 3D performance
• Clean architecture

✅ Strengths

• Great for C# devs
• Good performance
• Clean API
• Open‑source

❌ Weaknesses

• Small community
• Fewer tutorials
• Not beginner‑friendly

✅ Best For

• C# developers
• Indie 3D games
• Technical teams

🟦 7) The Philosophical Side — Why Choosing a Game Engine Feels Like Choosing a Destiny

Choosing a game engine is not just technical.
It’s emotional.

Because each engine carries its own philosophy and influences how you think, design, and solve problems.

Engine Philosophy

Your engine shapes:

• how you think
• how you design
• how you solve problems
• how you build