Ren'Py is a Python-based Visual Novel engine. It uses a modified version of PyGame and games are typically implemented without native code. This allows running the game data files with a different SDK build even when no version for a platform is distributed.
Ren'Py supports running any game export/project using a (compatible) Ren'Py SDK:
renpy <path-to-game>/<path-to-sdk>/renpy.sh <path-to-game>
This is also mentioned in the official documentation.
Note that while there is some room for running games built with older versions with a newer SDK, changes across engine versions can quickly break things (Unlike with pure runtime replacement like NW.js)
Ren'Py exports multi-platform pc builds by default. Some developers explicitly select single-platform builds:
| Platform | Windows | Linux | MacOS |
|---|---|---|---|
pc |
Y | Y | |
market |
Y | Y | (Y) |
win |
Y | ||
linux |
Y | ||
mac |
Y |
Ren'Py 8 and later are 64-bit only
Kawariki needs to detect the version of Ren'Py a game is shipped with. It tries to extract this information from the runtime files (renpy and lib/python* in a game distribution). Therefore, while these files aren't used when actually running a game, they can't easily be removed (e.g. for saving space)
For games using Live2D Cubism, the proprietary Live2D SDK needs to be installed. This can be done as described in the Ren'Py Documentation. The correct Ren'Py SDK Launcher can be started using kawariki run --renpy-launcher <path-to-game-exe>.