I started with modest tools like RPG Maker(remember RPG Maker 95?), and stuck with that toolkit for close to a decade. I did span into C++ for a short while, but prefer C# as there is so many useful built in functions, and lists sold me on that.
And now here I am taking a huge leap into Unreal Engine 4 for a 2D RPG similar to those found on the Super Nintendo and NECs PC-Engine.