This VN is a typical porn VN with good 3D arts ( <2000 images as of v0.30) and not much story. I admit the VN preview and its early part attracted me to the game. It's something about MC living with his step sister. Everything is easy for MC to sex with anyone in the VN. That's it. Lack of serious conflict in the story made me lose my interest quickly when the step sister was suddenly sleeping naked with MC. Choices in VN didn't matter nor tempt me to want more.
Conclusion: I'd recommend it if you want a series of meaningless sex scenes without interesting stories.
Note: English is not my native language, and as such there maybe weird expressions and choice of words in my review. I will try to clarify what I mean when it comes to words I think are unclear
Freeloading Family is a seemingly generic male fantasy porn game; you're moving with your hot roommates, who also happens to be your step-sister (or childhood friend, if you will). Starting your new college life, you're meeting with sexy girls and have sexiest sexs with every single female characters. Despite the somewhat unorginal premise, FF have a lot to unpack and is certainly more than meet the eyes (meet the review? meet the preview images? Fuck idk)
Master-crafted presentation
FFCreations did an amazing job on the visual and immersive element of the game. Careful placement of lighting, subtle facial expressions and posing of each scenes and of each characters speak volumes of the characters' personalities and how they interact with the player. The preview doesn't do it justice; the scenes are honestly so good within the context of the story. Never a dull renders; the attention to details definitely bring this game to highers standards than what is average on the site, and while it isn't the absolute best out there, it is such eye-candies and intriguing to notice the little details of each scenes.
However, this is all complemented by the excellent writing
Mature writing and what does it mean?
I have done 2 whole playthroughs with game and did not expect myself to get this invested with the characters when I first download it. Came for a wank, stay for the story, yada yada and all that jazz. But for real, I think obssessed would be the appropriate word to describe my feelings about this game; couldn't quite get it out of my head for 3 days.
Mature writing is what I would describe this game. By mature, I mean grounded and somewhat realistic characters with real personalities and personal turmoils behind each characters. It is not exactly the best, but it is mature and feel realistic enough for me to get invested and wanting to see each characters happy in their own way.
In the previous sections, I rambled about how good the scenes are when put into the context of the story, and I really do it mean it like that. While nothing mind-blowing, the combined visual and writing elements just breath so much life into each characters . The designs are cute and hot, but the writing adds the wittiness, charm and personalities into each characters. All interactions with different characters feels distinct enough, which are all based on their individual story, sexual orientations and characteristic traits. What I am trying to get at is that all the scenes reflect the characters, which is honestly something quite rare when it comes to the erotic visual novel genres; most of the time, all the sex feel samey despite the MC being with different characters, but this isn't the case here with Freeloading Family.
But writing isn't just about the characters; it is also about contextualisation. And this game is definitely a porn game constrained by porn logic at times. Examples such as the MC suddenly found himself amongst smokin' hot ladies and non of the guys participating within the same school, or the fact that you're shagging your step-sister mere weeks from moving in, or even the cleverly workaround to hiding the MC's face. These are all understandable constrains and I'm okay with it; this game is still a business that needs its audience, but in my personal opinion, I found the way the creators construct scenes around these slightly unrealistic situations intriguing and even charming at times. Despite having a few porn logic moments, V.A. Laurie did an excellent job in keeping the characters' actions believable enough, with proper build up and grounded personalities that I would love to be explored more in non-sexual context.
Of course, I have to give a proper review of the characters. This is the best way to showcase how good the writing is.
The "meat" of the game (Ew, gross)
I have to comment on each characters, and as such I may spoil some of their story element in order to express how I feel about them. But all in all, most characters have top-notch quality in terms of design and writing, especially the five main ladies that you will be spending the majority of the game with. Other characters can feel kinda bland and is definitely a steep dive in terms of quality, but hey, you're not gonna put your penis in them, or at least you won't have to be invested in them.
All in all, the characters were well written enough to get me so emotionally invested in them and simply wanting to see more of their later successes and finding their own happiness. There are some divisive opinions on the ending of Alice (and Leah's too, but I haven't play it, so I won't comment on it), but I thought that it was pretty satisfyingly conclusive to her character.
What I think, in summary
Freeloading Family is game semi-realistic game with characters that are grounded and real enough in their interactions of the MC. The presentation of the game were excellent; the designs are hot, the details were made and scenes were carefully constructed to never be dull, thanks to the excellent execution of FFCreations. There were actual interesting and belivable story element to be explored, not just the MC trying to shag one after another, which is quite uncommon and highly prasing of V.A. Laurie's writing. The characters were genuine and well-written enough for me to actual develop emotional investment in them. Although I would have love to see the game being more grounded; MC should be called out more when he's being a creep, for example, not be given a slight flirty slap on wrist, but it is hot, and it is a relatively minor pet peeve of mine.
Many dev's forgot one thing and this dev made the same mistake, a BAD ending can kill the entire journey the player had during the game and this game is one of the cases we're that happens.
The game started really nice, renders were very good and the models we're pretty, was enjoyable to play and we would feel eager to play the next update but when it reached more os less the middle of the game you can notice the quality of the script dropping updated after update and the end felt rushed to come.
As for the ending oh boy they were BAD and even bad is a understatement, only ending that was lets enjoyable was Melody one.
Alice and Leah were the worst by far but Alice ending was in another category of how bad a ending can be, it just spit in the player journey through the game, completely killed the main female girl in the game with how bad it was, I even say it was frustrating to invest the time in playing to get that ending, the mc was relegated to a position of a 3rd wheel in his own marriage, so he breaks allhis relationships because of Alice he needs to break with leah because Alice didn't want to continue that relationship(and Alice/leah was a thing FORCED the entire game even for the ones that didn't want Alice with leah) so since she didn't want to keep being with leah MC couldn't keep with leah too otherwise Alice would get mad but Alice can have another relationship with a girl that isn't interested even a bit in MC, mc is the one married with Alice but her relationship with that other chick its the core of the ending we're mc turned to be the 3rd wheel and the second choice, so romance on Alice ending is ZERO, sensation of satisfaction with the journey and ending was ZERO, made all the time used on the relationship with Alice be just a waste of time and frustrating to play and see.
Leah was another bad ending, not as bad as Alice but still a bad ending.
What he made with aunt char in the endings and not giving her a ending was awful too.
Had a much bigger expectation of the game just to be completely killed and buried with the endings. All in all a game with the potential to be a solid 4 ended with a 1 not zero like the game because the lowest here is 1.
I had a really great time playing this game. This game is different from other games because this game tackles the future of the main characters. But I feel like there could have been more content from girls like Susan and Hailey.
man，how did I start？the game has a lot of bad things to say，like the choice you make dont matter at all，the girls points and submissive/dominant points are meaningless，I think Susan is a important character not Hailey，there definitely something happened during the long develop time，and being a early game，barely no animation，just pictures
but I bear it all，I enjoy the game like some guilty pleasure，because Alice is really HOT，the story is not bad，i feel the les vibe from the begining，but always hope that will change eventually，i mean it is a fucking Adult Game，the whole point is to make the MC aka players happy，right？when I gat Alice Ending，she is still with another girl，i was just furious，now it feels like this is a total NTR game to me，even worse，there is no choice can avoid it，why make your main girl ended up like this？just WHY？I can forgive all the flaws I mentioned before，but this ending I cant，it hurts！
You can say that this game is balanced, If you're askin if it's good or bad ? then i have the answer and the answer is neither.
This game has maybe one of the best render and it has a lot of it, like even if you skip a lot of it, it'll still be taking like 30 minutes or so but some of the scenes are a bit repetitive. Sadly this game has no animation despite having a good render.
The girls has a lot of char development, some are a lil crazy but eventually you'll like them. The MC on the other hand hmmm maybe not so much, the idea of POV without a single "face reveal" sucks, also the way kisses actually just a close up face seems kinda redundant and bland.
Overall the story is really fuckin long but it's not satisfying so i suggest you can give it a go maybe like 3-4 chapters to see if you like it...
I understand if the intent is to promote polyamory. But this messed up on two points. This was clearly polygamy without marriage but one night stand encounters (as a selfish individual playing the game my way, I wouldn't have it any other way).
Another thing. You gave us an ending for Alice, But also one of the least romantic possible; the last "sex scene" included Alice's girlfriend who was less than thrilled to be with the mc . Melody's ending had a much better romantic side to it even though she is crazy and all
That new ending was what it was, My assessment is that it felt lackluster compared to the other romantic moments with her though out the game. To clarify, this is specifically about romantic moments and the grand finale of them disappointing
Regardless of how enjoyable a story might be a truly bad ending can retroactively ruin the entire thing.
Such is the case for this game. When you give the main girl an ending that leaves the main character feeling like an awkward third wheel who is getting the raw end of a deal you leave yourself asking what was even the point? The other endings aren't stellar either but I'm singling out Alice because she is the main heroine who you spend a majority of the game building a relationship with. And the end result of building a relationship with this character? The main character gets clowned on and is made to look utterly pathetic making you the player feel like pursuing her was utterly worthless.
the renders in this are still top notch and pretty amazing, girls are great as well and they carry the entire game, its sad that there is still no animation in 2021 but it doesnt ruin the game at all, but HOLY SHIT WTF were you thinking with these "endings", hahahaa oh my this is soo bad
There is like one decent ending and the rest are just so awful, especially leah's and alice's. Great way to ruin it GOT/last of us 2 style, not gonna complain much besides that given that i was never a patreon, never gave any money but these endings are rushed and really bad
This game start off great before Dev axed the story halfway through and bring sudden endings.The characters story in the game arent even complete yet.And some of them not even started.The characters suddenly have different personality and make ending nonsense which butchered their little development and story throughout the game,They back to start again.
MC have a choice to be submissive or straighforward in the game but that choice doesnt change anything and doesnt bring any difference in the character or story.
Meaningless character point.Whats the point collecting all those point when all the characters ending are still there.
Sudden best friend relationship between MC and his dad also doesnt make any sense because his dad are the one destroying his son future.MC aware of it,but still follow and listen to his advice.
How the hell did a game with great characters and so many potential go to waste with rushed and bad endings, that by the end the player can't even make the choices of what will happen and has only been forced to see how things will turn out.
Karina is the one that sufrer the must, just terrible.
I am still disappointed so i am gonna go straight to the point
Alice is my main focus in this game and her ending is so fucking bad. The only wholesome scene from that ending is the wedding scene other than that, it was all shit show.
I get it, she gives this polyamorous vibe since the start. At first i don't really mind because i thought they are just trying to cover it up so the other girls wouldn't know their 'forbidden relationship' but to continue that lifestyle after they married and broken up with Melody, Leah, and Karina is just a big WTF to me!
If i am the writer, i will not force the player to just swallow the polyamorous pill. I would give Alice 2 endings, 1 romantic ending just the 2 of them and the other is poly ending, they could fuck anything that moves for all i care in that ending.
I will stop my bitching about that horrendous Alice ending, now about the game itself as a whole :
The story is good but linier, even tho you choose something different it will eventually lead to the same place, no variety whatsoever. As much i hate to say it, the writer needs to do a better job, ESPECIALLY ABOUT WRITING A GOOD ENDING. Too many time jumps, it shows writer incapability to fill in some stories and/or events that could make this game more big, and more interactive.
The renders are great, that fact saved this game from getting to the recycle bin early and of course because of Alice.
Not a fan of the writing, could do a lot more better in all aspects.
Now that Alice ending is revealed and it was so bad it hurts, i could finally send this game to the recycle bin.
IF YOU ARE THE GUY/GIRL WHO CREATE RENDERS FOR THIS GAME, ITS NOT YOUR FAULT, YOUR SKILL IS GREAT AND THANKS FOR CREATING ALICE, shame the writer needs to ruined it all
Freeloading Family was one of the first porn games I played. This is one of those stories with which I started my acquaintance with the genre a couple of years ago.
I love this game.
I will not describe widely all its advantages, everything has already been said before me.
I just want to mention Alice. My favorite character is here and one of the best characters in porn games, and I've been waiting for the end of the game with her for 2 years.
And .. I'm disappointed.
I will not say that the ending is bad and the story is ruined.
This is not true.
But when choosing a mono ending with Alice, I was expecting a mono ending, not polygamy.
What I have been waiting for so long did not come true.
And I no longer see any reason to play this game and wait for an update.
And this score reflects my disappointment.
Ok So i only found this 3 days ago, sat installed for a say cause i was catching up on other updates, and then i started This one, i went the Alice route all the way to the end over the course of two day, now i read some complaints about how the Alice route ended, i do not understand those complaints though, A Poly relationship is personally not my thing, but i do have several friend who have them and for the most part are happy in them, From beginning to the end the story sticks to what the relationships type was all about, and i don't know if other plays had other ending but my last scene was " MC-Goodnight, my love. I can't wait to see you in the morning. Alice- You say that very single night. MC-And every night to come. THE END..... Whats wrong with that? NOTHING!... I think this was a beautiful Romantic story of two people who truly love each other in a poly type relationship. what more could you want. Take the time READ whats being said 99% of the time i toke the more balsy option. and i enjoyed the happy ending.
There are things about this game I love, and things about this game I hate, and because they exist in fairly equal measure, I have to rate it as a 3.
So, spoiler free, things I love:
The girls are attractive, have unique personalities, and character development, as well as meaningful interpersonal interactions between each other.
As the plot is 85% or so character driven, these factors are important, for both sex and story reasons, and by themselves, make the game worth playing.
Things I hate?
The MC is, at times, a pussy, who totally accepts what is happening, without any attempt to fight back, or even get angry.
Too many times in the game, there is a time skip of days, weeks, or more. Late in the game this is especially a problem, because as things are coming to a head, confrontations, conversations, etc, that are IMPORTANT to the resolution of the story, are entirely glossed over in time skips.
Points seem to stop meaning anything. Your pacifist versus perversion points stop meaning anything. Alice's perversion points stop meaning anything.
Lastly and most importantly, CHOICES DON'T MATTER in too many ways. You CAN NOT opt out of sex scenes with certain characters.
This is infuriating. What if I don't want to fuck Susan? Or Hailey? There are even choices that allow you to say "no," and if you do, the MC will usually say "I should do this anyways," and goes and does it.
And this goes beyond just the girls. Late game, when your father comes home, you are mnore or less stuck into accepting him giving you a ride, and listening to his bullshit. Even if you are given the option to blow him off, you end up not following through
The game, basically, railroads you into content, and you are forced to partake in that content.
The only reason this is forgivable and doesn't denote the game solidly to a 1 star rating, on principal, from me, for stripping me of meaningful choices, is that I like the 4 main girls, and they forgive or understand other dalliance's on the MC's part, so my story with them can still continue, and their content and personalities are worth it enough to endure what I see as negatives.
However, I want to strongly emphasize that, with the girls as they are, if done BETTER, this game would be rated 5 stars, and worth every single one, without question.
I GENUINELY like Alice, Karina, Leah and Melody. They carry the entire game, and make it worth playing. And it's a disservice to how well they are written that the lack of choice takes away so much from this game.
This game is a fucking 5 stars to me and then v0.30 happens. Alice is one of top girl on my list of LIs and you know what the dev did ? 'lets crashed her ending and watch the world burn' basically.
Good thing they kept this horrible, BS ending until this game is about to finish because no way this VN would have gotten this popular if that was revealed sooner.
It sucks to see Alice fan who followed the game from the beginning and waited for almost 4 years just to get this kind of ending
Pretty decent game, graphics are top notch, dialogues are witty and fun at times, the story is pretty linear and you have few choices but nothing to alter it to your preferences which is a big minus when theres several endings but really no different paths to get there.
The constant forced content is worse then aids regardless of the premise this asually ruins most games for me.
I personally wanted a solo path for the girls, especially Alice but we could not even get that option for an ending........
Alices ending is terrible!!! I only made it upto the "poly"relation stuff, and went back to load without being able to avoid this I just deleted the game, such a big letdown especially since this was the ending I was waiting for.
All in all a pretty good game but if you don't like the linear and forced story where you have to share two love interests and have sex with just about all female characters then it's not for you.
The graphics and diaogue saved this game from being overlooked by me and I have high hopes this developer will make even more dynamic and tailored experiences in the future he cam surely bring out interesting characters and engaging dialogues.
But I still feel as dissapointed in the game as I did early in development, probably more so since there has been plety of time and opportunities in the story to implement a choice to focus on one girl and one girl only.
I know we get a choice eventually but even after this theres numberous forced scenes and a fprced poly relationship so it's pretty much a trigger for preffered ending.
My final rating will be 2/5 because of the forced content and awful ending for Alice (I mean if you don't like poly and was holding out for a happy monogomous ending like myself It's utterly crap.
I felt like the ball was dropped on something with great potential as their relationship was one of the better ones I've experienced here (putting aside the fact you have to share her).
With paths and actual meaningful choices it would probably have received my first 5 star rating though!
I started this VN not thinking anything much of it, but boy did it prove me wrong.
I loved all of the story of how all the characters played out and their chemistry with each other.
This story out of all the VN's I've watched or read is one of the best in story wise.
My heart strings have been pulled to many ways throughout the whole thing. I cannot wait for the other 3 endings to be released so I can 100% start it again. Also for those 3 endings already relased to have more added too it, I will 100% come back to read.
Please guys just read this VM but actually listen to what they are saying.
This is more than just some pull your dick out and read story.
Looks nice, as most DAZ VNs tend to, but I hope you like reading and/or smashing your space bar into dust to keep things moving. I fully understand enjoying stuff like this for the story but there doesn't really seem to be much in the way of interaction. I'm unsure if any of the dialog choices even do anything other than slightly change the speeches. Not for me.
Renders are top-tier, writing is charming enough without being pretentious, and depending on what you're here for it gets into the action fairly quickly. Also a nice variety of characters, although it takes a while to get there.
This game has a problem with its choices. I actually like that there's lots of meaningless choices, because it means that I don't need to worry about "where are the points going" and "am I locked out of content if I chose this", which is always annoying. But when the game takes away your agency for the sake of conflict, that's a mark against it. For example, I don't even have the option to not be a retard and call my dad when I'm supposed to.
In that same vein, one that's particularly bad in this regard is pranking the teacher. For something that has such severe fallout, it's pretty annoying you don't get any say over what happens. Now I have to deal with the consequences of something I didn't even want to do because, for whatever reason, all agency was taken away to set up some conflict.
Never thought I'd be complaining about railroading in a porn game, yet here we are.
