Ren'Py - Gunpowder Cocktail [v0.6.0] [ByteHog Prime]

Review for v0.1.0

It's really hard to find a game that hit so many mark for a niche here on the site, this one hit the mark.
As a base for the game, it's looking great.
Not much content yet, but renders look splendid.

As the for now, I hope this game get many updates in the future,

There's not much to tell, aside from sandbox mode there's really not a single thing that this game isn't doing right. From render quality to humor and music everything is decent and your time will be well spent in this VN.

As far as first releases go, very barebones. The females at least as far as the cover ladies go look like minor variations of the same character. The render quality itself is good. Bodies seem to have some good variation so no complaints there.

The writing is pretty cookie cutter from what's been shown so far, lots of tropes, familiar set-ups and gags. MC starts the meat of the plot by stealing a briefcase from very obviously mafia looking dudes and instead of just beating him to a pulp or killing him, boss man immediately upon their mention wants to meet the family mc brings up randomly. The "landlady" signs an obviously shitty contract to set up being perved on, lots of writing that depends on the characters being really dumb and/or gullible is so far what we got. There are definitely more examples of the obvious setups but you get the picture.

There are no sex scenes just a few teases and night events, it's pretty short so there isn't much to it other than to show you enough to set expectations on how the plot/scenarios are going to go, especially if you've ever played any games like this before.

Ambitious as hell for a first time dev but balancing a ton of routes and content that is diametrically opposed is a herculean task we've all seen failed time and time again. Only time will tell if such a thing is doable and it may develop into something great, if it does I'll amend the review, but for right now with what we've been shown I can't help but feel like I've seen this all before and want to caution people from coming in with false expectations.

I normally don't review a first release, but due to the authors lack of engagement in regards to concerns several people have raised, I can't shake the feeling this a bait and switch where the "avoidable" content is actually the real meat of the game given that of the 3 or so choices in the game thus far are all ntr on or off. Which if that's what you want fine, but be upfront about it. There are more than enough cautionary tales on this site about trying to please diametrically opposed audiences.

Did not make a very good first impression and dev seems intent on going down a path I can't follow

Another zero content first release full of things that have been seen a thousand times before. Right down to the exact renders. The young energetic sister type greeting the mc by jumping on him. Assaulting the women of the house in their sleep, because for some reason devs think that NEEDS to be the first step on the sexual content ladder (it doesn't, I promise.) And of course, the abrupt ending without even letting you know that it's over, leaving you wandering around thinking "Where do I go now, is that really it?" Yup, that's it. Add the lack of clarity about certain controversial themes and how much the game will focus on them, as the cherry on top.

Overall it's a really bad first impression. Bumped to 2 stars just for the renders, they do look nice based on what little is shown so far. I'll play the next few updates and see if it redeems itself, if so I'll adjust the review.

i like this game. it reminds me of other good ones but with its own personality. i like the also important ntr path and the quirky humour. the quality is really nice. girls are shaped very well and are all attractive even thi i would suggest to make a few changes to make them more unique. i also like ruper much already and hope for much ntr content with him :3 many details like putting the headphones on or walking down the street in so many renders wow. i look forward for much more quirky, crazy and especially kinky content, i hope some females get a slight overhaul and there will be other males (one other old guy would be nice but rupert tops already all!) i also like the dialogue choices, the help and also during vincent enocunter hahahaha.

Pros:
- nice renders
- all females are pretty and tasteful shaped
- NTR! :3
- horny old guy(s)!
- humour
- dialogue choices already in the first release!
- music is nice too!
- details!
- map


Cons:
- navigation is a bit clumsy (need a few times till i found out where my room lol)
- a bit more fine tuning regarding the girls to make some stand out more


My girl tier list at the moment:

1. Sophie :3
2. Jade
3. Hazel
4. Selina and Clarice
5. Lisa

Lisa is alright, she is just not my personal type.

Jade and Sophie look hot (even tho i might suggest to make maybe at least Sophie's tits a bit bigger) and curvy and i like the two different vibes they have. (please let jade be best friend with Sophie or Selina and let her get to know our hero rupert please )

Clarice would be great (the ambitioned, fit police officer - hot idea!) but i would suggest to maybe give her freckles and make her more curvy at least breast wise to let her stand out more reharding Hazel and Selina.

Hazel and Selina are both alright i think Hazel as the youngest is fine (i like that she is also a bit curvier even most of the time the youngest is often the less curviest in games for whatever reason . I think Selina might need an upgrade to her hair and maybe give her either glasses maybe or piercings - she doesn't have to be as curvy as most others especially since she is so energetic (and has to do with fashion if i remember correctly)


Can't wait fore more content otherwise and for other new characters and hot/kinky situations, possiblities and tough choices. I honour you try to make two paths (please never forget NTR )

i hope this feedback was okay. very promising game.

Clean renders and good looking women. The story has real potential. This is not the first game about mobsters but those are usually the same cookie cutter story as college or landlady games. Looking at the tags here it looks like we can expect some evil and nasty things.
On the other hand we have the sandbox syndrome, plenty of locations and times of the day empty with nothing to do at the moment.

Gunpowder Cocktail [v0.1.0]
it is a very complete demo
It has a hint system, although I would recommend an explicit or interactive tutorial for the game interface at the beginning of the sandbox.
moving between locations is easy except the MC's room is a bit hidden.
the story is not very complex and the dialogues are good it is easy to digest with some comedy even better It mixes excellent in sandbox in my opinion.
It has well-marked "sensitive topics" for those who don't like them.
but for those who like to replay games and do not dislike the variety of content, it looks like the game will be very good for this.
it lacks some way to spend time in the game apart from the interface like watching tv or resting in bed.
It has some text bug with the names, sometimes it says [MC name] and not the name, but in everything else I did not find any problem or gameplay bug very good thing for an initial demo much more if it is sandbox.
los render son muy buenos los personajes son agradables a la vista o lo contrario segun su rol todos estan bien hechos en general.
the personalities of the characters and MC (according to the elections) are very good, their dialogues and actions reinforce and maintain them well.

resume:
sandbox game with easily avoidable NTR-LOVE harem paths.
smooth gameplay mobility and interface, easy to use.
contains hints
no gameplay bug
a very good amount of content for a demo that shows well what the game is about.
good luck and success to the developer.
an excellent project start, try it.

Reviewing for v0.1.0.

This game has started out great! You've got very hot girls, great renders, very good animations, interesting story and a gameplay that just flows well. NTR elements right from the start, which is great for fans of NTR like myself.

This game is very promising. I'm looking forward for further releases.