Ren'Py - The DeLuca Family [Season 1] [HopesGaming]

**GEM OF A GAME STORY - BUT AS AN ADULT GAME? MEH**

This was actually the hardest game here I ever had to sit down and rate short of a glowing review. Because for starters...I thoroughly enjoyed the play through. Which had enough story meat to it to span 3 different multi night sittings, and which I never really found myself becoming dis-interested.

Now don't completely wrong there as this story isn't some absolutely well written masterpiece, or void of any overly cheesy aspects or cheap filler dialog stuff (could cut out about half those .... exchanges btw). But as a total sum it adds up better then most. I like the completely different from the norm mafia type theme. I like the fact it's not trying to lean on the incest angle crutch. I like the fact it doesn't shy away from being dark in a story about mobsters that kill people, and/or doesn't go too heavily handed the other way to ever try and balance that out. The gradual progression with character building is done well, and taken as a whole it is just a rare well executed story in one of these games. And worth the play on that alone.

But here is the thing. All of that said there is also the underlying aspect of why I am sitting down to play these types of games. Which first and foremost starts with an expectation that I'll be jerking off. Now I'm not against the slow burn approach...but the longer the burn the better I expect that payoff scene to feel. And in that particular respect...this game just fell short to me. Since if you are like me and anything short of a BJ progression scene isn't going to get you there....there is a grand total of **ONE**payoff in the game at the end of about maybe a 6 hour play through. And contrary to what the 200+ glowing reviews might suggest on the surface...it's not some mind blowing or super well done with a ton of extra "5 star" quality going into it you'd otherwise be expecting. It's not a bad stare at the one animation angle and single scene before you click once to move on by any means...but yeah. From the invested payoff angle I was just left wanting a lot more.

So yeah, overall and in all fairness to this being an adult game site I can't justify giving this game more then an average rating as an adult game where (even with this) the expectation of sex will always be the underlying selling point to the large majority of people trying/playing/paying for it. The burn is too slow in the manner it's done (it comes across more milky then slow imo), the higher expectation of a great payoff doesn't measure up (yet), and the missed opportunities to at least throw you some decent side character action to help bridge the gap ends up being a fairly glaring design omission in after play hindsight.

I enjoy this game, even if there is no sex so far, it is one of the few games that are actually good and that I do not mid grinding(only grind is money really) the characters are awesome, I do thing that the silly girl attitude goes a bit too far, with the daughters is understandable, they either become psychos or coo coo, talking from experience, but the wifey, she is always serious and respectable, and then turns into a kindergartner all of a sudden, but still good characters and story arcs, very deep game, and gotta say, those who have played it know what I'm talking about, I freaking cried like a baby with THAT story, overall... Fully recommended, I WILL support the creator in patreon, you should too

Some renders are pretty which earns the mandatory one star. The story is pathetic at worst and cringe worthy at best, with random dark emotional problems being used to hide the lack of any decent story-telling. The concept isn't terrible and this game feels like it has what it needs to be better than it is, but it just isn't any good.

Couple that with a horrible lack of content and a bad developer even by adult game standards, and you've got your one star.

This game isn't worth your time.

I don't know why but this game gets me every single fucking time, storyline is just mind blowing you know like you can literally feel it, I usually don't play same story again and again as using saves works but whenever the new update of deluca family comes i just start it over again from start just to experience the magic you have created there you know just extraordinary
Best of luck for your future updates ♥

One of the best games this site...beautiful renders ..the story is unique and character development is awesome...Every character has a unique theme and base.
The MC is funny and sarcastic ,one of the best i have MC's I ever played.
The updates are a bit slow.. the game theme is awesome
and i recommend everyone trying this game once.

Good story, sex scenes have some weight to them, humorous dialogue, great characters, great universe, overall a great Visual Novel. There's a lot of potential, which is the reason why I can't wait for the finished release.

the downside of this game is, when you're playing it at this stage, you're gonna end up on a cliffhanger, and there's not a lot of value (in my opinion) in doing a new game + after you reached the end.

it would be amazing if the story would be complemented with animated sex scenes, which there are some, but not a lot.

Support this game and the talented developer on patreon!!

This game is pretty awesome. The female characters are pretty hot. The dialogue is pretty humerous. I was very happy to see additional Isabel content added with the last update.
The funny thing is - there is no sex thus far in this game, yet that doesn't really bother me (yet). It seems like the MC is pretty close to boning all the women in the house (well except Cordila). Kind of feel bad for the MC, he must have the worst case of blue balls; I mean the 2 sisters are taking baths in his room daily and Isabel is teasing him every chance she gets. Hell even Cordila was flirting with him when he broke into her office.

I like that this game has a lot of actual story versus just over the top sex scenes. I also think this game has the best style of art of any game (the only comparable for me is City of Broken Dreamers) on this site. Just fantastic.

I hope the updates can come more quickly, I think six months is a tad too long if you are paying as a Patron that many months in a row.

This game easily has shattered what I thought was the limit for games on this website. Usually you're bombarded with games filled with over-the-top sex and mediocre to no plot, and while that's fine, it's this game that falls into the category of masterpiece. Of course, this game still has a ways to go (I'm hoping), but even in its current form, the story is its driving factor, for a reason. The plot is so good, I'm wondering why this isnt a world famous book series or movie trilogy. The visuals are stunning, which enhances the plot tenfold, and the grind is subtle and very tolerable. If you are looking for a quick way to find a sex scene and enjoy that, this game isnt for you. But if you're looking for one of those games, the games that leave you inspired and in awe, this is the cream of the crop. HopesGaming really outdid themselves here.

Very well done and the writing was done well enough to make the characters seem like real people. It's almost embarrassing how much I'm looking forward to future updates. It may take a while to get updated but life happens. Despite that though, it's completely worth the wait to me.

One of he few games on this site which focuses more on story and characters than the sex stuff. And that is one of the reasons why I find it so captivating.

The Renders are beautiful and quite unique. The girls each have their own personalities and feel like real people.

I am not a big fan of the mafia genre, but this game just works for me.

The story is formidable, tragic/drama combined with action and dark humor adding a special ingredient that makes the game even more captivating, ''mystery''
The models are very attractive, every model looking different from one another with distinct features in terms of age, weight, height and physics overall with no exaggerations.
The characters are very well written, each one of them has their own personalities and reacts differently in certain situations making it even more realistic, everyone having their important role in the story making an impact when is needed.
The protagonist is not an overpowered alpha male or some kind of perfect human being and it's not a goofy pathetic character either.

This is an amazing game, I really liked the story and the characters... I was always a fan of Mafia type stories so this was very easy to get immersed in, the characters are all really likeable and there's no immediate sex scenes which makes immersing yourself in this game pretty easy and the pacing was great. Great game.

Very intriguing game to play. You know the sex is coming but it is very fun to play also. Great story. Interface is fun. It can get a little grindish but it still keeps you with it. Cant wait for more

A headstrong start only focus on story this is good I prefer story rather than random sex.

~>The story is definitely unique and eye candy 4 my taste.

~>The MC who doesn't know about himself and around is totally mind blown all I can is wtf is going on this is definitely my cup of tea.
~>The MC choices definitely my cup of tea if he will become a blood thirsty blood hound murderer or peace keeper to protect the one he loves.

~>Each one of main characters and side characters is interesting and their problems.

~> A well develop animation I can see the developer is focusing on animation this is what I called hard working, self sacrifice , dedication, passionate, always trial and error in developing a game.

~>Keep up the good work Ignore the haters on your game it is not easy to make a game like this specially working on animation and programming language I for one experience a hellish on game developing because I'm also studying this kind.

~>I love ur instrumental music it is very synchronize and perfect 4 the game.

My actual Rating is like a 4.99/5 stars

This review is for the .05 version of the game.

Beginning side note:
I had a huge debate with myself over whether to play this game right now or to wait until a lot more content is released. I decided to wait but got bored one day so I ended up playing the game anyway. I don't regret the decision one bit, the wait for more updates will be painful but I can bear with it by imagining how good it'll be.

Ok, so first off I would like to just say that I love this game, so far it's absolutely amazing and I only expect it to get better.
But the game being so amazing means that I'm going to hold you, HopesGaming, as well as the game itself to my highest standards(though my standards aren't that high)

Let me explain why it's not at 5 stars yet
I don't want to give any game a 5-star rating if I can think of a single way to objectively make the game better. (means that I feel like there is a drawback or a problem that I ran into that I fell could be addressed with no one enjoying the game less due to it.)

Now on to the feedback and actual review

Currently, I have the version of the game downloaded from f95zone, I'd like to buy it but my current circumstances don't allow me to support you(at least financially) for now. But I will when I can!

I'll start off with the problems and things I think can be improved
(I've only played the Luna route fully and I have played through about a quarter of Gracie's route. I also don't plan on doing the Isabel Route)

Bugs:
so there are a couple of bugs I ran into.

1. I installed the video camera thing and sometimes after getting videos, the next day those videos disappear. Sometimes they come back and sometimes they don't.

2. During free-roam if you click on the "?" button and go to the stats screen the symbols after RP don't show(I have a surface laptop)

3. Sometimes when a new choice is unlocked during an interaction the choices before that one are still grey (like for checking the security feed)

4. (It's technically not a bug but I'm putting it in here anyway) While going through the story I noticed that there were parts where grammar was off like a verb wasn't plural when it should be
not a big complaint but it took out a little from the immersion

overlooks:
There were a couple of these too

1. Where does Gracie go at noon?

2. Where is Luna during the evening?

3. You have the ability to grind to max level before even starting chapter 1.
Again it isn't really a big problem but it breaks immersion When I'm referred to as a Soldato when I'm actually an elite.
I suggest putting a cap on your exp based on what chapter you are at so that you don't promote too much at a time.

$. *SUPER IMPORTANT* when you are groping Luna (after the hug) the animation is wack, it looks like you are flattening her butt and it was kinda disturbing honestly.

Suggestions:
1. Add a gallery, like it would be awesome, I know it's not really necessary right now since there aren't many lewd scenes. But what if I want to just go back and look at me groping Luna's butt or her "bust".
2. Maybe try to clean up the button interface a little. and how the amount of money is shown. To make it look more appealing.

My Personal Vendetta:
I love Luna, she's hands-down best girl, and no one can change my opinion on that. So personally It seems like more effort and development has gone into Gracie than Luna and obviously I would like them both to get equal treatment (unless you would be willing to give Luna some extra)
I know that Luna has the entire backstory and that must have taken a lot of effort (I'll talk about it in a little bit) but Luna's Relationship and events are heavily tied into the story so Luna herself has a lot of development but it's not by the player's choice but because it's necessary to move the story along. I don't like it because it gives the relationship with Luna a more forced feel than with Gracie (since pretty much none of her events are required). Basically I think that none of the romance with any of the girls or the main plot should be intertwined, and you should be able to choose how far you get in each relationship if you get any progress at all.

Also, ... NTR stuff is ewww.

Everything above in the personal vendetta section is just my personal opinion and obviously I know that you have your own views on how the story should progress and etc. but that is what I feel towards how it's going and I don't speak for everyone but I think the game would improve if those things were to be addressed.

Now enough of what went wrong I wanna also talk about the awe-inspiring stuff
1. the characters:
The characters are amazing 'nuff said.
But seriously, at first, they seem super eccentric and frankly crazy (I was genuinely considering dropping the game because the characters were so quirky). However, they quickly grow on you and you start to love them a little. They also seem so ... real, like after playing though this version I could genuinely imagine all the characters as real people. All of this is a testament to amazing writing, so keep it up!

2. Grinding:
uhhh, grinding is so frustratingly easy that it's kinda weird. I like the level of grinding that the game is at right now.

3. Luna's Backstory:
If you haven't played the game yet, then this part alone is enough to play the game I think, it just amazing.

If you have played the game but you chose the short version, then do heed the warning beforehand but try to do the long version if you can because I don't know how the short version was but I can guarantee the long version was at least 100 times better.

If you are HopesGaming, then seriously dude I'm kinda worried about you, it's disturbing stuff, and you made it so impactful that I'm wondering if you had the same experience or something.

And we are finally nearing the end of my very drawn out review.

If you haven't played it yet.....play it, trust me its worth it.

HopesGaming, one last thing I want to say to you is to never let the quality drop. I don't speak for everyone but I'd rather see you never finish than to rush out an ending because you got bored or because you don't find it financially feasible to continue the project anymore. I hope you take my words into consideration and the game becomes better for it.

Keep up the good work!!!

I can honestly say that this is the only story (so far at least) that has made me cry.
And i am not talking about a few tears leaking from my eyes... no, i'm talking full blown sobbing and breaking down in tears like a little girl. I consider myself to be 'tough enough' to not do that with a fictional story. But boy was i wrong.

To say this game needs awards, is an insult.
Awards need this game.

I have the utmost respect for this game and its developer, even in the current version (0.05) and i cannot reccomend the game enough. The characters are incredibly well written. The story about the mafia families is incredibly realistic (based on 0 experience with actual mafia families). The scenes are amazingly shot with beautiful angles, lighting and setting.

I hope we will see much more of this absolute gem of a game. The sexy-times scenes are not happening withing the first 5 minutes.. not even the first hour... but with story this good and characters this amazing.... i do not mind in the slightest.

Stereotypical maffia story in a good way. You don't get early or fan service lewd scenes. This game is more about a slow path to know the characters better and fall for them. There is a unique sense of humor in the game I enjoyed but may be not for everyone. Scenes sometimes overwrite for my taste. Sandbox part of the game is splited from the story so you can decide what you want spent time with chracters or continue main story.

Warning: And I cannot stress this enough. If you're only here for the lewd, this is NOT the game for you. This game have plenty of "mature" contents, but mature is a wider term compared to lewd.

First of, let me just say I don't play a lot of "incomplete" game (and have not bothered writing reviews very often) due to the amount of time I have to wait between updates, and having to re-download every patch, so the few I actually pick up before they are tagged "Completed" usually have to jump out and catch my attention somehow. And this game did NOT disappoint me. In fact, it's easily one of the top 5 I enjoyed the most on f95.

Next, let me just say that as a book lover and freelance writer (though you won't be seeing any of my work here as my target audience are usually children), I thoroughly enjoy the storytelling and the work and effort put into characters building and development.

Without spoiling any major plot point, I'll say that this game managed to balance the dark and the humor, the ridiculousness and the down-to-earth. Every characters, main or otherwise are likable to a certain extend. The quirk of the characters, the humor and ridiculousness perfectly blended together and masked the darkness and realness of the life in organized crime (or as real as it can be, since I don't think any of us actually have any real life experience living with a mafia family).

For only a 0.05 release, this game have already gotten a lot of content, and it'd take around 50 days (give or take depends on RNG) in-game time or a good few hours to get through every content. Be warn, however, that this game, as any good story rightly should, spend the beginning mostly to set things up, so there are not a lot of lewd scenes just yet (mostly just kissing, groping and masturbating as of 0.05).

Given said all that, I still strongly recommend this for anyone who's playing a game for more than just the sex scenes. And I will be eagerly waiting for updates no matter how long they may take. This is definitely worth the wait!

This is just one of those games that's an easy 5.

I love the world, the whole setup is great ... admittedly it's a bit zany, and probably past what I'd count as Quentin Tarantino levels (what with the half naked dude killing gunmen with a flail, haha), but not quite a Takashi Miike level of ridiculousness ... so it's a good balance.

The characters are good. I dug the old guy's vibe, I'm well into Luna (she was especially good during the icecream bit, I was genuinely laughing out loud then) and in general even if they aren't the type that I'm drawn to, all the characters seem to be well written and so should appeal to a range of people's tastes.

In fact the writing is really strong in this one, I make a big distinction between games I never feel inclined to skip through the text, and ones that fail to hold your attention or fray at your patience ... this is thankfully the former, and I was glued to every line.

The renders are good, models reasonably attractive (entirely subjective but I do kinda wish Luna was a brunette or anything other than blonde, and really don't dig the fancy nail stuff on the younger one, but I'm not really into her anyway), the animations are sometimes a bit strange, but there's some really good bits where there's a series of images in a row (not quite the sort of fluid animation bits) that I actually think are much better... for example the dance of death by the lady on the rollerskates - that worked really well... the music fits what's going on too.

You can grind up some money and rank and things, and while I hate grindy games I found it completely fine and painless, and once you get to the fancier jobs the money rolls in (I ended up doing all of that before even really starting the story - and I like how they've separated the 2 elements out in the way they have).

It's hard to think of any real downsides ... though I will say if you're looking for some smut, as of the version I played (0.05) while there was a reasonable amount of content, there wasn't any really screwing yet...
There are some minor bits that hopefully get adjusted... like lines of text auto-skipping (which doesn't work if you enjoy playing on max text speed) or wanting more choices to pursue relationships platonically so you can be faithful to one girl... but it's too early to complain about stuff like that really.

The story and systems and everything is really compelling and I can't wait to see more added... especially if you get to shape things and either become cruel and feared or nice and whatever, as things haven't really gotten that deep in yet and while I really like Luna so am going to be good to her, I also still kinda want to see things get real dark.