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

The following review is based off my personal experience with playing this Game/Visual Novel... I try to be as brutally honest and detailed as I can, and these are my own opinions and thoughts, from one or more play throughs... The version this review is based on is v0.04.1...

This VN/Game is a mix of stat/money grinding along with really good visual novel style story telling... It has a few quirks I'll get into, but all in all it's not bad for being so early into it's development...

The visuals of the characters and scenes are superbly designed... Crisp and clear characters, with facial expressions to match their moods that also follow the story perfectly... The navigation is simple and high quality... The visuals for the protagonists grinding out mafia contracts is well done and feels very much inspired by normal RPG game play when dealing with equipment and so forth...

The script is perfectly done, and allows the main story and side stories to flow well... You don't always get a full sense that the side stories are necessarily always tied, too much, into the main story, but they compliment each other fine thus far... The plot revolves around a young man who is forced to work for a mafia type family as a soldier via a contract... He doesn't know much about his past or his father, and he is resentful of his mother, whom he never sees... You never really find out yet how that came about... He is not treated like a normal soldier, but instead, stays in the main mansion of the family he now is forced to work for... The head of the mafia family he works for allows him to interact with her two daughters and son (along with his wife), as well as his primary contact in the form of the right hand man of the boss (the mother of the two daughters and son)...

Here is where the VN/Game is slightly altered from your typical stat/money grinder... You can partake in side stories, but you don't necessarily need to, in order to push the main story along... Although, I have to say, I enjoyed the side stories more so then the main story so far... Blame it on me being a sucker for romance story bits... But do NOT get me wrong, the main story is also awesome in it's own right, even if it can be a bit violent at times... The side stories, mostly revolve around relationship building with the various women of the house... For the moment, that is just the 2 daughters and the son's wife... The two daughters were kind of raised slightly different from one another, yet being in a mafia family, they are kind of sheltered from normal peoples lives, which all together shows in their unique personalities... The only women that seem more worldly wise are the boss and her son's wife...

The protagonist is also quirky in his own right... He is practically fearless when it comes to those he is surrounded by, even though that doesn't mean he is heartless or in fear of his own well being... Probably the only aspect of the protagonist I am not completely a fan of, is how hard it is to tell if he is completely sincere in his feelings towards the various love interests of the story... The side stories with the two daughters, bring out this romantic feeling in how the protagonist interacts with each of them, and yet in the back of your mind (albeit I'm hopeful he actually cares deeply for them in reality) it isn't always clear... Is it's just so he can get into their pants, or does he have genuine feelings for them as well? In either case, he has just as quirky a personality as the two daughters, that is for sure...

The way the scenes are designed, you get a real sense that he is breaking barriers down with the two daughters, and they are taking a real shine to him, which I hope he does not disappoint them... Only time will tell... As to the son of the boss and his wife, I think that the wife is just lonely, not sure there is any real feelings there other then lust... The story for her has been short so far...

The only real big negative I found in this VN/Game is how slow it starts out... As with any grinder, the grind does begin feeling a bit repetitive... But you do get to a point, where you don't really need to play the grind game all the time, and so it's not always slow... The game allows you to show one of the Story Tasks on the main screen, but not all Events are considered tasks that can be shown in that way... Some events just play out... And as long as you've met the minimum requirements for the main story to go on, you just have a button to press, that pushes the main story to the next stage... You don't necessarily need to do all the side stories in their entirety... But how is that any fun? hehe... The main story does effect the relationship with the Female Mafia Boss and the protagonist, depending on choices... So don't think it's just some kinetic story... Even the side stories have choices, that could have consequences on how those individual relationships play out... So be aware...

Do NOT expect a ton of erotic content, for the moment... As it is a relationship building story, you start off mostly with just repetitive peeping and some dream time pictures (by the way, you can fail at peeping - so be warned)... Eventually some kissing and light petting, but no actual sex so far... Which, I didn't really mind so much... As I was enjoying the story and laughing at the interactions between characters, and overall enjoying the dialogue and story telling... But you can tell it's coming, eventually...

Overall, even though this VN/Game does have some grinding to it, it's not horrible, albeit still time consuming... I really enjoyed all the side stories and the main story... There is some real depth and thoughtfulness put into telling a fun and engaging mafia themed relationship story... You can make choices that really effect how you want a relationship to play out with the side stories, and the main story being somewhat separated from the side events, is a unique feature... So far it seems to work fine... I personally am a sucker for romance stories... And I'm REALLY hoping that the romantic relationship building, with some of the characters, is not just a perv ploy, but a real love match in the making... Otherwise I would be completely disappointed... Only time will tell, as this VN/Game is still in it's early days of development...

I will most likely wait a while, for several updates, before re-visiting this one... Mostly because I don't want to get the romance story parts piece mailed over a lengthy period of time... I'ld rather see it in large chunks of romantic heart-pounding bliss... But that's just me...

I don't know why i took so long to get around to this,,,, well that's not entirely true, not a whole lotta sex in this yet,,, so what's the point in a fap game without fapability?
Writing
Character development
Humour
Man this is good, am looking forward to the next installment

The game is terrible has only a few pluses but they are insignificant.
+ Renders
- There is not much of their admiration but the disappointment that the scene is 10 render
+ History
- Nothing interesting, Nothing special develops slowly
+ Erotic scenes (͡ ° ͜ʖ ͡ °)
- Or rather, their lack There is not even a goodnight kiss and how it is mehh
+ ???
- Long waiting time for an update, which is still unnecessary for this game
- No relationship between characters everything is going to sex a
- Choices are anyway because there are nothing that could suggest such a change
- Not so beautiful characters (Somewhere it was)
- MISTAKES!!!
Lack of anything nothing has an interesting lack of pretty girls all mehh,End
* / *****

It's only in 0.04, and there's already so much content. The story is absolutely amazing, with literally zero plot holes at all, everything lines up so perfectly. There is no bugs in this game that I've encountered. However I feel like with future updates we should be able to go outside of the house as well. It'd also be great if there was a cheat option so you could be able to get money quick without grinding for it that much. Also I can't wait to see what happens with Eiza. Overall amazing work, but if I wanted to nitpick I think the MC shouldn't always be wearing a turtleneck, and I feel like some models could use a little work on them.

First of all I'm not English, but I'll try to explain myself better i can.
This unbelievable game doesn't need any change!
Story: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Playable: 9/10
I really love Luna, her way to be scariest anb crazy and at the same time so cute and insicure.
Isabel really sensual woman.
Gracie wonderful and smart.
And Cordia that i think reserve for use a really good surprise in the futures update.
Hope this game never end! Thanks for sharing!

This game is very promising .

Pros :
-For a 0.04 version, we can see a lot of work put in the game already.
-The graphics are very good.
-The story is interesting.
-F. characters are hot.

Cons :
-For a story on a mafia family, events happen too much inside the house, not enough outside.
-Some missions of the mini-game should be part of the story (non-repetable though) to increase game quality.
-A little grinding to make money (fortunately, it is not excessive).

The Deluca Family is a threshold virtual novel/game on f95zone.

The renders are beautiful and at times sublime. The expressions characters hold amidst each setting while their dialogue drags you into their universe and personal world. Nothing is wasted on each development.

The Deluca Family takes its time, building the intrigue and world and those inhabiting it. The pace allowing for moments of emotional absorption. Humor is also peppered throughout pushing familiarity with each character.

There is a game under it all. Missions giving money and experience where the goals for each can be seen and worked towards. Weather it be better equipment to tackle harder missions or a pair of torn jeans to expand a relationship.

The Deluca Family isn't a quick fix to sedate an addiction. It's and engaging story and virtual novel that becomes an addiction.

I saw recommendations for this game in various threads, but pretty much ignored it until v0.04. I am both disappointed and happy I waited; the characters are awesome, the story has me hooked. Now I just have to wait "forever" for more! Cruel!

The art in this project is decent. The characters are relatively realistic and the the male characters do not seem to have been left as an after-thought. The set pieces all seem to be new/unique (I don't remember any 'over-used' assets) though some of them were a little 'bare bones'. Nothing worth complaining about here.

The audio was handled well enough. Nothing stands out as either extremely good or extremely bad, just does it's job well.

The storyline has definitely got me hooked. I'm 'invested' and looking forward to seeing what happens in the future.

Of note here is that there's been obvious time and effort put into making this more 'game' than "just" a VN. Some of it might be a little more grindy than people like, but I found the balance acceptable personally.

I also like the distinct 'separation' of main storyline and the 'getting to know you' dating-sim style aspects. This feels like a very good way to let the player choose their focus, or how much they want to 'grind' the gameplay aspects.

Amazing
There are games with good stories, there are games with good art; then there is the DeLuca Family which is on a whole other level. If you are looking for some quick sex in a game then this is not the game for you but this game offers so much more. I personally feel that if a game can draw you in and build a connection with the characters when the game does start to have more sexy content it's much better.
Much like a good movie this game allows you to feel part of the story you can feel truly immersed.
Pros:
Great art. Many different settings and the character renders are amazing. Not the cookie cutter people you see in some other games.
Story line. It's very well written. This is not a game to click though its a game you want to actually read the story and watch it develop. As of 0.04 there are still many different places this story can go and as a player we don't know the direction which will make you keep checking for the updates.
Good flow. The game works I haven't had any bugs and the story doesn't feel choppy at all.

Cons:
I don't really have any if I wanted to nitpick the only thing I wish was that they weren't in the same clothes everyday but I know that's a lot of work and extra money to invest.

Overall this is easily in my top 3 of games. I know some people want them to have quicker release dates on content but I would rather have a great game take time than an ok game come out fast.
P.S. There is something about Isabel that makes me want to get more wine.

This game has a ton of potential to be a great one. Story-wise, it has a unique concept and a very interesting one dealing with the mafias. Renders are great but a few more facial reactions/movements during dialogues are needed to add more depth to the characters. Very much looking forward for more content.

Reviewed as of v0.04

Amazing work, its the only game i´m following every update even when i hate to play this games untill they are finished.
Its slow paced but i like the expetaction. I can see that in the future many options are going to be avaible and its very promissing.
Amazing renders and i love the type of history. The characters are beautifull and the uncle poses an very good "funny" threatning charcarter.
Keep the good work

Everything about this game is so well done, from the characters to the story, mapping and soundtrack and the amazing landscapes. Even if this game is currently in the 0.04 version it feels way better and polish than many other games. Wating for every update is a pain but is really worth at the end.

Review of the game up to [v0.04]

Pros:

• RPG elements - This game has few RPG elements which, so far, only has potential to be good in the future releases.
• Renders - The renders are beautiful.

Cons

• No sexual content - This game has no sexual content except for kissing and countless amounts of teasing.
• Updates - The updates are usually very small and adds nothing more than teasing.

CONCLUSION

So far, this game has nothing more than potential. I would advise most people to not play it until couple of more versions have been out.

I hate when games that start out this well get stuck for no good reason, other than ripping off more money from supporters.
I change my review from 5 to 1 stars.
The pace of developement is simply unnaccetable and the lack of meaningful progress in sex scenes after so much time is unforgivable.

The stories was good , the character too , and the backsound is killing it , but some aspects needs some improvement like "job contracts" , and the ui , and can we buy an item and wear it? Like some shirt or anything else , beside that , everything was good , keep it up

This is an absolutely brilliant game. Fantastic artwork, and the script is immersive and interesting as well as clever and funny.
Just about the time I've reached the end of my patience, the latest update comes along and totally proves the waiting was totally worth it.
Fun, enticing, a bit unpredictable, and sexy. One of my favorite games.

This game probably won't get your rocks off, it's still fairly light on adult content (as of 0.04), but it's probably the best written VN on here. The story and characters are on point and doesn't fall into the same tired clichés most of the other games fall into. The graphics and renders are top notch and are easily at least top five here at least. Solid game that seems to only be getting better.

Beautiful game. Perfect mix between game and VN -- minimal grinding but still the best aspects of sandbox play and VN progression. Intriguing plot line that is based in a gangster fantasy world; beautiful women.

Many VN's try way too hard to be relatable and the dialog is inane, leading one to download the walkthrough and skip to the sexy stuff as fast as possible. This one isn't that way at all. It full embraces a wild world of gangster violence that purposefully doesn't resemble real life. But the girls are still have plenty of relatable "girls next door" aspects to them while also being fantasy girls. I can't wait for the next installment. Would be dumping money into the Patreon if I didn't have a wife who religiously (literally) watches our spending accounts.

Normally I don't rate unfinished games. But this one is so good that I couldn't help myself. I love the setting, it's very original, the girls are really pretty and the renders are beautiful. Every characters has a different personality and I especially fell in love with Luna, I hope the game will continue to fucus on her a little bit more. I'm very interested where this game will go and will be on board to support it.

A great developer, a fantastic history and the best game of gender for me. Addictive for its easy handling, with a plot that really screams for suspense. Some characters very crisp and well defined. But the most interesting thing is that the best of the game is still to come. I think this game should be in the top 10 of any gender lover.