Family Man

About

Family Man is a single player role playing shooter game. It was developed by Broken Bear Games and was released on May 22, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Family Man" is a story-driven RPG where you must repay a debt to the mob while juggling the needs of your family. Every decision you make has consequences, affecting your relationships and the community around you. Choose your path carefully, as you complete missions and earn perks to suit your playstyle.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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70%

Audience ScoreBased on 412 reviews

story58 positive mentions

stability15 negative mentions

Family Man offers a unique blend of narrative-driven role-playing and life simulation, providing players with a compelling and morally charged experience.
The game features a dynamic world where choices significantly impact the town and your family's well-being, creating a persistent tension that drives the narrative forward.
The replayability factor is high due to multiple endings and branching storylines, encouraging players to explore different choices and outcomes.

The visuals are modest, and some players may find the themes darker than expected, which may not appeal to everyone.
Gameplay can feel repetitive and shallow, with some minigames lacking depth, and the impact of choices may not be as significant as players hope.
Technical issues, particularly on consoles, can disrupt immersion, with glitches ranging from minor annoyances to more disruptive problems.

story
211 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
66%
7%
The story in "Family Man" is a unique blend of dark humor and moral choices, revolving around a father who must navigate the challenges of debt to the mob while managing his family's needs. Players appreciate the branching narratives and multiple endings, which encourage replayability, although some find the gameplay repetitive and the missions occasionally unclear. Overall, while the story has its flaws, it offers engaging character interactions and unexpected plot twists that resonate with those who enjoy story-driven experiences.
- “The game’s branching storylines and multiple endings provide a strong incentive to replay, as each choice leads to different consequences, both immediate and long-term.”
- “Its evocative storytelling, combined with a living world that responds dynamically to your choices, creates a deeply engaging experience.”
- “For those who appreciate games that offer meaningful choice and consequence wrapped in a grounded, relatable story, Family Man is a worthy and memorable journey.”
- “Overall it has potential but the story is not that great and the gameplay gets repetitive very fast.”
- “Worse still, the major quest lines are bland, binary morality tales with single-dimensional characters, the 'open world' is tiny and mostly empty of meaningful content, the actual jobs and chores you do are boring and repetitive, and the game's performance is inexplicably bad.”
- “The story pretty much vanishes after the initial cutscene.”
gameplay
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The gameplay is a blend of traditional RPG elements and life management mechanics, primarily revolving around completing fetch quests and managing family needs while trying to pay off a debt to the mob. However, many players find the mechanics repetitive and lacking depth, with minimal consequences for family management and a reliance on tedious tasks that detract from the overall experience. While the story and character interactions have potential, the execution often falls flat due to bugs, poor writing, and a lack of engaging gameplay variety.
- “The gameplay itself is a mix of traditional RPG elements and life management mechanics.”
- “You have to juggle meeting your family's needs and earning the money to pay off your debt, which you can take care of by doing jobs both savory and unsavory, all of which gameplay-wise is done by going to different waypoints, interacting with objects, and sometimes engaging in the game's minimalist combat mechanics.”
- “The gameplay reflects the story.”
- “The actual gameplay is a list of fetch quests and minigames, but the story and choices are fun to roleplay.”
- “Overall it has potential but the story is not that great and the gameplay gets repetitive very fast.”
- “Unfortunately, after a genuinely strong introductory sequence, its execution pretty much immediately falls flat, as it becomes apparent that there is no actual tension between 'making enough money' and 'behaving morally', nor between 'making enough money' and 'keeping your family healthy/happy', which are supposedly meant to be the core mechanics.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple, blocky, and reminiscent of Minecraft, which some players find charming while others criticize for lacking detail and polish. Despite the modest visuals, many reviewers appreciate the unique art style and how it complements the game's engaging story and gameplay. Overall, while the graphics may not be a strong point, they do not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “The graphics are cute and there's something relaxing about them.”
- “The voxel art style is good for this not-so-complicated gameplay.”
- “The graphics have a cute Roblox charm to them.”
- “It also happens to be easy, and doesn't need any proper talent in terms of game development/graphic artists etc. That's why reviewers are faced with so many of these terrible games with confrontingly bad graphics.”
- “I'm not exactly a graphics guy, and I fully believe that a game doesn't have to be beautiful to be fun, but this game just seems to have almost no work put into the models and animations.”
- “With all the other clunkiness, the graphics are hard to tolerate especially when the world is so empty and devoid of detail.”
replayability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
33%
13%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with some players noting a high replay value due to multiple endings and varied playstyles, while others find it limited and tedious. Many appreciate the engaging story and unique graphics, which contribute to the desire to replay, but some express frustration with gameplay issues that detract from the experience. In general, players agree that while the game may not offer infinite replayability, it provides enough incentive for a few playthroughs.
- “Very interesting story, special kind of graphics, high replay value, and nice NPCs make this game interesting.”
- “Cute little game that gives nice freedom and moral choices leading to new outcomes. It's highly replayable with the different playstyles, 4 endings, and New Game+.”
- “The game is relatively short, but because there are multiple endings, I found that the replayability of this game is actually better than average.”
- “Tedious gameplay, no replay value, bugged missions that you can't complete and fill up your inventory since it doesn't allow you to drop your mission items, and days are way too short.”
- “I personally will likely not play it through more than twice (and honestly, likely just the once) but I do think there is some replay value there.”
- “Its kinda short but it has replay value because every decision you made/make changes something in the 20-day timeline.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
62%
14%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it monotonous and ill-fitting, while others appreciate its ability to enhance the emotional tone of scenes. Although there are mentions of distracting elements and a desire for a more varied soundtrack, many players still find the music enjoyable and fitting for the game's atmosphere. Overall, it serves as decent background music, contributing to the overall experience without being particularly memorable.
- “Look, there are rainbows in the sky with happy-go-lucky music in the background.”
- “Surprisingly heartwarming for a game that looks and plays like an interactive version of Dire Straits' 'Money for Nothing' music video.”
- “A fantastic story-driven, RPG-lite game with moral choices, great art style, and a cracking soundtrack.”
- “The music is so monotonous and ill-fitting.”
- “Also, the soundtrack really didn't match and was quite distracting.”
- “There's also some odd camera jank, and the stock music is pretty bad.”
humor
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its clever writing, quirky situations, and the ability to evoke genuine laughter. Many reviews note the blend of funny and dramatic moments, as well as the charm added by unexpected bugs that create humorous scenarios. Overall, the game offers a delightful mix of comedy and engaging gameplay, making it a memorable experience.
- “Such a funny and quirky gem.”
- “The writing is clever, and unlike too many 'funny' games, this one has made me laugh aloud several times (there's an absurd image of the sheriff at a certain point in the game I won't spoil that really gets me, you'll likely know it when you see it).”
- “Amazing game, there's so many choices and ways you can play with so many side missions and funny easter eggs.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches ranging from minor annoyances to more disruptive issues that can affect gameplay. While some found these problems to be frustrating and game-breaking, others noted that they did not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment, with autosave features mitigating some concerns. Overall, the game's stability is seen as a notable flaw, but it does not overshadow its fun and engaging elements for many players.
- “There really isn't a lot wrong with this game. After playing for just over 2 hours, I can't actually think of any issues—no bugs, no glitches. It's just perfect for me, and I imagine for anyone else as well. At this moment in time, it's a very good time to get it as it's currently on offer.”
- “These glitches range from minor annoyances such as menu navigation hiccups to more disruptive issues like item clipping, which can interrupt immersion and frustrate players.”
- “Blue screens my computer and freezes often.”
- “Fun but the frequent game-breaking glitches make it hard to enjoy.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
83%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often citing issues like bugged missions, limited inventory management, and the need to micromanage multiple bars that can lead to game overs. While some acknowledge that the game can be engaging at times, many feel that the excessive grinding for money and the lack of polish detract from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than enjoyable gameplay.
- “There's a lot of grinding involved, but it feels rewarding.”
- “You'll need a second life for all the grinding, but it's worth it for the progress.”
- “The grinding can be intense, but it adds depth to the gameplay.”
- “Tedious gameplay, no replay value, bugged missions that you can't complete and fill up your inventory since it doesn't allow you to drop your mission items, and days are way too short.”
- “The bars you have to micromanage (health, hunger, happiness, cleanliness) get tedious and it's annoying that they can give you game overs.”
- “It becomes very tedious since the game forces you to maintain stability between both.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
16%
67%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting poor performance, low frame rates, and frequent stuttering, even on updated systems. Many feel that the game suffers from a lack of thorough play-testing and optimization, detracting from an otherwise enjoyable experience. Overall, the technical issues overshadow the game's potential, leading to frustration among players.
- “Pretty quickly, it becomes apparent that the core game loop is a timed optimization puzzle, with a few different gauges to balance (hunger, happiness, cleanliness, health) and a macro karma meter that all feel very generic.”
- “It's a fun game with an interesting and enjoyable premise, the blocky Minecraft-esque visuals are charming enough but the performance leaves a lot to be desired.”
- “It seemed like an interesting, relaxing game at first, but the optimization of it is just horrible... the 60 fps limit itself makes me sad in a PC game. If you watch something closely, it will drop down naturally. I can't enjoy such an unoptimized game.”
- “Poor performance with low frame rates and hitching in a few locations on an up-to-date rig, alongside a process that doesn't close when the game does, leads me to believe there has been a serious lack of optimization and play-testing.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its interesting and touching story, which combines humor with heartwarming moments, creating a surprisingly wholesome experience. Players appreciate the blend of engaging gameplay and narrative, likening it to a choose-your-own-adventure format that evokes strong feelings despite its unconventional presentation.
- “Surprisingly heartwarming for a game that looks and plays like an interactive version of Dire Straits' 'Money for Nothing' music video.”
- “Interesting story and gameplay, funny, touching, very good experience.”
- “Choose your own adventure, Postal 2 but wholesome.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the monetization strategy may mislead players regarding the game's scope, suggesting it appears more open-world and complex than it actually is, potentially leading to disappointment.