Cabernet Review

Known before this for their interactive stories, Party for Introverts is bringing their first full-length narrative project, Cabernet. Set in Europe in the 1800s, Cabernet follows the story of Liza, a young woman who is thrown into the world of vampires and struggles with morality and the supernatural world.

As stated in the game description, there are some heavy themes, but Party of Introverts has proved they can write complex topics in their past works, and Cabernet is no different, again showing the team's storytelling skills. 

Cabernet opens in a strange place, our main character's funeral. There is an open grave ready to have Liza's coffin lowered into it with a gravestone on it with four symbols. You then hear a eulogy from both Liza's sister and uncle, and this is how you create Liza's stats.

While he talks about her, you can choose if she was a writer or a scientist, whether she was kind and friendly to everyone or an artistic loner who has knowledge of history and art. These choices have effects on not only the later story but also the gameplay as you move through the game. 

This is a great way to build a character that really involves the audience without having the player spend time sinking skill points into a skill tree without really knowing what is going on. This approach feels a lot more cohesive with the tone of the game's opening and less like you have to make choices before you truly know the consequences. 

After this prologue, you wake up as Liza. She has clearly been asleep for some time as she describes the achiness she is feeling and the hunger cravings she is experiencing. She is in a precarious position with the door locked and dirt on her face and clothes. You can find some personal possessions here, but the door is locked, trapping Liza inside with just a lamp. 

The speech options are introduced at this moment as you try to knock on the door, choosing to yell out for help or simply walk away from the door. After a lot of banging on the door, a mysterious voice can then be heard from behind the door, but it seems to be unable to speak.

Liza asks them if they can let her out, to which they knock twice for "yes." After a moment of silence, Liza asks if they will let her out, and the creature knocks once for "no." After this brief game of semantics, Liza promises a favor in exchange for opening the door.

Liza, now branded with a mark on her shoulder representing the favor she owes, leaves the dungeon and enters a party room that is filled with guests. Despite your assumption that a room of guests would be disturbed by a filthy, disheveled woman entering the room, everyone seems amazingly unphased by Liza's appearance. From the description of Cabernet on Steam, you will already know it is the story of a vampire, so this section of the game is a little strange. 

The gameplay already tells you that Liza is a vampire. You open a tab that teaches you about the morality of vampires, with the word "vampire" being used in one of the tutorials you are fed. However, the next section of gameplay is all about hinting to the player that Liza and all these guests are vampires. There are mirrors that "must be a trick" because of their lack of reflection; Liza is hungry but has no appetite for the food laid out, and another guest even jokes about having to file their fangs before going into town. 

While the Steam description must tell the player the game is about vampires, it seems odd to have the game remind you of the fact Liza is a vampire directly in a tutorial, then dropping many hints towards the same thing. It is not a major issue; it is just a little bit of a missed opportunity not to have it built from these clues without being spoiled right before it is revealed.

It is revealed here to Liza that she is a vampire. This is a newsgroup she can take very well or very poorly, depending on the player and the choices you make. From here, the game really moves into the bulk of the gameplay and story. You meet the Countess and Hussar, two people who know a lot about being a vampire and vampire lore. They are used as a tutorial as Liza learns about being a vampire and all that comes with her new life. 

You can also make connections with some of the other vampires at the party. Arban and Alisa are two fellow vampires who advise Liza should you choose to ask for it. You also learn that Alisa brought Petya to the party, but he is a human, and it allows Liza and Alisa to have an interesting conversation about the value of vampire lives against the value of human ones, which are clearly significantly shorter. You also have the chance to speak to Petya and meet the very creepy doll he made.

The party continues as you learn more about the gameplay and the various powers vampires possess. There is more that goes on at the party, but it is a very exciting development that allows both the player and Liza to learn more about how vampires live and the society we have entered.

The bulk of the story then takes place with Liza working as the apprentice of a doctor, doing odd jobs for other vampires and yourself, and finding out more about the entity to which you owe the favor.

The gameplay allows the player to take the story in a variety of directions, as well as meet and establish relationships with a variety of characters, which allows the story to grow and shape as you play. The story is great and is told fantastically, and interestingly, that is accessible and enjoyable.

Cabernet is a simple point-and-click story-driven game that perfectly fits the genre. All the tropes of the genre are present and expanded on in ways that only add to the gameplay rather than necessarily overcomplicating it. You can walk around the 2.5D space with the freedom to explore, and different intractable items advance the story and open mysteries and side quests. 

The dialogue is performed and can also be clicked through if you read faster than the voice actors. It will also not continue until you move it on. There is one exception to this, which is overheard conversations. If Liza is interrupting or eavesdropping on a conversation, the player is not in charge of the dialogue moving forward. Instead, the speech simply moves on.

This felt like a mistake to start with, but the more you play, the more intentional it feels with the options to listen between two conversations, which feels like a bigger choice when you are limited by the dialogue moving on without you. 

While clicking through the dialogue, there are certain moments in which you have the chance to select dialogue. These choices are a great way to introduce the other key gameplay elements in Cabernet. The first is the skill system, which is introduced initially in the opening dialogue at Liza's funeral. These skill points allow new dialogue to be opened up to the player. For example, a character mentioning literature would be able to spark a whole new conversation with those who have a higher writing skill. 

These skills can be added to as you level up by spending skill points on them. You can also read books that take a significant amount of time but can add to the skills you have. Different outfits add a temporary buff to the skills, each one doing something different. The doctor's apprentice adds a science buff, and the party dress at the beginning allows you to learn more about vampires with the history buff it holds. 

The second mechanic that can be affected by the dialogue choices is the humanity Liza has left in her vampire self. Certain decisions can increase Liza's nihilism or her humanity, depending on the answer you give to a choice. This can also be affected by other choices you make, such as whether to steal money or what to do when a human is Enchanted.

When humans are enchanted, they are put into a trance. While they are in this state, humans can be fed from a key part of the vampire lore we are taught at the beginning of the game. The Enchantment also allows the person under it to be more impressionable than what a vampire suggests.

This is a chance for humanity and nihilism to be in full competition as you choose how you will influence someone. The first example of this even demonstrates that once you have enough points down either path, it is possible to commit to one of them even more.

Each night, it splits into four stages: Dusk, Midnight, Twilight, and Dawn. These stages can be spent on actions such as reading and doing research for the doctor or pushed forward by an action such as speaking to someone.

You can spend this time focused on the main story or exploring the side quests you receive from different characters. At Dawn, you have to return to your house to be near your vessel, the coffin you were born in, and be safe while the sun is up. The way the nights are split like this is a great way to make you prioritize tasks as you move through the night. 

Other vampire powers are explored throughout Cabernet. This includes turning into a bat to get around, the Enchantment as previously described, and a vampire mode that allows you to feed. You also have to be invited in to enter someone's home, a great not-to-traditional vampire lore.

The menu in Cabernet is effective and informative. It is easy to navigate and even has a glossary that is a great reminder of tutorials and information on some of the language, both fantasy and old-fashioned, being used. There are also painting fragments, which can be found throughout the areas you are exploring. These are a fun little side quest, although they often represent the main issue with Cabernet, which is how tricky it can be to interact with certain objects. 

Your mouse isn't available to see while you play, so you have to stand near what you need to interact with, meaning it can be hard to get in the right spot when you need to. There is also a way to walk faster, which is not very helpful. It is far too fast, making it very hard to use. Beyond these minor downfalls, however, the gameplay is so much fun and perfectly contains the story being told. 

The graphics in Cabernet work perfectly for the story. It feels as though you are taking part in a graphic novel with a lot of environmental storytelling within the settings, which adds a great deal to the ongoing narrative. Beyond this, the sound design is also equally fitting, particularly in the opening, with an unnerving atmosphere created that moves seamlessly into the socialite party scene once you are upstairs. Both of these elements are fantastically well done and really add to the experience.

Cabernet is a fantastic experience. The story is so much fun, and the gameplay facilitates it perfectly. The world is fleshed out with a lot of vampire lore that feels very well-developed as you play. The visuals are another huge part of this success, and the sound is a fantastic addition. Cabernet is also fully voice-acted, and the actors bring a lot of nuance and humor to the really well-written script.