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No one expects to wake up dead, let alone in the depths of a creepy basement in a dirtied nightgown. But that's exactly what happens to protagonist Liza in the opening of the RPG, Cabernet. As a newborn vampire who's mysteriously awakened in a dark room, my first task is naturally to try and escape this place and find out what the heck is going on.
Just moments before I was looking at my own grave, and hearing relatives speak of my life. The funeral ceremony actually acts as a clever way of introducing the different skill points I can invest in, since I'm immediately presented with choices that let me decide Liza's passions in life. Whatever I choose feeds into the four different areas of knowledge she has – such as science or logic, or writing and literature. These knowledge skills help to shape Liza as a character, but they also unlock special dialogue responses that can open up the way to unique resolutions and story directions, or increase my relationship with someone who has similar interests.
I (don't) want to suck your blood
Ever since I played Vampire The Masquerade – Bloodlines many years ago, I've been searching for another RPG like it. I loved the way it let me become different kinds of fanged fiends with vampiric powers, and decide if I wanted to try to retain my humanity or give into my bloodsucking ways and become a true creature of the night. In Cabernet, a lot of those ideas are present, with choices that constantly feed into Liza's humility or nihilism, which is this RPG's take on morality.
Being compassionate, understanding, and averse to harming others of course increases my humility, while using my vampiric powers for my own selfish benefit or for unhanded deeds will add to my nihilism meter. Interestingly, though, unlike some other morality systems, you can actually feed into both sides equally to make Liza a little more complex, which is something I'm very keen to play around with.
I also have four powers to use that really put me into my fanged role. With a wheel dial that lets me activate them at will once they're unlocked (provided no mortal is nearby to witness me doing it), I can shift into a bat to fly quickly from place to place around the town, sing a lullaby to enchant people – which allows me influence those I have a high enough affinity with in different ways (or just ready them for a spot of bloodsucking) – turn invisible, or change into my vampire form to bite willing necks. All of these powers come in handy in different scenarios, with a variety of side quests and main story objectives to complete that will often present me with the chance to put them into practice if I so choose.
I'm also entirely free to decide if I want to use my powers to take blood from others, or try to abstain and sup from a beverage (which is the game's namesake, Cabernet) that gives me the substance I need. No necks required. With a cup icon on the left side of the screen showing how much blood I have in my system, letting it run out will mean my eventual death. Should it get too low, I'll also move slower, and with a day and night cycle and the threat of the sunrise always looming, there's a survival element to the game.
If things get desperate in the blood department – like say, I run out of money for more vials of Cabernet, or I have no one nearby to enchant – there is another way around it. You can always take blood from unsuspecting bunnies in a nearby forest (something I haven't been able to bring myself to do just yet).
High stakes
As a new vampire, my sire is a doctor in the town, who I take up residence with and help out since Liza had a background in medicine when she was alive. With the story broken up into chapters, each taking place over the course of several days, I have a calendar to keep track of how much time I have to complete side quests or objectives before a pivotal event shifts the story into the next chapter.
Each night that I awaken, I'm free to go about the town as I wish, getting to know residents, completing tasks, and exploring, but I only have a certain amount of action points I can use. Whenever I do an action, a chunk of time will be taken up on the clock, and I have to be mindful of when the sun will rise so I can go back to the safety of my room and settle down in my coffin for the morning.
There are so many stories to explore and characters to get to know as I go about my business, and the fact that I can develop romantic relationships if I so wish is a big bonus. The core questline is one that's filled with mystery and intrigue, too, and I can't wait to discover where it will lead me next. Above all, it's great to find a new RPG that has choices with meaningful consequences, and I've already been able to prevent bloodshed, help someone realize their dream, and circumvent what seemed like certain tragedy through my actions and decisions.
It's been a long time since I've been able to delve into such an engrossing vampire RPG, with the last being Don't Nod's deliciously dark Vampyr back in 2018. But Cabernet has been giving me my fill of fangs and blood, complete with lots of nods to classic vampire lore that I absolutely love – such as having to be invited into a place to enter. I have six hours of playtime under my Victorian dress, but it's already safe to say there's definitely going to be a re-play in my future. If you're looking for a rich vampire RPG to take a bite out of, I can't recommend Cabernet enough.
Cabernet is out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch. For more, check out our Indie Spotlight series.
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