Cabernet

Cabernet is a gothic masterpiece that bites deep into your heart and refuses to let go. Far from a mindless horror game, it is a beautifully written, poetic, and intimate journey through the heavy moral dilemmas of a 19th-century vampire. With an atmospheric aesthetic that feels like a classic painting in motion, it is a striking, deeply moving narrative experience where choices truly weigh on your soul—a mesmerizing hidden gem to be savored like a fine wine.

Улицы плачут по белому снегу Дворник не может отчистить их серость Пьяный он смотрит на красные руки День на глазах умирает со скуки Если чудеса только в фильмах Если чудеса только в книжках Кому я молюсь? Кому я молюсь? Дети в подвале мучают кошку Я подпеваю, дышу понарошку Белое платье моей пустоты Так не к лицу мне, не приходи Если чудеса только в книжках Если чудеса только в фильмах Кому я молюсь? Кому я молюсь? © Alina Orlova

Love this game. The characters, the writing, the powers you get as a vampire. Just all really well done. It feels cozy like a good book you tuck into and forget the world. Allocating stats to unlock dialogue choices was cool. I like feeling like I can specialize in one topic over another or know a bit about everything. I felt invested in the characters I liked. Sympathized with others. I accidentally overfed on one of the side characters causing their demise early on and every time I heard her name going forward I felt awful. Your choices actually feel like they matter as they do impact your game. Seems to have some replay value as well since you can choose different things to say or have different options in dealing with things. Overall, a very well done Indie game that just goes to show, you don't need to be a Triple A game from a major company to be good.

What a beautiful game! I just happened to learn about it from a YT recommendation for "dark and cozy games"; safe to say Cabarnet delivered on these fronts and so much more <3 The art is gorgeous, the consequences are far-reaching for a pretty small-scale game (I love when choices MATTER), and I cared about the outcomes of every character by the end. What a perfect way to ease into spooky season. Bravo devs! I'll be spreading the word about this little gothic gem. I didn't have any game-breaking bugs either! A few flickers and maybe two typos throughout my 16-hour playthrough. Wonderfully done!!!!

Se nota que es un pequeño juego indie. Tiene algunas misiones que se te pueden bloquear si avanzas mucho, otras que se completan de una forma un poco extraña, bugs donde compras un objeto y no lo registra, un inventario que no acabo de entender como salió así, el tener que poner y quitar la maldita lámpara, que para mando no funciona todo lo fino que debería... Pero eh, me ha dado buenos personajes, conversaciones interesantes y dilemas que te hacen soltar el mando 1 minuto para pensar. Ya es más que el 95% de los juegos de su género.

I have an unhealthy obsession with this game and I hope the creators make more like it

Eats. This is THE vampire Victorian gothic story-based game, as far as I'm concerned. The writing is very well done, and the atmosphere and tone are excellent. Specifically, this game balances "cozy" and "gothic" on a knife's edge, and it works so well. In this game, unless you're following a guide very closely, there is no possible way to get everything "correct" on your first playthrough. There is NO character who has plot armor to emerge unscathed. That is exciting - it raises the stakes knowing that your actions will have consequences you can't avoid or undo - and also, it can be challenging and frustrating. If, like me, you indulge in save scumming, know that it is really hard to do in this game. The autosave at the end of each in-game day rewrites the old autosave, and there is only one physical location in game where you can manually save. Crucial story events are on a timer, and you might not realize that until it's too late. But, this is part of the point. We make mistakes, and we have to live with them, and life goes on. Not everything goes as we wish it would go, and the more we see, the harder it is not to become jaded. We must hold on to our humanity anyway. In that questioning search for meaning and humanity in the face of inevitable decay and corruption, this game is so highly Eastern European. One small gripe I had was that characters all from the same village and country had wildly varying accents. If it was not possible to find a voice actor cast that could do Eastern European accents, I think they should have stuck to either UK or US accents. One of the most important things a voice tells us about a character is their cultural background, and it was a shame to miss that in this special setting. I prefer media where vampires are not inherently horrible monsters, without also being softboy-ified. Cabernet nails it. Vampires have a range of responses to their conditions. And true evil comes from humans in this game as well. Cabernet is very thoughtful about the meaning of vampires, from the alcoholism metaphor to the capitalism metaphor. And it's also just so fun! The drama propels you forward and has depth, but you also get to fly around, decorate your house, pick out dresses, forage for mushrooms, date, go to the bookstore and curate your library, and yes, drink people's blood. For being both deep and enjoyable, and maintaining such a lovely, tricky cozy-gothic tone, I happily place it among the best vampire media out there.