Cabernet Preview

I can’t entirely recall how I ended up coming across Cabernet, just that I knew one day that I wanted to give it a look. This is rather fitting, given the game itself revolves around understanding and uncovering a vampiric society that you’ve been thrust into. Much like how the vampires within the game can do to others, the knowledge and desire to play Cabernet simply appeared in my mind one day. Cabernet currently has a short demo to try, and after dedicating an afternoon to it, it’s safe to say that the game has more than enough going for it already.

Brought to us by the independent studio Party for Introverts, Cabernet is a 2D narrative RPG that places us into an unnamed location in Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th Century. The game opens up with the funeral of Morozova Elizaveta, called Liza by her friends and family, as her uncle goes over her greatest qualities. This serves as a basic character creation, as you control what her Uncle says about her and determine the rough outline of the kind of person Liza was in life. It’s a short scene, but one that displays an immediate understanding of melding game mechanics with story effectively, an understanding that continues as the demo progresses.

We then awaken as Liza, and after a brief introduction to the game’s controls, are pushed straight into the thick of vampiric life as we emerge out of a dusty crypt into a high-society party. Through this celebration, we are introduced to the basics of vampire society and the mechanics of the game itself. 

The demo of Cabernet introduces us to a wide range of characters, and these are only a small sliver of the full cast. As Liza, players will interact with humans, vampires, and those in between. Your decisions with these characters will shape Liza’s outlook on life as categorised by either Humanity or Nihilism. Liza’s actions and words will also have an effect on those around her, which in turn determines how the story plays out. Even from the short demo, we get to see this in action, as conversations you have near the start will change how the chapter closes, and not always in the way you expected or intended.

The choices you make as Liza will impact those around her, and the decisions available to her will depend on your Humanity/Nihilism and attribute ratings. As you progress through the game, you will earn experience points, which you can then use to increase your attributes. These attributes can also be modified by the outfit Liza is wearing. A lot of the game design comes together to make the world of Cabernet feel real and reactive to your decisions, as well as the inhabitants you’ll find within it. 

Speaking of characters, Cabernet’s cast is looking to be a fantastic one. The handful you can encounter in the demo are all well-designed, and it sets an exciting precedent for the remaining characters. The voice acting for the game is brilliant, with some big names (namely Samantha Béart of Baldur’s Gate 3 fame) already present in the demo. Not just voices, but the sound design is also incredibly satisfying even from as early as the main menu.

Although simple, the UI of Cabernet also deserves mention: it’s effortless to follow, and from the pause menu, you can find all the important information you need, such as your character sheet, current objective, character relationships, and glossary of important terms. It’s a simple inclusion but a refreshing one to see in the demo and a good sign that developer Party for Introverts knows what they’re doing.

Cabernet is shaping up to be a fascinating title. From just the hour of content the demo offers, there’s already a great deal of potential on display with Cabernet. This isn’t Party for Introverts' first dive into interactive narrative stories, but it’s certainly their most ambitious. I personally will be keeping my eye on it, and if the rest of the project can keep the same quality, you can be sure Cabernet is going to make an impact on the industry when it’s set to launch later in 2024.