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The Little Moon Steam Review?

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The Little Moon Steam Review?


There exists a class of games I call indie indie games. They are like Gone Home, games not for the average player, but a certain group of player to slobber over. The Little Moon is in that class. It has retro pixel graphics, a nonsensical cutesy plot and really boring game play. I guess I’m describing Undertale more than Gone Home, but the same idea applies. These games are not for the average player, but for a specific kind of player to fawn over.

The Little Moon is an game in early access somewhere(Britain I think) and it shows. You’re this girl in the little universe where you fly among planets using a hook to grab things, then refine those things into jet pack fuel, The you jump and use your jet pack to fly between planets. On the planets, you walk around and talk to things and get quests, like finding a tulip or talking to crabs. I got as far as having to find this octopus’s home and quit, never to return. Not far at all, but enough to be utterly bored. Here a video of an early section:

Early access is tricky. I understand why developers do it, it funds development while developing the game. However, you need a game engaging enough to keep you coming back for more. The Little Moon is not that game. I played it for fifteen minutes and ran screaming. What is it? What’s the purpose? Where’s the fun? This is a game for a certain group of people that are not me. And that’s fine, but I’m not sure who this is for. As its early access and I cannot even download in the US, I’m not even going to give it a verdict or a standard table at the bottom. Just know when It does come, it better have a lot more than this to show for it.

Overall: The Little Moon is an early access game that is for a very specific audience to fawn over, but there’s nothing here for anyone else.

Game received for free from the publisher.

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Marvel Rivals leak confirms epic mutant team-up is coming soon

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Marvel Rivals leak confirms epic mutant team-up is coming soon


You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you’re reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here

Marvel Rivals is already growing in popularity each day as NetEase adds more characters with every update from the iconic Marvel comics storylines. The free-to-play shooter brings iconic heroes and villains together in a complex multiverse where they need to battle two Dr. Dooms and Dracula on the battlefield.

However, it’s not just the characters in the roster that keep players hooked on to the game for hours, rather it’s the upcoming leaked heroes that make them keep coming back. Some of these leaks include iconic heroes like Blade, Hit Monkey, The Hood, and everyone’s favorite mutants, the X-Men.

While the arrival of X-Men was merely a leaked rumor, now actual voice lines of an interaction between three mutants have been revealed that suggest an iconic team-up is arriving in a future update very soon.

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Marvel Rivals leak reveals interaction voice lines with upcoming mutant Emma Frost

Popular Marvel Rivals leaker X0X leak has released a 12-second clip containing voice lines featuring Wolverine and Psylocke in an upcoming update. However, the character they are interacting with is the rumored mutant Emma Frost who leakers believe will be added soon.

Marvel Rivals Emma Frost interactions with Wolverine and Psylocke
Wolverine and Psylocke have voice lines with Emma Frost. Image by VideoGamer.

In the video clip, the voice lines spoken by Wolverine and Psylocke feature different scenarios, for instance when they eliminate Emma Frost, when she is in their team and eliminates an enemy, and when they see her get eliminated from their team.

🎮 Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson 🎙️

Here are the voice lines for each character referring to Emma Frost:

Wolverine to Emma Frost after eliminating her: “Never really trusted you in the first place Frost”

Wolverine to Emma Frost after he sees eliminating an enemy: “I’ll admit, you made that look good Emma.”

Wolverine to Emma Frost after she’s eliminated from their team: “Never liked you Emma, but we sure could’ve used ya.”

Psylocke to Emma Frost after she sees eliminating an enemy: “As cold-hearted as your name suggests Frost.”

To those unknown, Emma Frost is an enemy of the X-Men and has a legendary rivalry with Professor X, Wolverine, and their team in the comics. Emma Frost was also featured in Fortnite Chapter 4 as a boss NPC and a character on the island.

Players are hoping her appearance in Marvel Rivals also features an ability where she can turn her body into diamonds and shield herself from incoming fire. However, sadly her abilities and kit haven’t been leaked as of yet.


marvel rivals cover image showing marvel characters line upmarvel rivals cover image showing marvel characters line up

Marvel Rivals





Platform(s):
macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X


Genre(s):
Fighting, Shooter



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Kouyate – Sarah Jane Avory is still working on an Ultima-style RPG for the C64! [UPDATE]

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Kouyate – Sarah Jane Avory is still working on an Ultima-style RPG for the C64! [UPDATE]


Remember when I announced that one of the best homebrew developer’s of Sarah Jane Avory, was working on a new Commodore 64 RPG that is inspired by the classic of Ultima? Well I’ve just looked through the Commodore 64/128 Facebook group, and have just found out that that not only is this Commodore 64 game now called ‘ Kouyate ‘, but there’s been some new footage teased with additional in game music by @nordischsound.

Here’s the latest from Sarah, who was also behind games such as Soul Force, Zeta Wing, Briley Witch Chronicles. “Ever since the 80s I’ve always wanted to create an Ultima-style RPG for the C64, so I’ve started creating one! This is the 5th video clip, and shows some combat, showing melee weapons, ranged weapons,  a few NPC’s, graphics designs by @mementomoree.bsky.social and finally new music by @nordischsound. 

UPDATE : If you’re looking for the latest news on this rather awesome looking CRPG, then make sure to check out the two new teaser videos that have been added to the article above. While I’m unsure when the game will see a final release, she was quoted as saying for one of the videos however “My new #C64 #RPG: for those that like pirates, here’s another YouTube video showing the WIP pirate’s town, plus a little bit of sailing”.

And that’s all I know so far, but as soon as the game is worthy of yet another big announcement, I will let you all know 🙂



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How to Get Mintha Perfume for the Companion in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

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How to Get Mintha Perfume for the Companion in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2


Progressing the main storyline of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will let players find a companion to bring to the wedding. It is essential for the Miller’s path to reach the wedding, and before players can get to the wedding, they will have to find several items for the companion. These items include a dress, a wine, and a perfume. Out of all the items, the perfume can be the hardest because purchasing a Mintha can be expensive. In this guide, we will tell you how to get Mintha Perfume for the companion for free in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.

How to Get Mintha Perfume for the Companion in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

During the Opus Magnum quest, you will get the objective of getting some Mintha perfume for the companion. There will be two locations appear on the map to get the Mintha perfume. One will be a trader who will sell you the Mintha, and the other one will be a search location. If you have the money, you can purchase the Mintha and give it to the companion to progress in the quest. However, if you don’t have the money, then you will have to search around the Inn location. Luckily, getting the Mintha for free is not that difficult.

Here are a few simple steps that you can take to get the Mintha perfume for free.

Go to the Innkeeper during the daytime.

Head inside the Inn and look for Innkeeper Betty.

Follow her to the kitchen and then rob her to get the Keys.

After that, go to the pantry and head upstairs.

Go to the right corner to find a chest with a Hard lock.

Use the keys to open the chest and you will get the Strong Mintha perfume.

TIP: There is a slight chance that Innkeeper Betty might also have a Mintha perfume in her inventory.

Once you have got the perfume, leave the inn and travel back to Nomads Camp. Find Enneleyn at the camp and talk with her. Give her the perfume to fulfill the objective.

That is all related to how to get Mintha Perfume for the companion in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.



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Black Ops 6 Zombies Fans Frustrated With ‘Impossible’ Cowabunga Cranked Mode

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Black Ops 6 Zombies Fans Frustrated With ‘Impossible’ Cowabunga Cranked Mode


A new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mode has arrived in Black Ops 6 Zombies but fans of the game aren’t all happy with its inclusion.

If you’re yet to drop into Season 2 Reloaded in Black Ops 6, you’ll find there’s plenty of content awaiting your return.

Perhaps the biggest push from Treyarch this mid-season update revolves around the new TMNT collaboration, which brings with it new skins, modes, and even a special event pass.

But over in Zombies, the new Cowabunga Cranked game mode isn’t to everyone’s taste.

The Issues With Cowabunga Cranked

Over on the Call of Duty Zombies subreddit, users are complaining about the new Cowabunga Cranked TMNT mode in Black Ops 6.

The mode itself is a take on the classic ‘Cranked’ mode, which requires players to continually eliminate zombies to reset a timer before it ticks down to zero.

This time around though, players can collect unique TMNT-themed Power-Ups, or equip Pay-to-Win Turtle cosmetics to help them complete the Easter Egg Main Quests.

TMNT Cowabunga Cranked Mode Black Ops 6 Zombies

However, fans are already calling the new Turtle-themed experience ‘unplayable and not fun at all,’ after encountering issues with the game mode.

Reddit user glo0blE refers to the mode as ‘horrible,’ claiming that the Main Quests are nearly impossible without high-tier GobbleGums, due to the timer shortening dramatically at high rounds.

“I keep dying on about round 18 because it goes down to a 5 sec timer and I can’t find zombies quick enough as the rounds change,” user Luigi2198 writes.

It should be noted that Treyarch is now selling powerful GobbleGum packs in the in-game Store, including the new Time Out GobbleGum which pauses the Cranked timer whenever you choose.

But if you don’t want to buy that, you’ll need to finish the Easter Egg quest as fast as possible, to avoid the rounds getting too high.

Is the Reward Even Worth It?

Meanwhile, other fans are slamming the Cowabunga Cranked Main Quest reward as being ‘lazy.’

The Easter Egg quest, which is still completable inside the Cranked variant mode, offers a new Calling Card to those who manage to complete it without their timer running out.

Cowabunga Cranked Calling Card Black Ops 6Cowabunga Cranked Calling Card Black Ops 6

Unfortunately, that Calling Card is the same as a map’s original Main Quest card – only with a small turtle shell in the corner!

It’s hardly the TMNT-themed Calling Card many were hoping for – but it’s still a mark of pride for those who want it. Cowabunga Cranked likely won’t be remaining forever, so if you want to show off your skills, you’ll need to do so before the event comes to an end on March 13.



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Stygian: Outer Gods looks like it’ll have that special HP (Lovecraft) sauce | TheSixthAxis

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Stygian: Outer Gods looks like it’ll have that special HP (Lovecraft) sauce | TheSixthAxis


2019’s Stygian: Reign of the Old Gods was a promising CRPG that featured some neat madness mechanics and a tone and atmosphere that perfectly suited its Lovecraftian influences. It did, however, suffer from some difficulty spikes and a few terrible bugs that have never been fixed. I was therefore surprised to see another game in the series appear, especially given that it comes from a completely different developer and takes on an entirely new gameplay style and perspective. The old-school top down approach has been replaced in Stygian: Outer Gods by a first-person view that provides a more immersive and, dare I say, modern experience.

My time with the demo – which will be available as part of Steam Next Fest from Monday 24th February – began with a mysterious vision in a strange otherworldly environment before reverting to the familiar setting of an office stacked with esoteric items. This is textbook Lovecraft and reminded me of the likes of Call of Cthulhu and The Sinking City. Similar to those titles you soon find yourself stranded in a coastal town with a mystery to solve and dangers to overcome.

Before you set out on your investigation, however, you can customise your character by interacting with the mirror in your bathroom. A series of questions are posed and your answers affect various character stats, from your occult knowledge to your lockpicking skills. The latter proved a little unhelpful in my playthrough as every attempt to pick a lock failed, despite that being my chosen skill. Hopefully these aspects will be refined for the final build although I quite liked how the effects of the dialogue choices weren’t spelled out for you.

The atmosphere of Stygian: Outer Gods is on point with derelict buildings and a stark coastline setting the scene and items that are clearly visible for the most part. There wasn’t a lot of variety in enemy design in this, but this isn’t surprising for what amounts to the game’s prologue. Audio design is also good and the otherworldly noises disturb and unsettle you.

The section contained in this build featured a mixture of stealth and combat, but it is clear that the final game is not going to be all-out action. Even single enemies will quickly kill you if you try and take them on toe to toe. Sneaking around them or using thrown bottles to distract them is far more effective, whilst manipulating the scenery is important to survive any unavoidable fights. Fortunately the AI is pretty easy to abuse, with knee high fences coming in clutch to protect you from damage. The demo features a few different melee weapons, with firearms being seen in preview footage of later areas.

Stygian Outer Gods Steam Next Fest demo screenshot

Exploring the town is made necessary as you must find three panels for a locked gate in order to gain access a large mansion which seems to be the source of the mystery. This is a standard survival horror puzzle but feel somewhat out of place here given the game’s adoption of some immersive sim elements. Whilst exploring the town you’ll be blocked by a series of fences, but stacking boxes against them can create steps that allow you to bypass them. I was never entirely sure how intentional these moments were, although more traditional area blocking is achieved through boards that you can only break once you find an axe. The question remains, why couldn’t I just prop some boxes up against the gate and climb over it?

That kind of interior logic breaking aside, Stygian: Outer Gods is a promising stealth horror title that showed enough in the demo to both pique my interest and leave me wondering what other gameplay elements it’ll introduce. If Lovecraftian horrors are your bag of tentacles then make sure to wishlist this particular cosmic horror ready for its release – first with PC early access this year, and a full release in 2026.



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Wine 10.2 and vkd3d 1.15 released with more Bluetooth driver progress and support for setting thread priorities

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Wine 10.2 and vkd3d 1.15 released with more Bluetooth driver progress and support for setting thread priorities


Wine 10.2 is the latest development released with new features now available for the Windows compatibility layer, plus they also recently put up vkd3d 1.15. This is a huge part of what makes Proton able to run Windows games on Steam Deck and other Linux platforms.

For Wine 10.2 the release highlights are:



Bundled vkd3d upgraded to version 1.15.
Support for setting thread priorities.
New Wow64 mode can be enabled dynamically.
More progress on the Bluetooth driver.
Various bug fixes.

Bug fixes are noted for the likes of Guild Wars, Michael Schumacher: World Tour Kart 2004, YOU and ME and HER, Myst, Final Fantasy XI Online, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Cyberpunk 2077 and more.

For vkd3d 1.15 (Wine’s graphics library built on top of Vulkan) the main highlights are:



Much more complete support for tessellation shaders in the HLSL compiler.
Improved function overload resolution in the HLSL compiler.
Miscellaneous bug fixes.

See more on the Wine website.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.



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D&D’s Next Magic: The Gathering Crossover Is Set In Lorwyn-Shadowmoor

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D&D’s Next Magic: The Gathering Crossover Is Set In Lorwyn-Shadowmoor


Summary

D&D and Magic: The Gathering will crossover in a new book exploring the plane of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor. Lorwyn-Shadowmoor is unique for not containing humans, only nature creatures like elves and giants. The absence of humans will challenge D&D players to interact with different races in this unusual world.

Wizards of the Coast has announced that the next Dungeons & Dragons crossover book with Magic: The Gathering will take players to the plane of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor, with lands once split between day and night.

As Wizards of the Coast owns both the D&D and Magic: The Gathering franchises, the two have crossed over on multiple occasions. For D&D, this involves turning planes from Magic into sourcebooks, such as the magical college of Strixhaven or the ancient Greece-inspired Theros.

Related

Magic: The Gathering Live-Action Movie & TV Shows On The Way

A Magic: The Gathering movie and TV series is being developed by Legendary Entertainment.

It was revealed during MagicCon: Chicago that the next Magic: The Gathering crossover appearance in the D&D multiverse is a crossover book that will flesh out Lorwyn-Shadowmoor, a plane that has appeared in multiple sets in the card game.

D&D Is Going To A Land Without Humans

D&D Ancient Paladin Player's Handbook

Lorwyn-Shadowmoor was originally two planes, with Lorwyn always covered in daylight and Shadowmoor with night. Over the course of the Magic meta-narrative, the two planes fused into one, bringing conflict between its factions.

Unlike most other Magic: The Gathering planes, Lorwyn-Shadowmoor is notable for not having humans (save for those who travel there using sorcery.) Instead, it’s home to nature creatures, such as elves, fae, and giants.

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The last time Lorwyn-Shadowmoor appeared in Magic: The Gathering was during the Invasion of New Phyrexia storyline, where both factions worked together to repel their biomechanical foes, successfully saving the plane from destruction.

As Lorwyn-Shadowmoor has undergone a number of chances in terms of its lore, it’s unclear how D&D will adapt it for the tabletop RPG. The fact that it hasn’t been prominently featured in so long is helpful in this regard, as it will give the writers more to work with.

The absence of humans will be interesting for D&D, considering how prominent they are in pretty much every setting. This means players will have to experiment with the more peculiar races, should they wish to fit in in this strange new world.

Next

Magic: The Gathering References Infamous Final Fantasy Mistranslation

One of Final Fantasy’s earliest flubbed lines is now official in Magic: The Gathering.



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My Loyal Shield treasure map location and solution in Avowed

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My Loyal Shield treasure map location and solution in Avowed


My Loyal Shield is one of Avowed’s easier treasure maps and one that doesn’t send you to the most dangerous places in a region to find its reward.

You can buy this map, and the secret to finding the treasure this time consist of finding a back door and pressing a secret button. That’s it! And at the end of it all, you get a mighty shield that’s worth keeping for a while even if you don’t rely on blocking in battle.

This Avowed guide shows where to find the My Loyal Shield treasure map and where to find the shield in question.

Where to find My Loyal Shield treasure map

Image: Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios via Polygon

You can purchase My Loyal Shield from Eberk, a merchant standing outside the South Warden Tower’s front door. It’s literally one of the first things you see if you follow the road north from where you enter Galawin’s Tusk, and the only enemy in sight is Eberk’s price philosophy. He charges 5,220 skeyt for the map.

The main character in Avowed looking at Eberk, a merchant selling the My Loyal Shield treasure map.

Image: Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios via Polygon

If you’re short on cash, rummage through the tower’s several floors and grab all the weapons you can. Selling them should get you more than enough to cover the map.

My Loyal Shield location solution

A map image showing where to find the My Loyal Shield treasure in Avowed

Image: Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios via Polygon

The little callout box on this map is slightly misleading, as it has nothing to do with the actual location, but everything to do with how you reach it. Head northwest from South Warden Tower, following the lava river, until you see Outcast Tower Camp to your north. That’s the broken tower with scaffolding the map shows in the distance. You’re looking for an Ekida-slash-Godless ruin instead.

The main character in Avowed looking at a godless ruin where the My Loyal Shield treasure is

Image: Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios via Polygon

You’ll see a group of beetles chowing down on some poor soul’s remains. Ignore them, and turn left. This path takes up to the tower’s back entrance, where you’ll find a table and an otherwise empty room. The callout box was pointing to this table and, specifically, the button on it that opens a secret door.

The main character in Avowed looking at a table with a secret button that opens the door to a room where My Loyal Shield’s reward is

Image: Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios via Polygon

Press that, enter the door, drop down into the chamber, and collect your treasure, the tier-four Time’s Tarnish shield. The room looks dangerous, but there’s nothing else inside.

A menu image showing Time’s Tarnish, the reward for My Loyal Shield in Avowed

Image: Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios via Polygon

Time’s Tarnish is a fantastic shield, and even though its enchantments have a high chance of not activating, they’re awfully useful when they do actually work.

84 block efficiency20 stability340 parry efficiency45 elemental resistance

Time’s Tarnish enchantments

Timeless Aegis: Blocking has a 20% chance of restoring 20 staminaDull the Edge, Blunt the Point: 10% chance to avoid melee damage

Everything in Galawin’s Tusks wants to kill you, and unless you’ve saved upgrade materials along the way, you probably don’t have a tier-four piece of armor yet. This shield is a useful stopgap that helps keep you safe in battle until you get to that point, so consider using it even if you don’t normally equip a shield.

For more treasure maps in the Galawain’s Tusks region, see our solutions to the Ancient Arrowhead and The Blade that Hungers treasure maps. And don’t miss our full Avowed walkthrough.



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Cabernet Review – Monsters Are Hereditary

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Cabernet Review – Monsters Are Hereditary


There’s so much delightful intrigue to uncover with Cabernet’s core message of monsters being hereditary, a concept that initially seems solely meant to draw parallels between the protagonist’s vampirism and her father’s alcoholism. But Cabernet dares to go deeper with its message, delving into the cyclical nature of humanity’s cruelty to each other, especially regarding the treatment of the lower class, and how society’s many ills are often the result of the new rich inheriting the evils of the old. It all makes for a deeply compelling consequence-driven story where every choice carries the potential to surprise you with terrifying force. Some late-game glitches mar the game’s fantastic conclusion, but even if developer Party for Introverts doesn’t address those issues in post-launch updates, the journey to get to Cabernet’s final hour is an incredible piece of interactive fiction.

A 2D narrative-driven RPG set in 19th century Eastern Europe, Cabernet begins with protagonist Liza’s funeral, as you briefly roleplay as her uncle and give a eulogy that determines the direction of Liza’s life and which skills she specializes in. Control then shifts to Liza as you awake in a dungeon. Unsure of how she got there, Liza makes a pact with an unseen and silent presence for freedom, before finding herself at a party filled with vampires. It quickly becomes apparent that she is now a vampire as well, and this new life comes with a ton of rules, like needing to satiate a constant thirst for blood and staying away from sunlight. But there are immense freedoms associated with the transformation as well, as Liza is empowered with supernatural abilities that allow her to go to places she never could before, get away with acts others are often swiftly arrested for, and pursue passions and love most mortals of her station cannot yet readily do.

Investing in certain skills will allow Liza to talk about their corresponding topics.

In this sense, Liza is a stand-in for the middle class, which was emerging during this period in real-life history. Liza cannot relate to the centuries-old Countess who commands all the vampires in the region and lives in a mansion filled with wealth, nor can she completely empathize with the poor farmer girl who dreams of learning music and bettering herself but must toil away in the fields for hours so her family can eat. But Liza can take small steps into both of their worlds to see their respective trials and tribulations, and although she cannot fundamentally change the relationship between the poor and rich, she is one of the few in town who can affect the lives of people in both social spheres. This setup grounds the otherwise supernatural fantasy in real-world politics, implementing considerations into the story that give even the simplest of choices substantial narrative weight.

There’s something horrifyingly poetic about Liza’s new vampiric station as she must now serve the whims of a wealthy and immortal elite while sustaining herself on the blood of mortals, the easiest of which to feed on are the poor. You can fight against the metaphor by having Liza take time out of her nights to buy bottled blood, but doing so leaves little money left to better Liza’s own lot in life with books and dresses that can boost her skills. For Liza to get ahead at all, she’ll have to feed on people at some point, and Cabernet ensures the wealthiest characters are regularly out of reach of Liza’s fangs.

The sound design makes drinking blood from someone's neck eerily hypnotic and sensual.
The sound design makes drinking blood from someone’s neck eerily hypnotic and sensual.

Cabernet frames this conflict with a morality system that balances Liza’s humanity versus her nihilism. I’m a big fan of the distinction because, unlike a lot of other morality systems, this doesn’t put your choices in a good-versus-evil framework. Though most choices that increase Liza’s humanity are generally moral, they’re not all wholly good. Similarly, while having Liza embrace nihilism is generally a darker route, not all of those choices are wholly evil. For example, feeding on the blood of rabbits to save money or lying to spare someone’s feelings are both nihilistic actions, while preaching to a rebel that they should abandon any and all forms of violence and trust those in power to do what’s right is a humane action. There is some strategy to pushing Liza to be more of one than the other, for as Liza’s humanity and/or nihilism grows, you’ll unlock unique dialogue options with certain characters that allow you to better navigate difficult conversations. But Liza can also unlock unique dialogue options by raising her expertise in specific skills–I opted for a Liza who excelled at understanding art and science but struggled to talk about history or literature–so there are regularly many ways to approach one problem.

Trying to find a solution is most of Cabernet’s gameplay. Liza only has a limited amount of time per night to complete tasks, some of which take up a lot more time than others, so you have to carefully map out and plan a schedule. Though it could be possible to do everything for everyone and complete every optional objective, my experience was that I had to more carefully pick and choose, and the order in which I helped individuals had ramifications too. The pressure of keeping on top of Liza’s job as the town doctor’s assistant and cultivating relationships with the two dozen major characters is further compounded by her need to drink blood. As previously mentioned, you can buy bottled blood, but you’ll find your money quickly drying up on other expenses.

There are a lot of characters to meet and your choices can impact all of their lives.There are a lot of characters to meet and your choices can impact all of their lives.
There are a lot of characters to meet and your choices can impact all of their lives.

In Cabernet’s lore, vampires must only drink from people they’ve enchanted first, lest humanity learn of their existence, and Liza can only enchant those who trust her. This requires getting to know your would-be victims and, in your most desperate moments, deciding whom you’re willing to feed on. Even though Liza’s victims do not remember what she does to them thanks to the enchantment, the underlying sensation of feeling like they were taken advantage of remains, subconsciously lowering their opinion of Liza and potentially impacting future conversations. To add a dash more excitement (and dread), you cannot see the physical state of Liza’s victim while she’s feeding, only how much blood you’ve taken and how much Liza is enjoying the sensation of the moment as color returns to her face. When you think Liza has had enough, you can command her to stop–take too little and Liza may need to feed on someone else before the week is out, but take too much and the person in question might just die.

There are clear comparisons between vampirism and alcoholism throughout Cabernet, but the game misses the mark in how the mechanics work. Though the game warns you there’s some risk of becoming nothing more than a feral leech and draining and killing someone, I never did. And while the game mandates you keep track of Liza’s blood levels, it feels more like keeping on top of a food meter in a survival game, not confronting and managing an addiction. This doesn’t ruin the gameplay, but it does create a bit of a disconnect in the story as numerous times Liza will be confronted by vampires who warn her of becoming too dependent on blood or lament that this need to feed will negatively impact her relationship with friends and loved ones, but neither ever became an issue. There is an interesting consideration in that overfeeding and making Liza’s blood meter overflow causes the blood meter to deplete faster, so overfilling the meter too often could feasibly make it all but impossible to go even a full night without feeding on someone, but that’s easy to avoid. I could easily get by having Liza only feed once or twice a week, which left a minimal impact on her relationships.

Liza possesses several supernatural powers, such as transforming into a bat or becoming invisible.Liza possesses several supernatural powers, such as transforming into a bat or becoming invisible.
Liza possesses several supernatural powers, such as transforming into a bat or becoming invisible.

Regardless, it’s the human element of the story that’s the star, not the vampiric one. Cabernet is all about making choices, but its strength exists in the story around those choices. Each scene is captured with a dark vibrancy that resembles paintings of the era, and composer Jim Fowler (Bloodborne, LittleBigPlanet) lends a beautiful gothic mysticism to it all. And almost every major character leaves behind a memorable narrative footprint, thanks in no small part to the superb voice work. The reward in seeing how the individual arcs of Liza’s friends, enemies, and acquaintances can play out is only trumped by the reveals of how each of their stories weaves together, informing the greater narrative and Liza’s place in the world.

One of the first tasks Liza is given is a mission from the Countess: She is asked to befriend either the husband or wife who lives down the road, earn an invitation to their home so that she can cross the threshold, infiltrate the house, steal some documents, and deliver said documents to a handler. It’s up to you whether you have Liza agree to the Countess’ demands and even if she does, how to go about it. Your mark is a couple struggling through severe marital and financial problems–the wife is a talented musician who feels stifled by a husband who demands she be a housewife while he struggles to find his creative groove at the bottom of a vodka bottle. Do you focus on befriending one or both targets? And once you have the invitation, when do you break in? Do you snoop around and steal from your new friends once inside, and do you disobey the Countess’ orders and look through the documents upon finding them? Do you even pass along the documents to the handler or lie that you never found them?

Liza can embrace her humanity or nihilism.Liza can embrace her humanity or nihilism.
Liza can embrace her humanity or nihilism.

There are quite a few different ways this one mission can end, and it sets the stage for how at least four major characters see Liza going forward, with ramifications I was still dealing with all the way up until the game’s final moments. Cabernet is filled with stories like this, each of which you can choose to pursue or ignore while time marches onward. (Do you promise a girl you’ll save her brother, knowing that he’s across town and the time limit that pops up to let you know when he’ll bleed out is not very long? When a spurned lover asks you to find her former paramour and kill him, do you fulfill her dark desire? Do you help two unhappy people find love again or split them up so you can date and marry one of them?) Every choice I made paid off in some way, and although there were quite a few unexpected surprises and welcome twists, never did the game’s consequences feel unfair or unearned. And when the credits rolled, I sat back immensely satisfied but also eager to replay the game and see how different choices might affect the final outcome.

Cabernet was not a wholly smooth experience, as several late-game glitches made it impossible for Liza to mail letters and complete the last steps of two side quests that I was really hoping to see the conclusion of. Another glitch also soft-locked me during the finale, preventing me from ending a conflict with the incredible persuasive speaking chops Liza had honed over the playthrough. After restarting the mission several times and being unable to progress how I wanted, I restarted again and instead had Liza force her way out of the predicament. It wasn’t how I intended to do things, but it worked and I was able to keep playing and finish the game. These glitches soured the final moments of what had otherwise been my favorite RPG in quite a while, so hopefully, these issues are ironed out with post-launch patches.

Issues aside, Cabernet is an incredible RPG. The concept of comparing vampirism to addiction is nothing new, but framing that storyline within the real-world history of the middle class during the 19th century adds a compelling undercurrent to Liza’s story and the various people she befriends, betrays, and smooches during her struggle to come to grips with her new existence. The consequences of Liza’s actions feel impactful, and seeing each character’s arc all the way through is narratively fulfilling. This is the level of quality that stories about vampires should strive for.



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