I’m not usually into games that are heavy on narrative and light on action, but I do appreciate the storytelling. There was something about the vampire-driven period piece Cabernet that captured my attention. It may have started with the art style. It was also not your typical vampire story. Cabernet features a friendly, socialite vampire community.

I received a review code for Cabernet and thought this would be the perfect game for my upcoming trip to visit my friend in Minnesota (eight hours in the sky, there and back). I imagined I would definitely be able to knock out the bulk of this short narrative-driven game in the sky.

Non-Frequent Flyer | Pre-Flight

I don’t fly much, but let me preface this by telling you that I am a horrible traveler. I’m a terrible overpacker, which is why I much prefer a road trip over a long flight — mainly because I can stuff my trunk with any item I don’t need to bring along. When it comes to flying, I tend to overpack for my trip, as well as with “things to do on the plane.”

I start off by packing whatever book I am currently reading. However, if I am more than halfway done, I may bring a backup book. Whatever book is “on deck.” There may also be some comic books coming along.

Next, I download a couple of movies on my iPad, just in case. I download movies I already own in my library — something Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars. I also check if there’s a show I’m currently watching which allows me to download the next few episodes.

Now, it’s time for my Nintendo Switch. I check my library for any unplayed gems. There’s nothing like starting a fresh, new video game adventure in the sky. I make sure the games are updated and ready to play. 

*Mini Side Quest:
The funny thing about games on the Switch is that they go months without
receiving any new updates, but any time I don’t play a game on my
PlayStation 5 for a week, I must download the latest version.

The last thing I do is fill my backpack and carry-on with any other “plane activities” I can think of — drawing pens and pencils, notebooks for writing, drawing pads, special paper, headphones (both AirPods and my over ear cans), my camera gear, and anything else.

Non-Frequent Flyer | Flight Activity

Every single plane ride goes about the same for me. I start off by listening to a downloaded album or podcast on my iPhone during takeoff. About an hour later, I may pull out my Nintendo Switch and start one of those new games. At some point I get tired and move onto something more familiar that I have already logged tons of hours in — The Binding of Isaac, Balatro, or some form of PICROSS.

Before or after playing Switch for maybe an hour, I may watch something on my iPad or go back to my iPhone for another podcast or album until we land. Sometimes I end up sitting there for a while and focus on what people are watching on their tiny plane televisions.

*Side Quest:
On a recent flight to New York with my partner, we played Uno almost
the entire way there and back. It was one of the very few times I have
split the Joy-Con and played my Nintendo Switch on the Kickstand.
Remember that first Nintendo Switch reveal that had all the people
playing this way at bars and on rooftops? We’re just two weeks away
from the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and how many times have
you used your Switch that way in public?

With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Switch 2, we will have the opportunity to play some bigger titles in the sky — Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, Borderlands 4, and whatever other AAA titles make it to the Switch 2. I know you can already play those big Steam titles on a Steam Deck. I also heard of United Airlines trying out a new satellite WiFi that may let us stream games to the PlayStation Portal and other streaming platforms from the sky (according to Tim Gettys on Kinda Funny Games Daily).

Back to Cabernet

I only ended up spending about two hours of my total flight time in the world of Cabernet — about one hour each way. I did spend three or four more hours once I returned home.

What I love about the art style is that it is pretty simple in screenshots, but when set in motion all of the small details come together to make it feel more fluid and dynamic. The characters are living and breathing, even when they are standing still.

The problem with Cabernet came when the story opened up. These narrative games start off in “tutorial mode” giving you little, simple quests to complete, Go visit some man or Bring this necklace to some woman. Once the game opens up and lets the player choose-their-own-adventure I get lost. I make all the wrong decisions. I definitely ended up killing some people I didn’t want to kill. I made friends with the wrong vampires.

I like freedom in my games, but sometimes there’s just too much of it. This happens to me in open world games as well. If I walk around aimlessly looking for things to do, I get nothing done. When I have a quest or goal to track I start to get stuff done. 

I will return to Cabernet and see if I can implement these same principles, because I really did enjoy playing the game, I’m just distracted by so many other games at the moment.