Cahors Sunset

About

"Cahors Sunset" is a light-RPG that puts you in the role of an elderly French man living in the small town of Cahors. The goal is to make decisions each month to keep him alive for as long as possible, balancing the positive and negative effects of each action on his health. Every choice you make has consequences, and not all outcomes are beneficial.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 61 reviews

story11 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

The game presents a touching narrative that explores the life of an elderly man, evoking emotional responses and reflections on mortality.
For its low price, the game offers a unique experience with a blend of decision-making and storytelling, making it a worthwhile purchase for fans of text-based adventures.
The integration of historical events alongside the character's life story adds depth and context, enhancing the overall experience.

The game has been unplayable since September 2020 due to technical issues, with the developer failing to address customer concerns or provide support.
Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks meaningful choices, often reducing the experience to a simple numbers game with random outcomes.
The portrayal of aging and the elderly can come off as overly pessimistic, with many events feeling trivial or demeaning, detracting from the intended emotional impact.

story
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
77%
5%
The story in the game revolves around the life of an elderly French man, exploring themes of aging and reflection through a series of choices that impact his well-being. While some players found the narrative touching and thought-provoking, others criticized it for being generic and lacking depth, with gameplay mechanics that detracted from the storytelling experience. Overall, the narrative is seen as a significant draw, but opinions vary on its execution and emotional impact.
- “The game tells you the story of the man's past and while doing so, you are supposed to keep the man alive as long as possible.”
- “Reading the life story of the main character is a rollercoaster of emotions, and the historical facts that pop up are both entertaining and informative.”
- “Seemingly being a tribute to the life of someone related to the developer, it's a touching story of an old man trying to live out the rest of his life and trying to balance the elements of his life so that he has a peaceful and yet fruitful back third of his life.”
- “The opportunity wasn't taken, though, and the story is rather generic, with short, laconic sentences which don't really get to you.”
- “The choices you're making don't really make up one whole story, and actually have not much of a connection to each other, but they quickly become a random mess of events which in more 'advanced' levels even start repeating themselves.”
- “I can admire what they were trying to achieve by making this a fully choice-driven story, where your decisions directly affect how long this man lives, but it takes the most stereotypical view of elderly people and just flops in trying to convey anything really deep and meaningful.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
65%
20%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it simplistic and tedious, often feeling like a mere vehicle for the narrative rather than an engaging experience. While some appreciate the unique birthday mechanic and light RPG elements, they argue that the mechanics are too primitive and limit interactivity, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Ultimately, the game is seen as more focused on storytelling than on delivering a compelling gameplay experience.
- “Besides the neat mechanic and the very detailed storyline, there isn't much else to this game.”
- “The light RPG mechanics work well enough, but to me the story is really the game's main draw and it delivers it well.”
- “I really really like the storytelling and gameplay ideas and the minimalistic style.”
- “Since every birthday you take a penalty to all survival gauges and it increases every year, it is just a matter of time until you get grinded down, which as an entertainment narrative might work but mechanically for a game it's not ideal as it hurts interactivity, which is probably not something you should do in an already niche game about old age.”
- “The gameplay itself is just filler that limits how much story you can see.”
- “I liked the story, but the gameplay is very tedious and to play it just to experience the full story is not worth it.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
53%
20%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the emotional and atmospheric qualities of the soundtrack, particularly noting its fittingness to the game's themes. However, others find it tedious and repetitive, leading to a desire to mute it after a short period. Overall, while the soundtrack has its moments of beauty, it may not sustain player interest throughout the experience.
- “The royalty-free music chosen blends well with the photography, making for a languid, melancholy atmosphere.”
- “On the positive notes, it has a really nice soundtrack, a lot of solid effort to convey what is going on within your character's life, full texts and decent length.”
- “Maybe it was the beautiful violin soundtrack, but this was a relatively emotional and unique experience, which I wouldn't have expected from a CYOA game about finance management.”
- “The music is incredibly tedious; it gets tiresome really fast, and you will want to mute it as soon as possible.”
- “All that with a great look and horrible music.”
- “Music is repetitive but is fitting for the game's themes.”
emotional
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its touching narrative centered around an old man's reflections on life, which resonates deeply with players, often evoking tears and personal connections to their own experiences. The combination of a beautiful violin soundtrack and heartfelt storytelling creates a unique and impactful experience, making it particularly appealing to those who enjoy story-driven games. Overall, the game successfully elicits strong emotional responses, leaving a lasting impression on its audience.
- “Maybe it was the beautiful violin soundtrack, but this was a relatively emotional and unique experience, which I wouldn't have expected from a CYOA game about finance management.”
- “This game is really involved; the story is beautiful and touching. At some point, a tear rolled down my cheek. I would recommend it.”
- “Seemingly being a tribute to the life of someone related to the developer, it's a touching story of an old man trying to live out the rest of his life and balance the elements of his life for a peaceful and fruitful end.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The graphics in the game are minimal and primarily serve to set the mood, utilizing stock photos of Cahors, France, rather than original artwork. While some users appreciate the atmospheric intent, the visuals are generally considered lacking and not a focal point of the gameplay experience.
- “Overall, the visuals are designed to create a certain mood for the background story as well as the whole premise of Cahors Sunset.”
- “It's clearly not meant to be that type of game, but is any visual novel really about the visuals?”
- “Graphics are pretty much non-existent as they are stock photos of the Cahors town in France.”
- “+10 points to devs for stealing all the artwork from social media sites.”
- “It's not amazing as far as gameplay, sound, graphics... no.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Cahors Sunset is noted for its limited replayability, primarily due to the lack of multiple characters to explore. In contrast, another game mentioned offers limitless replay value, enhanced by its introspective nature. Overall, the replayability of these games varies significantly based on character options and gameplay depth.
- “The replay value is limitless, and the introspective nature of the game is priceless.”
- “Cahors sunset lacks replayability.”
- “The game could have had much more replayability if there had been more than one character to play through.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and tiresome, often leading to a desire to mute the music and disengage from the gameplay. While the story has its merits, many feel that the effort required to experience it is not justified by the repetitive nature of the grinding. Overall, the grind detracts from the overall enjoyment and may leave players questioning their commitment to the game.
- “I liked the story, but the gameplay is very tedious, and playing it just to experience the full story is not worth it.”
- “It's only a grind for as long as it takes for you to realize that grinding your life away is not the life you should want to live.”
- “The music is incredibly tedious; it gets tiresome really fast, and you will want to mute it as soon as possible.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by a languid and melancholy tone, enhanced by the well-chosen royalty-free music that complements the photography effectively.
- “The royalty-free music chosen blends well with the photography, creating a languid, melancholy atmosphere.”
- “The royalty-free music chosen blends well with the photography, making for a languid, melancholy atmosphere.”