Info about Banquet for Fools: Official game description: Release Date ============ **Banquet For Fools is leaving early access to full release on March 5th, 2026!** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About the Game ============== Story ----- The deities have shunned the Vollings, and they have turned to paganism to survive. But Vollings are resilient and ever industrious. One lord has embarked on an enterprise to settle an island long abandoned by its dead civilization, braving a cursed land in hopes of farming a lucrative spice grown only on its hillsides. His venture is a success, but trouble quickly presses fast upon him from many sides. As he is leaving to sail out to defend his fields from a jealous neighbor, he has received word that every inhabitant of one of his farm holds has vanished without a trace. With few options at hand, he calls on his guards for four volunteers to venture across the island to investigate this mystery. Party-based adventure --------------------- Explore the island of Invimona in this open-world adventure with four generated companions. Depending on the stats given to them they'll each have unique choices in dialogue with NPCs and amongst each other as they bond over the course of the journey. You're assigned a pack-boro for your mission, who can carry a boat as well as extra items you pick up along the way, and together you all can hike and portage around the Invimona rivers and sea. Visit towns for clues and to stock your party with unique items. As a guard you will be asked for assistance as you meet various farmers, scribes, artisans and even Gadaars among the holds. In the five years since the island was settled, grave robbers have flocked to Invimona like vultures, and ensuring they find their way to Exile Island is a constant battle. There is no auto-compass or quest logs for you in Banquet for Fools, though many quests and requests are given to you in scrolls. Navigating the island effectively is a part of the challenge of quests. Combat ------ Banquet for Fools features brawl-style, beat-em-up combat. When your action bar fills, you can pause the game by opening your combat dome, and choose an action and/or target within the dome. Play as one guard at a time, while the others will continue to attack, defend, kick, charge and pin at will. You can switch leaders at any time or tap in a support guard for combo attacks - working together is key to success. If enemy combatants are too heavily defended, use a critical attack to weaken that enemy for follow up attacks for your companions, or add your attacks together when you unlock Rally attacks during combat to strike simultaneously! Skills ------ Equip your four companions you've created with a variety of skills to overcome the challenges your adventure will take you through. Choose favored weapons, armor, pagan spells, animal binding, music and rogue abilities and level them up with experience or with buying training from individuals you meet around the island. Skills used most are granted bonuses to get more powerful with level ups. **Character Advancement how you want** -------------------------------------- When a character accrues enough XP they can choose to level up their skills and a stat point. You have 3 points to distribute into any of the skills you wish to pursue, and skills you’ve used frequently during the interim of the last level up are granted bonus points if you advance them. **Intercessions** ----------------- Though the Volling have entered a pagan age, their ancient deities still listen through their likeness in stone, and perhaps if they find the speakers worthy, speak back... Asking for intercessions from these beings grants Vollings the ability to make custom holy items uniquely tailored to those favored, but these boons come with a required donation and completion of a quest to deem yourself worthy. These beings are petty gods, and competitive, so choose your statues wisely. Find ancient and newly erected statues around the island with various powers to bestow, and bless new intercessions with even more powerful versions as you advance. **Songs** --------- Configure your musical setlist during combat by buying songs with situational auto-procing and potency levels. Songs can proc at the start of a battle, after an enemy is fallen, when companions are low on health, and a myriad of options between! You can memorize a limited amount of songs at once with different power levels, so choose which songs are heaviest and when they’ll occur to compliment your playstyle and party composition. **Pagan Spells** ---------------- Learn unique spell effects from different Vol trees, then make a custom spell of your choosing by taking its birch and etch your rune in blood to communicate this tether with the world. Create more powerful variants as you grow in power during the course of your travels. There are three Pagan skills: Fauna, Vines, and Spores, each with different specialties and application to the world. **Rogue** --------- A wily party knows when to keep the law they're employed to uphold, when to bend it, and when breaking it is the best course of action. Items can be stolen from shops, but at the cost of not being able to be purchased again, and getting caught is always a risk. Guards and merchants follow patrols and sleep schedules, so keeping tabs on your surroundings and waiting for the changing of the guard is a ripe opportunity. Committing crimes will accrue a price on your head, and the Vollings of the villages will treat you accordingly. You can always pay off a local bounty by yelling bribe. **Field Kit** ------------- Running out of arrows mid-dungeon? Stuck on an island with Padurii children hiding in every tree and low on explosive elyxirs? Having a field kit in your inventory allows a party to re-supply while away from shops during hikes across the island. The field kit allows you to assemble ammunition for three types of categories: arrows, rivi-wraps, and globes. Arrows come from finding wood pieces and various types of arrow heads from wildlife, rivi-wraps are crafted from noxious and volatile foliage in crevices, and you can convert amphoras of alcohol from healing items into explosive elyxirs globes with various added effects. **Guard Duties** ---------------- The Pavura requests that instead of being executed, criminals be shipped off to a husk of a rock just north of his garrison which the locals call Exile Island. The local ghost population is haunting enough, and the ethereal grave keepers of the Carrion god would want nothing more than to add to this assembly.  You can choose on the fly if your party is attacking to kill or stun, the consequence of which is yours to decide. Killing hostile combatants is less risky, but they could be resurrected into ghosts if a keeper is near. Stunning will knock out your enemy for 24 hours, and if that enemy is a bandit or grave robber, you can report them for coins in your purse, though Exile Island will get more populated with each turn-in. Stunned criminals will only stay stunned for so long, and you’ll need to reach a local fort or village to tell another guard to send a wagon and pick up your purse. The list of criminal acts is something worth keeping in mind before exacting justice, and your characters need to bear witness, otherwise unless your characters have proof of the crime they’ll be the ones committing it when assaulting. Farmsteads and holdings from various other Houses from Minorev have settled the island under the Pavura's governance, and will have various problems that they wish someone would help them deal with. As a guard you’ll find quests and duties within to attend to. Your relationship with towns is unique to each, and if the reeve commends you it could come with fine rewards. About ----- This game is being created by two people. We've released Isle of Bxnes, Serpent in the Staglands (which is set in the same world as Banquet for Fools) and under a publisher, Mechajammer. Release date: Mar 5, 2026 Categories: Party-based Combat, Character Customization, Open-World Exploration, Pausable Real-time Combat, Dialogue Choices Shape Outcomes, NPC Interaction, Progression System, Crafting Feature scans: - Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game shows promise with its unique art style and enjoyable gameplay on the Steam Deck. However, there are notable issues with stability, battery drain, and the lack of Steam Deck verification that need to be addressed. Users have reported occasional dips in performance but overall find the experience enjoyable with some adjustments to settings. - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: No data - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 25.0h - Story completion: 10.0h - Session length: 1.0h - Endgame: N/A - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct mentions of playtime hours and sessions. '25 hours of gameplay' suggests a significant investment towards game completion. '10Hrs in' indicates a substantial session length and progress towards story completion. Mentions of playing for 'five minutes' and 'an hour' highlight shorter session lengths. The lack of specific evidence for endgame content results in a null value for that metric. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game becomes fun and engaging after players overcome the initial learning curve and understand the game mechanics, particularly the combat system. - Stance: Clicks after - Anchor: Understanding the game mechanics - Time to anchor: 2h 0m - Friction: Learning curve; Non-contextual tutorials; Complex combat system - Unlock drivers: Comprehensive tutorials; Understanding combat mechanics - Conditions: Patience to learn; Willingness to read tutorials; Interest in complex games - Player Archetypes: - Old-School RPG Enthusiast (buy) - Motivation: Nostalgia and appreciation for hardcore, old-school RPG mechanics. - Playstyle: Enjoys deep, immersive gameplay with a focus on exploration and complex mechanics. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: old-school player; RPG fan - Reference games: Morrowind; Planescape; Arx Fatalis; Gothic; Diablo - Adventure Seeker (buy) - Motivation: Desire for unique, immersive experiences and distinctive game worlds. - Playstyle: Enjoys exploring and uncovering the lore and secrets of unique game worlds. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: adventure seeker; explorer - Reference games: Dark Crystal; Morrowind; Vagrant Story - Innovation Supporter (buy) - Motivation: Appreciation for innovative game design and supporting passionate developers. - Playstyle: Enjoys games that push the boundaries of traditional RPG mechanics and supports developers who are passionate about their craft. - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: innovation supporter; dev supporter - Reference games: N/A Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Praised art style and music (weight 0.8): The game's art style and music are highly praised by players, with many describing them as beautiful, unique, and appealing. The visuals and soundtrack contribute significantly to the game's charm and atmosphere. - Unique and fun combat system (weight 0.64): The combat system is described as unique, fun, and interesting, with mechanics that stand out. Players enjoy the combat and find it to be a strong point of the game. - Atmospheric and immersive (weight 0.48): The game is noted for its incredible atmosphere, which is both unique and immersive. Players appreciate the detailed world-building and the atmospheric elements that enhance the gaming experience. - Detailed and unique world design (weight 0.46): The game features a detailed and unique world that players find intriguing and original. The world design is praised for its depth and creativity. - Enjoyable and engaging gameplay (weight 0.43): Players find the game enjoyable and engaging, with many hours of gameplay. It is described as a good and interesting game overall, with a promising and unique experience. - Responsive developers (weight 0.3): The developers are highly responsive to player feedback and actively engage with the community. This interaction is appreciated by players, who feel that the developers care about their input. - Retro-inspired visuals and music (weight 0.25): The game features retro-inspired visuals and music that contribute to its unique style and atmosphere, reminiscent of RPGs from the 90s. - Unique and distinctive game (weight 0.23): Players describe the game as unique and distinctive, with a vision that sets it apart from other games. It is seen as one of the most unique games with a lot of promise. - Natural and engaging dialogue (weight 0.19): The game features natural dialogue that encourages careful reading and analysis. The dialogue design is appreciated by players for its quality and depth. - Creative and inspired masterpiece (weight 0.15): The game is praised as a creative masterpiece, with wonderfully inspired and insanely brilliant elements that players appreciate. - Work of love and passion (weight 0.15): Players recognize the game as a genuine work of love and passion, with a lot of effort and care put into its development. - Note-taking system for quests (weight 0.15): The game includes a note-taking system that helps players keep track of quests and important information. - Traditional and interesting CRPG (weight 0.15): The game is described as a solid and interesting CRPG, staying true to traditional elements of the genre while offering unique and stylistic features. - Old-school RPG elements (weight 0.15): The game includes old-school RPG elements that provide a hardcore and traditional RPG experience, appreciated by fans of the genre. Common complaints: - Combat system needs improvement (weight 0.62): The combat system is frequently criticized for being clunky, chaotic, and unrewarding. Players find it slow, confusing, and difficult to master. - Game has various bugs (weight 0.49): Players report encountering numerous bugs throughout the game, ranging from minor issues to significant problems like crashes and freezing. - Language barrier issues (weight 0.32): Non-English speakers face difficulties due to the language barrier, making it hard to understand dialogs and navigate the game. - Poor explanation of mechanics (weight 0.3): The game fails to adequately explain its mechanics, including combat and magic systems, leading to confusion and frustration among players. - UI and text size issues (weight 0.27): The user interface elements and text are often described as too small, with no options to scale or adjust them, making the game difficult to navigate. - Confusing and non-intuitive gameplay (weight 0.26): The gameplay is often described as confusing and non-intuitive, with players struggling to understand basic mechanics and controls. - Lack of quest tracking (weight 0.22): The absence of a journal or quest tracking system makes it difficult for players to keep track of their objectives and progress. - Technical and stability issues (weight 0.22): Players report various technical issues, including crashes, freezing, and stability problems, particularly on platforms like Steam Deck. - Visual and design issues (weight 0.18): Players criticize the game's visual elements, including the color palette, character design, and lack of visual variety in armor and weapons. - Character creation and progression issues (weight 0.18): The character creation process is described as buggy and overwhelming, and there are issues with skill progression and leveling systems. - AI needs improvement (weight 0.15): The AI in the game is criticized for being unruly and dumb, leading to a less enjoyable gaming experience. - Lack of Quality of Life features (weight 0.15): The game is criticized for missing basic Quality of Life features, such as settings to scale UI or text, and other intuitive controls. - Complex and confusing vocabulary (weight 0.14): The game uses complex and made-up fantasy names, along with a literary style that can be overwhelming and difficult to follow. Gameplay feedback: - Pausable real-time combat (weight 0.43): The game includes a real-time combat system with the ability to pause, blending turn-based and real-time elements. - Classic RPG mechanics (weight 0.23): The game incorporates old-school RPG design and non-combat mechanics, appealing to traditional RPG fans. - Complex leveling and skills (weight 0.21): The game features a detailed character leveling system with a variety of skills and attributes to customize. - Unique and varied combat (weight 0.2): The combat system is described as unique and interesting, involving different kinds of weapons and formations. - Strategic party tactics (weight 0.19): The game emphasizes party tactics and compositions, requiring strategic planning and management. - Limited initial content (weight 0.15): Currently, the game only has two maps that can be completed in about 15 hours, with additional content like new maps and water battles being added. - Steep learning curve (weight 0.11): The combat and gameplay require time to get used to, presenting a challenge for new players. - Innovative turn-based mechanics (weight 0.11): The game blends turn-based combat with innovative and different mechanisms, offering a unique gameplay experience. - Unique game mechanics (weight 0.11): The game is praised for its unique mechanics and design, offering a distinctive experience. - Detailed character customization (weight 0.11): The game offers extensive character creation and build options, allowing for deep customization. - Nostalgic yet fresh feel (weight 0.11): The game combines an old-school feel with new elements, creating a nostalgic yet fresh experience. - Dark and unique atmosphere (weight 0.11): The game features a dark and melancholic atmosphere, adding to its unique and immersive design. - Note-taking system (weight 0.1): The game includes a note system or note-taking mechanics, adding depth to the gameplay. - Combat similar to classic games (weight 0.1): The combat system is reminiscent of a mix of classic games, providing a familiar yet unique experience. - Stressful combat with many enemies (weight 0.1): Combat can become stressful and repetitive when facing many enemies, involving a loop of pause, attack, and movement. Performance notes: - Crashes on Steam Deck (weight 0.16): The game frequently crashes when played on Steam Deck, affecting the overall gaming experience. - Performance optimization needed (weight 0.12): The game experiences occasional dips in performance, indicating a need for better optimization. - Fans overheat (weight 0.07): The game causes fans to turn off, potentially leading to overheating issues. - Companions become unresponsive (weight 0.06): Companions stop moving, attacking, and responding to any actions, which disrupts gameplay. Recommendations: - Recommended for RPG fans (weight 0.16): The game is highly recommended for fans of classic RPGs like Pathfinder or Pillars of Eternity, suggesting it appeals to those who enjoy traditional role-playing games. - Request for guided early gameplay (weight 0.12): Players are asking for a guided walkthrough of the initial quests, including commentary on the decision-making process to help new players understand the game mechanics and progression. - Try the demo first (weight 0.11): Newcomers to the genre are advised to try the demo before purchasing the full game, indicating that the game might have a learning curve or specific appeal. - Support the developers (weight 0.11): Some players recommend buying the game to support the developers, even if it's not fully complete, showing appreciation for the developers' vision and future potential. - Game worth attention (weight 0.1): The game is recommended in its current state, suggesting it has enough content and quality to justify a purchase and attention from players. Other player notes: - Secret tip about background objects (weight 0.06): A few players shared a secret tip about clicking on background objects. This could imply there are hidden interactions or Easter eggs in the game. - Guide mentioned by Begbie (weight 0.06): Some players mentioned a guide created by a user named Begbie. This guide might contain useful information or tips for the game. Emotions: - Excitement (weight 0.29): Players are excited about the unique and immersive game experience, with detailed content for role-playing and exploration. The anticipation for the full release, future DLC, and updates also contributes to this excitement, as players look forward to the game's development and potential. - Frustration (weight 0.13): Players are frustrated with the punishing difficulty and combat system, which many find unbearably bad. Additional frustrations include lack of language support, crashes, freezing, and poor design choices, making the game stressful and difficult to enjoy. - Admiration (weight 0.08): Players admire the game's unique identity and deep systems, along with its interesting world and great music. The innovative game design, detailed world-building, and beautiful animation also contribute to this admiration. - Nostalgia (weight 0.07): The game evokes nostalgia as it reminds players of classic games like Planescape: Torment, Morrowind, and older RPGs. This emotional connection to past gaming experiences enhances their appreciation for the game. - Positive (weight 0.07): Players have a positive view of the game's artistic direction, RPG mechanics, and unique art style. The game's ambiance, originality, and favorable comparisons to Black Isle games are also highlighted. - Disappointment (weight 0.05): Players express disappointment due to issues with combat mechanics, UI, and language barriers. These problems hinder their ability to play and enjoy the game fully. - Gratitude (weight 0.05): Players feel gratitude towards the developers for their responsiveness and the enjoyment they derive from the game. The potential for future content also contributes to this gratitude. - Hope (weight 0.05): Players hope for better localization, the game's success, and future improvements. They are optimistic about the game's potential and the developers' ability to smooth out current issues. - Love (weight 0.04): Players love the game's art style, combat system, and character building. The aesthetics, note system, and lore are also highly appreciated, contributing to an overall love for the game. - Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Players enjoy the unique combat abilities and the game's overall vision. The interesting combat system and the unique world add to their enjoyment. - Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the unique and immersive game mechanics, as well as the responsive and promising game features. The game's unique approach to interfaces is also appreciated. - Negative (weight 0.03): Players have negative feelings due to the lack of translations and issues with combat dynamics. Frustrations with UI, gameplay, and combat mechanics also contribute to this negativity. - Joy (weight 0.02): Players experience joy from the game's atmosphere and originality. The great art and music also contribute to this joyful experience. - Engagement (weight 0.02): Players are engaged by the unique and distinctive gameplay. Tactical enemy encounters and immersive interactions keep them engaged. - Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players are anticipating the full release of the game. They are looking forward to trying the game and experiencing its complete world.}