Banquet for Fools

About

"Banquet for Fools" is a party-based open-world adventure game where players explore the island of Invimona with four generated companions. The Vollings, shunned by deities, must farm a lucrative spice, facing challenges such as investigating a mysterious disappearance. Each companion has unique dialogue choices based on their stats, deepening their bonds as the journey progresses.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 154 reviews

graphics23 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features a unique and beautiful art style that evokes nostalgia for classic RPGs, blending elements of claymation and dark fantasy.
Gameplay is rich and immersive, with a deep combat system that encourages exploration and experimentation without hand-holding.
The developers are highly responsive to player feedback, actively working on updates and improvements, which shows their commitment to delivering a polished final product.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including crashes and unresponsive mechanics, which can hinder the overall experience.
Lack of clear tutorials and quest tracking can lead to confusion, making it difficult for players to understand game mechanics and objectives.
The combat system, while unique, can feel clunky and unintuitive, requiring a steep learning curve that may deter some players.

graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
57%
5%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their unique and beautiful art style, reminiscent of claymation and old-school RPGs, which creates a nostalgic yet fresh atmosphere. Players appreciate the attention to detail in character design and environments, noting the smooth physics and overall aesthetic coherence. While some critiques mention the need for further development, the visuals are considered a standout feature that enhances the gameplay experience.
- “The setting and art style absolutely take me back to how some games felt many moons ago, but with an almost claymation quality to them. The actual physics implemented in hair and other body parts is so smooth; I spent a good while in character creation spinning the one race with the wing-like things. It's satisfying.”
- “The art style is beautiful and totally unique, with every detail - from the menus to the item designs - coming together to create a world that feels fully realized and consistent.”
- “Sits looked interesting, though in my opinion the art style was still bad as it was hard to make things out, and Mechajammer is one of the two games I've scored as a 2.”
- “Jaw-dropping visuals; however, the game needs a lot of work!”
- “Graphically, the game is mind-blowing.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
47%
9%
The gameplay is praised for its rich and engaging mechanics, offering a unique blend of exploration and discovery within a beautifully crafted world. Players appreciate the crisp, fluid controls and the quirky combat system, although some old-school mechanics may feel outdated. Overall, the game promises an immersive experience with solid mechanics and a distinctive aesthetic that enhances the gameplay.
- “The gameplay is excellent, exploration feels good.”
- “Gameplay is crisp and fluid, feeling weighty and responsive, perfect for an action RPG.”
- “I get that the designers were going for an 'old-school' feel, but some of those mechanics are gone for a reason.”
- “Overall mechanical balance (not combat or difficulty) is all over the place.”
- “It makes the first playthrough full of discovery right from the start, not because you get new content to explore in a game you just got, but because you’ll have to learn new and unusual systems and mechanics, a new unique world full of unfamiliar concepts, words, and the way of speech.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
41%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its unique and captivating qualities, contributing significantly to the overall atmosphere and experience. Reviewers highlight the killer soundtrack, which complements the game's rustic visuals and enhances the mystical feel reminiscent of Icelandic sagas. Overall, the music is described as a standout feature, perfectly aligning with the game's artistic style and gameplay mechanics.
- “The music is another big highlight.”
- “Killer soundtrack and art style.”
- “The writing and music is unparalleled, it gives you a feeling of being in a mystical Icelandic saga.”
- “If you have a musical instrument, you can summon a temporary animal that, well, doesn't seem to do anything and disappears quickly.”
- “It's bizarre and unique in mostly all of its aspects: gameplay, lore, graphical style, music...”
- “Music is also appropriate so far.”
atmosphere
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
23%
14%
The game is praised for its rich and nostalgic atmosphere, reminiscent of classic RPGs, characterized by unique art styles and a rustic aesthetic. Reviewers highlight the effective use of music and visuals to create a captivating and immersive experience, making it feel both unique and familiar. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a standout feature that enhances the gaming experience significantly.
- “Another thing that stands out to me and makes it feel nostalgic in a similar way as the classics, is how this game just oozes atmosphere.”
- “Awesome gem dripping with atmosphere, really excited to see more as it comes out.”
- “And that atmosphere is of a particular old school vibe that is almost extinct nowadays; it’s often in the music and the visuals, which have a beautiful rustic roughness to them.”
- “If you've played Joseph and Hannah's previous games, you know well they convey atmosphere, and they deliver in spades here.”
- “Another thing that stands out to me and makes it feel nostalgic in a similar way as the classics is how this game just oozes atmosphere.”
story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
52%
14%
The game's story is still developing, but it shows promise with its unique and in-depth lore. Players must navigate the narrative without traditional quest markers, relying instead on a beautiful notes system to track their progress, which can be both challenging and rewarding. While some players appreciate the mystery and depth, others feel that a more structured storytelling approach could enhance motivation to continue playing.
- “This is definitely an up and coming game you should keep your eye on; the gameplay is rich and interesting, and while the story is still in its infancy, the depth is already apparent.”
- “The story and lore are in-depth and unique.”
- “No quest or location tracking at all.”
- “Like Mechajammer and Serpent in the Staglands before it, there is no quest log, or map markers or a compass pointing you in the right direction - you take notes (via a journal that you just... write in), pick up clues and ask NPCs for directions.”
- “The play-style can be a bit of a learning curve; not having quest markers and needing to make your own notes on quests is certainly difficult, but not too hard to learn.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting numerous bugs, particularly in the character creation process, which detracts from the overall experience. Many players feel that the game requires further development to enhance its functionality and enjoyment.
- “I was liking it, but it's very buggy at the moment and still needs more work.”
- “I find it somewhat difficult, and the character creation is a little buggy and not as exciting as I usually like, as I couldn't create the characters I really wanted or fantasized about, but I will see how it flows in-game.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as combat often devolves into a repetitive cycle of pausing, attacking, and running, leading to a lack of engagement and excitement.
- “Combat becomes a repetitive pause-attack-unpause-run cycle, which is quite tedious, to be honest.”