Banquet for Fools

Banquet for Fools is a party role-playing adventure game that invites you into a kingdom filled with pagan rituals and mysterious secrets. The player becomes a lord among the Vollin, an elven race with slender forms and a troubled history of relations with the deities. The curse is connected with the island’s past, and you have to figure it out together with the locals. The island looks abandoned, but traces of its former inhabitants are everywhere: tools, records and remains of ritual places. Rejected by their gods, these creatures turned to paganism in search of meaning. The setting is a cursed island shrouded in mystery, and the local spice farms have inexplicably lost all their inhabitants. The squad moves around the map in small transitions, and the camp serves as a place for rest and conversation. Companions share skills, so the composition of the party affects the available solutions in conversations and in battles. The squad is made up of companions with their own stories, and decisions affect how the investigation unfolds. Clashes give way to conversations, and some of the secrets are revealed through rituals and finds. Ability checks determine whether you can persuade your interlocutor or whether you have to go ahead. Hide and stealth work just as well as a direct attack, as there are often more enemies than there are arrows. The world looks dark and beautiful at the same time, and the music emphasizes the pagan atmosphere. The project was released in early access and is gradually being expanded along with the community. Leveling up companions is related to their stories, so some of the tasks concern personal matters. Part of the ending depends on whether you managed to maintain the trust of your allies. This island is suitable for anyone who loves unusual role-playing stories. Reviews praise the atmosphere and unusual world. The project continues to be refined together with the players, and patches add areas and tasks.