Two-person development team, Hannah and Joseph Games, have released a new update for their early access action adventure rpg, Banquet for Fools, and shared the 1.0 launch date for the game of March 5th, 2026. Banquet for Fools takes place three hundred years after the events of the game “Serpent in the Staglands, the debut CRPG from the duo (under the name of Whalenaught)
The deities have shunned the Volling and turned to paganism to survive. But Volling 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. Explore the island of Invimona in this open-world adventure with four companions you create. Equip your four companions with a variety of skills to overcome the challenges your adventure will present.
Moreover, update 6.2 is now live, offering a slew of new additions and QoL fixes.
Key Features in Update 6.2
- Interactions: Players can now pet cats to receive a buff.
- Save System Improvements: Added four rotating autosave slots and three Steam Cloud slots for quicksaves and specific slots.
- Map Enhancements: Improved pinning and note-taking; players can now draw or erase notes directly on both local and global (Invimona) maps.
- Inventory Management: Introduced a shortcut (Shift + Right Click) to instantly move items to storage or sell them to traders.
- Combat & UI: Clearer party information, ghost follower portraits, and split keys for block and dodge maneuvers.
- Existing Early Access players will be glad to know that their save games will carry through to launch.
Game features:
- Party-based beat ‘em up
- 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
- 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 has fallen, when companions are low on health, and a myriad of other contextual moments.
- 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.
- Animal Binding:
- Tame and bind shroomers, forest, and fish creatures to your side to fight as your allies. In the Techniques Book your party can learn how to combo attack with bound creatures.
- 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.
- Portaging With Your Boro
- Seamlessly hop on and off your petal boat to sail the seas of Invimona and explore hidden isles around the mainland.
- Explore tombs
- The Pavura’s fragile settlement sits upon a labyrinth of underground crypts and tombs of the ancient Lachovinians who populated the island before. Enter tombs to find answers that may not lie above ground, but beware of the Grave Keepers and endless ghosts that prey on the halls of the dead.
- Make Choices and experience multiple endings
- How you end some tasks and requests can affect the outcome of your mission, the harvest, and your lord’s approval. There are various ways to complete your quest if discovered, offering different game lengths and deciding the fate of more than just the Volling on the island.
Banquet for Fools is available now in early access on Steam, and a demo is also accessible. To stay up to date, you can follow the developers on X, BlueSky, Discord, and their website.
