This bizarre CRPG features claymation graphics, beat 'em up combat and the option to send defeated enemies to a prison colony, and it just left early access after a massive final update

This bizarre CRPG features claymation graphics, beat ‘em up combat and the option to send defeated enemies to a prison colony, and it just left early access after a massive final update | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Action After 6 hours, Crimson Desert is one of the most overwhelming, chaotic, madcap videogames I’ve ever played—and I’m hungry for more RPG Esoteric Ebb isn’t just the best Disco since Disco, it’s the closest anyone’s come to the magic of tabletop D&D in a videogame RPG It’s only March, but I’m calling it: Esoteric Ebb is 2026’s best RPG and the first worthy successor to Disco Elysium RPG You’ve never heard of it, but a Russian studio made a fantasy take on original Fallout way back in 2001, and it honestly kind of rules Horror Burglin’ Gnomes is the next great friend-slop game that everyone with a PC and at least one other friend should check out Games The best indie games on PC RPG The OG Baldur’s Gates are freshly patched, and you can pick them up with 500+ hours of other CRPGs for $23 right now Roguelike This dice-rolling roguelite is like Balatro on steroids, and its bosses are pure evil MMO Project: Gorgon has recaptured the old-school MMO magic I thought was dead and gone by letting me ask a pig about its mother so hard it dies Roguelike Balatro meets Scrabble in this new roguelike from the creators of TimeSplitters—and I’m just thrilled to finally find a word game that lets me score with swear words RPG Tabletop gaming saved videogame RPGs Roguelike Two of Mewgenics’ most memorable areas were directly inspired by a brutal and brilliant tabletop RPG RPG Divinity: everything we know about Larian’s ‘most ambitious RPG yet’ RPG The only CRPG using D&D’s original setting is finally on Steam, with fan patches and quality-of-life fixes pre-installed Adventure One of the strangest point ‘n’ click adventures of the ’90s is getting a modern ‘restoration’ for Steam, making it easily playable for the first time this century PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!MarathonArc RaidersBest PC gearQuizzes Games RPG This bizarre CRPG features claymation graphics, beat ‘em up combat and the option to send defeated enemies to a prison colony, and it just left early access after a massive final update News By Rick Lane published 8 March 2026 Banquet for Fools is bursting with strange ideas. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Hannah and Joseph Games) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter We’re in a golden era for the CRPG. Disco Elysium set a new standard for narrative driven roleplaying in 2019, while Baldur’s Gate 3 did the same with pretty much everything in 2023. Even the ‘B-tier’of modern CRPGs like Rogue Trader and Solasta: Crown of the Magister offer rock-solid roleplaying adventures of dizzying depth.The hits keep coming, too. This week saw the launch of Esoteric Ebb, which blends Disco Elysium and Dungeons & Dragons with scintillating results. Personally, though, I’m more intrigued by Banquet for Fools, a CRPG that leans closer to Planescape: Torment in its darkly weird vibes.Developed by a two-person team, Banquet for Fools takes place on an island recently colonised by your race—the Vollings—after being forsaken by their own gods and adopting paganism. All seems to be going well in your newly, uh, acquired home, until the inhabitants of one particular farmhold vanish without a trace. You may like Esoteric Ebb isn’t just the best Disco since Disco, it’s the closest anyone’s come to the magic of tabletop D&D in a videogame It’s only March, but I’m calling it: Esoteric Ebb is 2026’s best RPG and the first worthy successor to Disco Elysium You’ve never heard of it, but a Russian studio made a fantasy take on original Fallout way back in 2001, and it honestly kind of rules You play as a group of island guards dispatched to investigate the disappearance. At a glance, Banquet for Fools looks like any of the CRPGs from the Baldur’s Gate era. Look closer, though, and you’ll notice that the characters are all built and animated with claymation. Banquet for Fools also provides no quest markers or a log suggesting how to go about your business, meaning you need to explore and chat to NPCs to figure out how to proceed. Dialogue choices vary depending on your party’s skillset