Great!
This is definitely one of the most original and fun games in the genre. Its refreshing story, fine voice acting, and novel gameplay twists are slightly marred by annoying and repetitive combat. Read Review
Loosely based on (or "inspired by", if you will) the classic Bard's Tale series that began as an Apple II RPG in 1985, this new installment brings a fresh dose of comedy to the genre with a 3D isometric view that runs on the Champions of Norrath engine. Is a dragon terrorizing the locals? The Bard will take care of it... for the right price. Local princess held captive? The Bard is your man... as long as she's hot. Use the Snarky/Nice conversation to pick the tone -- be an ass or show some class. Your attitude will affect the events that unfold and create a personalized experience for each player. Develop your combat party by summoning a group of eccentrics and misfits to do your bidding - sixteen summoned creatures in all. The game runs on the Champions of Norrath engine and features locations based on the storied land of the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland - the inspiration for the classic fantasy worlds.
inXile's latest RPG finally makes it overseas. Read More »
As I recently noted in my column, the action-RPG genre is burgeoning. With numerous fantasy-based titles on the market, developers are looking at different settings in which to place the popular gameplay style. Before those settings are saturated, inXile takes a satirical look at all the fantasy action-RPGs with The Bard's Tale. Though it bears the same name as the classic '80s RPG, this iteration of The Bard's Tale isn't like its predecessors. It's an action-packed game with great characters, a fantastic script, and excellent voice acting. It's an extremely humorous tale that's especially suited to gamers that have played one too many titles in which they've saved the world as the chosen one. If it weren't for numerous flaws in its combat it would be one of the best games of the year; as it is, it's still a great game that's sure to elicit several guffaws, chuckles, and chortles. Read More »
"I'm just not sure its going to appeal to our core demographic," says the VP of sales. "And can't we get some vehicles into this story to help out with the toy sales?" offers up the VP of marketing. "Who on Earth is going to believe that these little people could save the world? And three books is just too many, we need to consolidate this story into one," says the president. Can you imagine this conversation with J.R.R. Tolkien before he kicked off one of the greatest literary achievements of all time? One wonders if this isn't the conversation that would take place today in the land of focus groups, market demographics, and the need for a "corporate worldwide approval" from each department before ideas are green lit to start. Read More »
Like most of the team at inXile entertainment, senior software engineer Mike Winfield has worn a couple hats while working on The Bard's Tale. Most notably, he has been responsible for leading development of the Xbox version of the game and enhancing the particle effects in the game engine licensed from Snowblind Studios. Here he details some of the enhancements to particle effects made over the course of the project. Read More »
It's been a while since we last saw our beloved Bard in action. Read More »
Also known as: Song of the Bard
Release Region: United States
Release Date: October 26, 2004
Publisher: inXile entertainment
T for Teen Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, ViolenceRelease Region: United Kingdom
Release Date: November 30, 2004
Publisher: inXile entertainment
Release Region: Australia
Release Date: November 30, 2004
Publisher: inXile entertainment
Also available on: iPhone, iPad, PC, PlayStation 2
1 DVD
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The Bard's Tale at IGN
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