The Bard's Tale

by inXile entertainment

Product Features

• Deep role-playing with non-linear gameplay, featuring wicked humor and clever personalities
• Summon a group of eccentrics and misfits to develop your combat party
• Use the Snarky/Nice conversation system -- choose the tone of the Bard's interactions and face unique consequences
• Brilliant graphics and bustling environments - Interactive townsfolk, original music (with singing) and immersive, detailed and lively environments

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000192C38
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: October 26, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,620 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: Xbox

The Bard's Tale was the great-grandfather of modern-day computer role-players. This updated version brings back the fun and adventure, as you play The Bard -- a hero who's only after coins and cleavage. Is a dragon attacking a village? He'll face it, for the right price. Has a princess been kidnapped? He'll save her, but only if she's hot. Comedy and fantasy action combine for a uniqe 3D role-playing experience!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rent this one, August 3, 2005

By 

Sith Warlord "Sith Warlord" (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: The Bards Tale (Video Game)

For those of you (like myself) who played the old school Bard's Tale: Thief of Fate and it's sequels, this game is completely unlike the originals. Gone are the seemingly unending dungeon crawls, the parties of six cusomizeable, leveleable, equipable adventurers. The intricate mazes filled with darkness, traps and hordes of (sometimes enormous groups) monsters.

This, although much modernized game, is completely different. It is viewed in 3rd person, real time, extremely limited in size (compaired to its predecessors), and has but one character (which must be...you guessed it...a bard) which does gain xp and level but is not nearly as interresting or customizeable as the old parties of six plus one summoned creature.

The summoned creatures, I have to admit, are a lot of fun. The only bad thing about them is that many of these cool and interresting creatures are only found (and therefore, only useable) in the very last dungeon (which is actually a tower).

You can eventually summon up to three allies, choosing from sixteen creatures. These include an archer, a knight, and a rat. Many of these creatures are upgradeable. The rat, for example, can be upgraded into the "vorpal rat," which, although weak, is capable of inflicting huge ammounts of damage. Different combinations of summoned creatures enable you to have, for example, a blocking summoned creature supported by a healer and a high damager. Others do area effect attacks.

The gameplay is somewhat challenging. You will probably find yourself dying a few times and having to reboot your saved game. Some of the fights were challenging enough that I died five to ten times, but I was eventually able to overcome them all and win the game.

Because the combat is real time, you are forced to button-mash and pay VERY close attention to what's going on at all times. This is far removed from the old game system where you could sit and munch doritos while your hearty adventuring party pounded the snot out of hordes of monsters. Even a very weak monster can kill the bard if you're not paying attention.

Another down side is that the game has very limited replayability. After you win the game you cannot "go back" and play your character. The game is over. That's it. All those levels, all that treasure and upgrading for nothing. The closest thing you can get to infinite gameplay is if you simply do not enter the last tower. This leaves you with wandering monsters, scant (and unimagineative) treasure and only leveling your bard.

Wandering monsters automatically grow stronger as you gain levels. This too is a drawback, I think (it's like penalizing you for growing stronger). The fights actually become more difficult rather than getting easy as you become more powerful.

I played this game for a week and traded it in for another game. This is why I suggest you save your money and rent it for a week.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absurd amount of fun!, May 9, 2005

By 

Jason E - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: The Bards Tale (Video Game)

I am totally loving this game. I'm not your typical video-game player--I'm a 28 year old woman, a wife, and a mother, with a professional career. I don't have a lot of time to play video games, which explains why I'm just now getting around to playing this--and I received it as a Christmas gift. But this game is such fun! It occurred to me, as my little Bard character was walking around, about to shoot some crows, followed by his little dog and the crone he'd summoned ("covered in sores and tattoos" no less!) how delightfully skewed this game is. Random characters pop up and sing songs. There are grutuitous close-ups of ample cleavage. Your adventure is narrated by an elegantly disdainful commentator. Ah, I just love this game.

It is not, mind you, for everyone--there aren't any loud explosions and realistic machine-gun fire or anything like that. But I must say, it really and truly grabbed me. Love it!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to RPGs, January 1, 2005

By 

Sarah Tebo (Kingston, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: The Bards Tale (Video Game)

I enjoy video games, but have played very few role playing titles. I don't like the wide-eyed youngsters saving the world storylines of most of those games. The Bard's Tale, however, had a great plot that was actually funny and interesting.
The learning curve isn't too steep, and the control scheme is fairly easy to understand. By the end of the game, you can summon up to 16 magical creatures to help you; this allows you to tailor the game to fit how you play.
The environments are interesting and varied. You will play on a snowy mountain, deep in a mine, on open fields and even on water.
Enemies are varied, as well. Each level had its own kind of enemy, so I was never bored with killing the same thing over and over.
I would definitely recommend The Bard's Tale for those wishing to try out an RPG, or just looking for something new.

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