Of course, the aforementioned issues with text size made these aspects a chore as I strained to read the tiny font next to each item. There is a deep RPG skill system in place here which did make me take care in what I was unlocking and how I wanted each character to progress, along with a crafting system that allows for lots of cooking, weapon-building and potion-swilling. The turn-based combat in the game is functional but nothing exceptional, your characters, along with which ever group of enemies you are involved in a fracas with at the time occupy spaces on a grid and your opportunities (action points) and spell points dictate what you can do on your turn. It also doesn’t help that pretty much every enemy in the game spouts inanities during battles, every single one of them just comes across as whiny and annoying. (forget the power of rock, this is the power of medieval folk!) and the in-game dialogue is well-voiced and written, rich with expansive lore and delivered with thick Scottish accents, lending authenticity to the harsh, ravaged lands and general ambience but the combat dialogue from enemies is just mind-numbing and repetitive. The sound-track rollicks along with flutes, whistles, bagpipes, lutes and mandolins with a heavy focus on song in spell-casting and when using abilities during exploration to uncover hidden treasures and knock down walls, etc. Character models are OK when in combat (more on that later) but when engaged in conversation seem dead-eyed and wooden, not an issue for me personally and to be expected at the game’s budget but I felt it was worth mentioning, nonetheless. Beyond this, the graphics themselves are quite bland with repetitive, unmemorable landscapes marking your way around the game world. For a while I honestly thought there was something wrong with my eyes focusing due to my contact lenses. The visuals never seemed to be ‘right’ no matter how much I fiddled with the options, always seeming blurry and indistinct with the text remaining too small to comfortably read. I had problems pretty much straight from the off with the appearance of the game.
After choosing your character type (Bard, Fighter, Rogue or Wizard, I chose Bard because I’m a musician myself and that way seemed to lead to a lot of drinking, good)and gender, you are led to an underground adventurer’s guild where you meet Rabbie, who essentially acts as the sage and guide for the early stages of the game. The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is presented from a first-person perspective and is set once more in Skara Brae, a land in which the old ways (Dwarves, Adventurers and Trows – goblin-like creatures) are being swept away under the ever-burgeoning fanatical rule of The Fatherites, who pursue and envisage an all-human future for the world.
It’s unfortunate therefore that this new, ‘proper’ sequel (funded via Kickstarter) and also developed by InXile Entertainment again feels like a missed opportunity, albeit for different reasons.
The bards tale 4review series#
Although aware of the legacy of the previous The Bard’s Tale games which span over thirty years, the only game that I’ve played in the series prior to this was the 2004 title featuring Cary ‘The Princess Bride’ Elwes and didn’t find it particularly memorable.
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