Hier gibts einen Kickstarter zu The Bards Tale IV
- A single-player, party-based dungeon crawl, rich in exploration and combat
- Dungeons filled not just with dangerous fights but with challenging puzzles and devious riddles
- Dynamic phase-based combat, where the pace of battle is animated and fluid, but still gives you time to think and respond to your enemies
- A game set to beautiful Gaelic music, where the Bard’s songs and melodies affect gameplay
- Co-funded by fans and inXile: if this game hits its $1.25 million goal, inXile will put in at least $1.25 million of its own money to double the initial budget!
- Built using Unreal Engine 4, for PC, Mac and Linux. Available from Steam or DRM-Free from GOG.com
- Available in English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, and Polish
- Built for and with the help of our fans. Your feedback and input directly impact the design and features of the game during alpha and beta stage
Why the Bard's Tale?
30 years ago, a small company by the name of Interplay produced a cRPG titled Tales of the Unknown I: The Bard’s Tale. This game was crafted at a time when the RPG genre was growing and being defined by an endless stream of innovative releases. In this period dominated by Wizardry and Ultima, The Bard’s Tale was an unexpected hit, putting Interplay on the map. Brian went on to produce many of the RPGs we still love to this day, including Wasteland, Baldur’s Gate, Fallout, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, and many more. The Bard’s Tale was also one of the first members of the Computer Gaming World Hall of Fame, and The Bard’s Tale III was featured in the Smithsonian’s “The Art of Video Games” exhibit.
During our successful crowdfunding campaigns for Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera, our legions of generous backers stunned us with their outpouring of support, proving those games still had an audience that was willing to help make them happen.
As we began to look into our next project, we were flooded with requests from many of our supporters who wanted us to return to The Bard’s Tale universe. The dungeon crawl genre it represents has largely been forgotten by mainstream publishers. What better time than the 30th anniversary of the original for us to bring The Bard’s Tale back to life with a true dungeon crawling sequel, The Bard’s Tale IV!
Craft your party, your way.
The Bard’s Tale IV allows you to develop, progress and grow a party of adventurers as you see fit. Build a combat-hardened warrior to lead the way, or a spell-flinging Conjurer to provide support from the back lines. A character’s class provides the basic archetype, but as you progress you will tweak and evolve your party to suit your play style.
The original Bard’s Tale games allowed you to evolve your magic class characters from the Conjurer and Magician to the more powerful Sorcerer, Chronomancer, Geomancer, and even the feared Archmage, each providing new spell trees to explore. We’re extending this system to all class types for increased levels of customization and tinkering. As your magic and combat abilities grow, you will combine spells and skills from your different party members for increased effects greater than the sum of their parts. Deciding when to evolve your characters has a major impact on the types of spells that become available.
The eponymous Bard is of course returning. The Bard is an important member of each party, with magical songs empowering the group in combat or providing a helping hand while exploring and solving puzzles. Your band of adventurers will be influenced throughout the game by the Bard's music. By playing the Rhyme of Duotime, your party will regenerate spell points at increased speed. Switching to The Archer’s Tune will greatly increase your party’s missile damage. Just make sure your bard is well stocked with ale...so his throat doesn’t dry out.
We are also bringing back many popular races like humans, elves, dwarves, half-orcs, and including some newly inspired races like the Trow. The races all have their own unique culture and history, integrating your choices more into the game’s narrative. The world and citizens of The Bard’s Tale IV react to your party’s make-up, branching the quest structure and providing a unique experience depending on who is joining you.