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The Bard's Tale IV

The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep takes players to an astonishing adventure packed with puzzle-filled dungeon-crawling and turn-based strategy combat. Blending classic RPG gameplay and fantasy storytelling with modern design and visuals, The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep is perfect for longtime fans and intrepid newcomers alike.

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Reviews

1,476 total

≥h

Steam User 1431STEAMNot recommended

The Bards Tale was one of my favorite game full of with humor and creativity. The Bards Tale 4 is a depressive, gloomy game with a poor graphics and storyline. I bought it yeaars ago, and stuck at a fairly early stage. Now I bought a new laptop and i wanted to try it again. No it crashes after 2-3 minutes.

Feb 5, 2026·21h·Verified

Steam User 1812STEAMRecommended

A heart-warming, beautiful adventure that beautifully balances modern gameplay with retro charm and simplicity. This is probably among my favourite 5 games of the modern era. A step back in time to an era when games were relaxing, fun charming, rewarding and built with love and care for a particular audience, rather than to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Cannot recommend this game enough. If you love the combination of puzzles and the forward thinking strategy of turn based combat, you've found what you are looking for.

Jan 11, 2026·132h·Verified

Steam User 9522STEAMNot recommended

Игра выглядит и работает ужасно.

Jul 12, 2025·5h

Steam User 5091STEAMNot recommended

Nah.

Mar 2, 2025·4h·1·Verified

Steam User 2180STEAMNot recommended

Нету слов как описать уровень злости на затянутость игры чрезмерным количеством головоломок и боев... По началу круто и интересно, но уже после 30 часов чувствуешь это как специальное растягивание времени... Ставлю 1, давно так игра не бесила

Feb 27, 2025·79h·Verified

Steam User 8867STEAMRecommended

6/10

Nov 27, 2024·5h

Steam User 1315STEAMRecommended

I played the original bards tale on a apple IIE and it was great. This bring me the nostalgia and in a modern platform story telling way. The turn based combat with the two sides having grids for positioning your party has a nice strategy to it. The abilities have been interesting with limited opportunity for your party each turn and the abilities having specific benefits based on the actions or positioning of the enemies. Great game so far that has not gotten repetitive after a few hours of play, but also I have gotten lost a few times wandering around just like I use to. I feel so far this game offers more.

Aug 19, 2024·11h·Verified

Steam User 1910STEAMRecommended

Quelques mise a jour plus tard lol ..bugs et quelques améliorations ce jeu et pas mal

Aug 4, 2024·6h

Steam User 1303STEAMRecommended

Очень классная игра. Правда надо много думать :)))

May 4, 2024·109h·Verified

Steam User 2510STEAMNot recommended

This director's cut had worse performance on launch than the base game, and was just a way to keep reviews from sinking too low, since the majority of the people hooked in by the kickstarter had already ditched the trash fire and were likely not going to come back to warn people off.

Imagine a bare-bones grid combat system ala Etrian Odyssey but cobbled together by someone who had never played one or knew what made them interesting. All balance done is anti-player, and the enemies play by different rules than the player. Levelups are throttled back by an arbitrary system where you have to backtrack to talk to an NPC to unlock tiers. Tiers are bog-standard shovelware tripe where you have to put x points in tier 1 to open tier 2, in order to limit player choice.

Gear is mostly randomized, so you can get totally rolled by RNG by getting literal garbage instead of anything worth money or gear itself. Skills have weapon-based bonuses, so you can again be rolled by RNG and not find a kit. Enemies almost immediately become insane HP/Armor sponges that hit like freight trains smoking crack.

There's a rating system to warn you about hard encounters, but to see that rating you have to be inside the encounter radius in most cases, making that moot or actually dangerous to attempt. You are also intended to fight several of the overly high rated encounters to progress, and the battles are split into waves. There is no indication of this.

The only good part of the writing, what little there is, is some of the companion dialogs.

The music is fine.

This game is wearing a skinsuit of the already thin OG Bard's Tale story and is mostly just references to the old games. This game is an embarassment, and inExile should be ashamed.

Feb 1, 2024·35h·3·Verified

Steam User 8810STEAMRecommended

This is a great game, with amazing ambiance, mind-twisting puzzles and decent difficulty. The combat is very unique and the music is simply amazing.

If you own both this version and the Director's Cut version, you are probably better off playing the DC, if in doubt check out this post that compares the two:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/566090/discussions/0/4145068512477988102/

Jan 29, 2024·121h·Verified

Steam User 0860STEAMRecommended

bon jeu tactical au combat au tour par tour sur grille de 4 sur 4.
compétences des personnages assez variés, histoires et ambiance intéressantes
le jeu est un peu trop long a mon gout et la fin est assez répétitif

Oct 31, 2023·76h·Verified

Steam User 6252STEAMRecommended

Having been a fan of the first three Bard's Tale games back in the day, I enthusiastically backed The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep on Kickstarter and followed the game's development through to its release in 2018.

There were definitely issues at launch, and the game took a lot of hate, but I think it generally achieved what it set out to achieve and I'm a happy backer. The puzzles are fun and challenging, and the tactical combat system is well done and harks back to the mechanics of the original trilogy. The story is good and kept me playing, and the music was excellent.

This version is no longer available on Steam and has been replaced by the Director's Cut which includes new dungeons and some quality of life improvements.

Oct 20, 2023·40h

Steam User 9569STEAMNot recommended

From the horrendous kilt,
Elven jingling bits
Now gone.

Jun 19, 2023·9h·Verified

Steam User 9832STEAMNot recommended

I backed this on Kickstarter and got finally around to give it a try. I figured by now it would have all of the teething issues resolved. Well, got that wrong. It crashes before i could even set foot in the game. Spent 30 minutes trying to troubleshoot based on hints in the discussion boards. Not going to waste more time on this.

May 18, 2023·1

Steam User 9113STEAMRecommended

[h1] Металлического Dalgliesh'а кто-нибудь видел?
Нет, серьезно, я не шучу.
WANTED[/h1]

[b] Это игра не достойна Бадра, но не может не наслаждать его почитателей. Прошло всего-то 30 лет (третья часть вышла в 1988) и нам выкатили нежданную четвертую часть.
Пусть кто-то воротит нос, говорит что фи, качество не торт, ловушки не те, кайф не макдаковский.
Плевать на глупцов.
Заверните мне четыре копии этой части.
Потому, что следуя логике разработчика пятую часть стоит ожидать не ранее чем через 60 лет.
А мыслью и ностальгичностью она будет в 1994 году.[/b]

[h1] Ешь, тебе говорю!
Не привередничай. Добавки не будет.[/h1]

May 3, 2023·1009h·4

Steam User 1315STEAMRecommended

Really solid experience but you should be prepared to do a lot of puzzles along the way, great OST, very enjoyable gameplay

Apr 20, 2023·65h

Steam User 9488STEAMRecommended

If you like puzzle strategy and RPG games, this is definitely for you. A vast improvement from the original. Cabbage, Carots, Potatoes...hahahaha

Nov 25, 2022·14h·Verified

Steam User 5030STEAMNot recommended

I found this game boring--instead of making nice environments and NPCs, the game just shoved repetitive and boring puzzles in my face. Plot lagging? Puzzle. Boring enemies? How about a puzzle. A lame environment? Naw--puzzle time.

I like puzzles. But I only like them when they add to the story. Here, it seems they took a puzzle writer and a story writer, but made them work separately, never talking or considering if what they were doing was making a fun game.

Nov 14, 2022·86h

Steam User 5194STEAMRecommended

;]

Sep 17, 2022·62h

Steam User 0044STEAMRecommended

If you figure out the right combat skills and talents combat can get a little easy, so consider trying the game in hard mode from the getgo. A wonderful soundtrack, interesting and sometimes quite challenging puzzles, and a lane-strategy type combat that is distinctive from comparable RPGs.

Jul 21, 2022·74h

Steam User 7198STEAMNot recommended

May 25, 2022·5h

Steam User 5061STEAMRecommended

I've loved the bards tale franchise for decades when i heard it was being kickstarted i jumped right on there is very little that disappointed me with this game but hands down the biggest is it not being true to the franchise the potential for dlc to add hobbits gnomes half elves and half orcs was there and not tapped into. Further classes would of been nice too.
But that aside i find the game thoroughly entertaining and the soundtrack is a treasure for someone like me that loves folk music.
it will forever more reside in my favourites list.

Apr 17, 2022·162h·1

Steam User 2907STEAMRecommended

хорошая инра

Apr 6, 2022·6h·Verified

Steam User 4649STEAMRecommended

perfect

Mar 30, 2022·10h·Verified

Steam User 7276STEAMRecommended

Absolutely fun game!

Mar 26, 2022·56h

Steam User 4046STEAMRecommended

takes time to adjust. no easy difficulty settings but it growws on me

Feb 2, 2022·35h·Verified

Steam User 2148STEAMRecommended

Loved bards tale as a kid, and enjoying this one so far.

Jan 7, 2022·32h·Verified

Steam User 8083STEAMRecommended

Lots of Nostalgia factor on this one. Graphics are pleasing to the eye and an interesting storyline. I do NOT recall the original series being quite so puzzle driven, but this one is, at times, VERY puzzle dependent. It can be annoying when all you want to do is wander around and kill bad guys. But solutions are available if you research a little bit.

Overall, a fun game if you enjoy this sort of RPG.

Jan 7, 2022·142h

Steam User 5289STEAMRecommended

I want to make a positive review solely because of astonishing portray of celtic culture in a different world. To the point where your bard yells "Sláinte!" when drinking in combat, let alone folk music and celtic knots depicted in various places. Celtic culture is a dear part of my life, hence it's impact on me here is huge. Don't get me wrong, this game's strong side is not just it, it's also the combat system. It's unique for this genre of games and unique in a very good way. If you're fan of everything celtic, these two points can carry you to the end.

But alas, strong points of this game are ending here. It's quite buggy (there're no bugs that prevent you from finishing the game, but some of them weren't fixed since the release) and unoptimized, 'cause graphics aren't top level, but on my okayish rig I saw constant freezes and fps rarely was above 50.

In short, it's very niche, but for some people sure can be a great time. For me it was quite an enjoyable expirience. I'd recommend to buy this game on sale, if it will ever be in the store again (for now the game doesn't show up in Steam store search by request of a publisher)

Nov 28, 2021·61h·1

Steam User 4015STEAMNot recommended

The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a kickstarted sequel to the original ancient western/classical RPGs in the Bard's Tale series. Puzzle centric adventuring and combat adds a new spin to the genre.

The developers didn't do any testing with PCs from the same era they wrote the game in, so the game is unplayable in 4K, because it doesn't display properly. Easy to fix if you bother to do some testing!

Also this is superseded by a directors cut, so they removed this edition from Steam (the right thing to do). Hopefully the directors edition includes "testing the game on gaming PCs to see if it displays properly on hi def monitors".

Oct 11, 2021·7h·2

Steam User 1303STEAMRecommended

good adventure

Oct 5, 2021·513h·Verified

Steam User 6205STEAMRecommended

I LOVE a challenge!! I'm old school. Way...Way...Way back in the days, where adventure..puzzle solving...was in text...than we got "Stick-Men". But the graphics on Bard's Tale, Story, Sound are spetacular....And it took a minimum of 50+ hours to finish!!! Entertaining to say the least!!!

Aug 26, 2021·25h·Verified

Steam User 0245STEAMRecommended

It takes a special kind of special to...
- make an RPG with illegible fonts, so that you cannot know what you carry or what your skills do;
- connect the GUI music to the SFX volume option instead of the music volume option;
- limit character creation to male, yet provide female voices for him;
- insert a cutscene between a Load click and the actual loading;
- force the player to leave the game and go online to solve certain puzzles (with a code wheel.)

InXile also recruited into normal levels of special in order to...
- offer meta-gaming choices without explaining the mechanics;
- make an RPG with 1 saving slot only, to ensure that you cannot replay your favourite moments later;
- make you collect tons of junk into a lacking inventory grid, then make you craft and cook;

In the interest of balance, they also recruited coding novices. Which is why, after years of corrections, you will temporarily get stuck on the terrain, experience crashes, and walk between 2 teleporters in less time that the teleportation would take.

Highly recommended.

Wait, what?
Yes, you read correctly. It's a great game, although one of the most flaw-ridden great games I know, maybe the one that gave the worst first impressions.

Weighing early in the balance is the Scottish-inspired setting, its presentation, its atmosphere, its visual storytelling.
Soon enough, it's the sound that takes centre stage. The sound is brilliant. We've gotten used to background chatter, here we also get people singing at their labour. The music becomes spectacular, particularly in the countryside/forest maps, which I would revisit for the singing alone.
The Bard's Tale... They really did the title justice.

Next come the puzzles.
I liked them right away, based on their mechanics alone, and they kept getting better and better.
And there is a ton of them, in all shapes and forms.
If you don't like puzzles, stay away from this game.
The puzzles along the main quest are mostly child's play. The optional ones can become much harder, and don't necessarily bring high reward. Sometimes they do, but remember that solving the puzzle is meant to be the actual goal and pleasure. Sometimes the first difficulty is to notice that there is a puzzle to solve, and that you are looking at a clue.

Then the combat.
Although the mechanics are quite counter-intuitive, and very poorly explained in game, they end up working surprisingly well, with a lot of tactical variability. The kind of variability that lets you play the combinations you enjoy the most, rather than combinations mandated by specific opponents.
The visual format, simple interface, mobs design, sound effects, music, animations, all contribute to make the fights just... fun.
With a handful of exceptions, they are also very short, which cancels the main drawback of a turn-based system.

By the way, sneaky rogues will not only grant you initiative, they'll let you skip confrontations entirely when you don't feel ready.

What of the flaws then?
Most of them are silly but not game-breaking, as you can guess.
Tiny texts are more of a problem, but luckily they are confined to skills and equipment, things you can read once and remember. I just had to keep my telescope close-by for the occasional unique item.
Bigger issue: extreme loading times. They occur also on location changes. Even on teleportation, which means the code reloads the entire map when you don't change map. Baffling. Definitely taxing. It doesn't motivate exploration. It will be unbearable to some of you. Alt-tabbing to wait it out isn't that great a workaround because of memory leaks, leading to stutter, and eventually to a system freeze.

One more thing: You can save anywhere (otherwise the game would earn a thumb down and a refund.) Only, you'll first have to find the option and check the box, because the game defaults to being an arse.

Long story short, inXile took risks with this title, and although not everything works for the best, the sum feels fresh, creative and addictingly entertaining.

Aug 15, 2021·132h·3·Verified

Steam User 6565STEAMRecommended

Mimo swych wad(m.in. problemy z optymalizacją, długie wczytywanie lokacji itp) gra ma swój klimat, który wciąga na długo.

Jul 3, 2021·92h

Steam User 8523STEAMRecommended

Gra nie dla każdego ale mi się bardzo podobała lubię tego typu gry

May 17, 2021·23h

Steam User 5841STEAMRecommended

Super jeu, les phases de combats poussent a réfléchir ! Je suis fan !

Apr 8, 2021·61h·1

Steam User 9220STEAMNot recommended

Don't pay for this, just don't

Apr 1, 2021·2h·Verified

Steam User 3337STEAMRecommended

Fun game with a neat twist on the tactical combat. There is also a great mix of fun and difficult puzzles during the game - some of which I admittedly got stumped on and had to search online for hints.

Mar 10, 2021

Steam User 5444STEAMRecommended

good game, good story. There are little places and story interactions I couldn't get to, but I think even those were intentionally unreachable, just adding flavor and depth to the world. Neat game in so many ways

Feb 26, 2021·100h·Verified

Steam User 5800STEAMRecommended

A classic revived! I was excited to revisit Skara Brae, and while it was quite different, I was not disappointed. The combat was very different than what I was used to, but I did quite enjoy it. The puzzles and puzzle weapons were probably some of the highlights for sure.

Feb 20, 2021·59h

Steam User 0049STEAMRecommended

It definitely is a change from the trilogy due tot he graphical interface. That being said it is a great game and very puzzle intense. It does follow the gist of all the Bard's Tales and can get you frustrated if you don't pay attention to some dialog. The voice actors are real good along with the banter. Overall I would give this about 8 out of 10 for the game style and genre

Feb 17, 2021·437h·2

Steam User 5550STEAMNot recommended

Un jeu avec un manque d'ambition certain, malgré une ambiance superbe. Mais nous sommes loin d'un jeu ouvert à la Skyrim. La gestion de l'inventaire est globale (un peu comme si l'équipe portait un unique gros sac en piochant dedans), les potions sont en nombres limités, impossible d'en crafter plus que ce qui a été prévu. Impossible d'en acheter plus que ce qui a été prévu également, chaque "marchand"' gardant en stock ce qu'on lui a vendu (et oui, seuls les héros utilisent ces services visiblement ! ) Certaines énigmes sont répétitives, d'autres sont franchement introuvables sans les soluces. Les personnages sont peu personnalisables après leur création. On peut être obligé de faire l'impasse sur certaines quêtes pour peu que ce qui a été nécessaire pour les réaliser ait été utilisé par ailleurs à l'insu de notre plein gré. Et on pourrait se dire que certains combats peuvent être gagné grace à la compétence de chaque personnage, pour peu que leur niveau le permette. Mais face aux boss rencontrés vers la fin : et bien en fait non ! A nous de trouver les bonnes combinaison de combattant, et si on n'a pas les bonnes potions (cf plus haut), c'est foutu pourri d'avance. Le gain d'expérience est global. Si le niveau des aventuriers augmente, ceux qui sont restés sans rien faire en profitent aussi. Une alternance jour/nuit aurait été sympa. Certains PNJ sont uniquement là pour faire de la déco. Dommage car certains aspect ont réellement été travaillés je trouve. Bref on roule dans une ferrari avec moteur de Dacia

Jan 4, 2021·173h·Verified

Steam User 3753STEAMRecommended

So the game is really nice.Thanks a lot guys.

Dec 10, 2020·108h

Steam User 8147STEAMRecommended

Great kickstarter project. Especially tweaking your spells with the enemies or environment can give unexpected and hilarious results.

Oct 26, 2020·90h

Steam User 8917STEAMNot recommended

A very disappointing buggy mess. I normally like InXile's games, and I had high hopes from the kickstarter, but this is one of the few games I just gave up on.

Sep 4, 2020·7h·1

Steam User 2492STEAMRecommended

I like how they have preserved the original spirit of the Bard's tale game. I played the original on the commodore 64 way back in the day. Turn based combat is well done. Skill trees very original.

Aug 14, 2020·197h

Steam User 1824STEAMNot recommended

I backed this as a Kickstarter and played a little bit when it came out and wasn't hooked. Here I am trying it again a few years later and I think I'm done. The voice acting is impressive. I think this just isn't my style of game. It's very puzzle heavy, which doesn't work for me.

Aug 7, 2020·7h·2

Steam User 6108STEAMRecommended

I backed this on Kickstarter, but I've only had the time to play it recently. Excellent game, brings back to mind the originals. Fantastic thematic music as well.

Jul 26, 2020·58h

Steam User 6565STEAMRecommended

Pretty good level of nostalgia and reminiscent of the original series with difficult riddles and a great story line. A little glitchy here and there but no game killing problems.

Jul 6, 2020·66h·Verified

Steam User 9274STEAMNot recommended

Very poorly optimized, crashes frequently, bad game.

Jun 27, 2020·1h·2

Steam User 2611STEAMRecommended

The story is quite interesting and the game play is well thought out. Some of the puzzles can be quite difficult to figure out, but there is also a fairly active community if you need help.

May 24, 2020·23h

Steam User 2597STEAMRecommended

nice RPG - lovely graphic, sometimes messy

May 22, 2020·23h

Steam User 5971STEAMRecommended

Having been weaned on CRPGs with Bard's Tale 1 - 3 ( including the BT Construction set) back in the 80s, I was thoroughly brought back to those early years with BT IV!!! A great game to be sure! Enough of the old mixed with a bunch of brand new, allowed me hundreds more hours enjoying the awesome universe that is BARD'S TALE!

May 6, 2020·138h

Steam User 1074STEAMRecommended

Finally finished Bard's Tale IV. I had actually played this game almost twice. The first time I played it, I got to the Lodge of Siambra Dhu and couldn't beat the enemies. I stopped playing for a while, played other games, uninstalled this game. Finally, a year or so later, I decided to finish the game so I started it again from the beginning. This time I stuck to it, had a different approach and tactics. I finally was able to complete the game. I really did enjoy it. I did have a few graphic glitches and had to reboot the game but all in all, things went well. The puzzles were challenging but I found out that the second time through the game was actually easier since I knew what I was facing most of the times. The game was involving and well done. I do recommend this game.

May 4, 2020·189h·Verified

Steam User 9408STEAMRecommended

I'm having fun! Good game!!!
Things that annoy me: Loading time... Wow, I feel I am back in the 1980! :) Loading time between zones is taking forever.
After an hour or so of playing the game, the game crashes!

Apr 26, 2020·21h·Verified

Steam User 5399STEAMRecommended

Fun game.

Apr 16, 2020·6h·Verified

Steam User 6711STEAMRecommended

Though it starts slow and has a bit of a learning curve, I highly recommend this game for those who love strategic role-playing games. This game rewards the careful explorer and doesn't seem to have a lot of places where you have to grind.

Apr 8, 2020·80h·Verified

Steam User 2267STEAMRecommended

C'est un très bon donjon crawler, avec pas mal d'énigmes, de combats et une musique de qualité.
J'ai joué à la version d'origine qui a du bénéficier de pas mal de patch, car sur mes longues sections de jeu, je n'ai eu que 5 crashs, et quelques ralentissements .
Je me doute que la version Director cut soit meilleure, mais elle ne tourne pas sur mon vieux PC.

Feb 26, 2020·2h·Verified

Steam User 1190STEAMRecommended

old school good game

Feb 13, 2020·80h·Verified

Steam User 1415STEAMNot recommended

Всем привет!
Люблю RPG!
Прошел в замке Харкина 2 загадки, дальше мобы и 99 волн.
На 92рой волне игра зависла. Печаль.

Feb 9, 2020·90h·Verified

Steam User 2502STEAMRecommended

Классная игра... Играть можно, но местами так эти загадки достают.... Очень уж их много напихали.

Feb 9, 2020·31h·Verified

Steam User 3334STEAMNot recommended

This game is fun but if the first boss Mangar in this game is that hard then i don't want to know what the final one will be like, pretty much a waste of money to buy a game you'll never be able to make progress in.
I'm not the only one who thinks this, there have been a lot of posts over the internet about this being too hard EVEN ON easy, the developers of the game really need to do something about this.

Feb 9, 2020·11h·3·Verified

Steam User 2335STEAMNot recommended

So many crashes... It's really fun, puzzling and thoughtful game. But the amount of crashes... I am only 27 hours in and it crashed over 10 times. (The reason why it's only 10 crashes is cause I avoid the things that crashed it)
Doe Getting hit by a trap crashes the game, canceling a summon minion in the first turn crashes the game. Sometimes they game just crashes cause I enter a stronghold.
Not having a permanent saving system would be suicide.

Feb 3, 2020·66h·Verified

Steam User 9854STEAMNot recommended

I usually don't review games, but this one is implemented poorly. It constantly crashes randomly while zonign and the inability to jump seems to really some sort of artifical limitation placed in the world. Also, the re-use of space with the artifical "barriers" is pretty annoying. You have to repeatedly go back to the same places you already went in order to simulate replayability

Feb 2, 2020·5h

Steam User 5400STEAMRecommended

Just a really well made game. No RNG, just a bit of problem solving.

Jan 17, 2020·22h·Verified

Steam User 8700STEAMRecommended

I played the original Bard's Tale and all of the followup games when I was a kid, and I absolutely adored these games. I helped Kickstart this game, and awaited it patiently. It did take a while to get into the groove of this game, and I finally did complete the game. However, there were a lot of bugs, misspellings, and lots of mechanics issues -- and I actually didn't get around to playing it until over a year after it came out. So, the support, patches, and updates appear to have been generic and really didn't get to the heart of it.

Overall, the game was good, and I do recommend it, but there were so many little issues that kept popping up again and again and again that it seriously bothered and annoyed me pretty constantly. Crashing, falling through the world, getting stuck over and over and over in places so that my character couldn't move, quest items that were mislabeled, and areas where there were dozens and dozens of puzzles in a row just to complete one simple stupid step that would stop the entire game progression if you couldn't figure it out, or didn't wanna' spend hours trying to figure out some dumb thing.

Now more is coming back to me and I'm getting annoyed again. STILL -- it was a good game.

Jan 14, 2020·66h·1

Steam User 1519STEAMRecommended

This game is hifghly addictive. However, I am currently stuck in town, LOL!

Jan 7, 2020·17h·Verified

Steam User 9333STEAMRecommended

one of the finer RPG experiences this old-school gamer has enjoyed. play it, let it soak in, it's one of a kind.

Dec 29, 2019·80h

Steam User 0173STEAMRecommended

A true Bard’s Tale fan from the CPC 6128+ days, I immediately jumped on this reenvisioning, although the mention of VR features and simplified combat was making me skeptic. It turned out, the weird, card game combat layout worked like a charm and even if you could not face 396 berserkers in the limited 4X4 combat grid, encounters were fun! After a few hours, it was apparent that at its core, BTIV was a love letter to veteran gamers, for better or worse. And that’s because the charm and personality of old dungeon crawlers was there, but some nuisances tied to that period were also apparent. Exploration and travelling back and forth was cumbersome, conversations cheesy and idle NPCs standing like lifeless mannequins felt so weird.
After 34 hours (and nearing the end of the campaign), I experience a weird bug that made my party fall under the world’s architecture, effectively blocking my progress. Quite some time had passed since my last save and my patience was already wearing thin because of other minor bugs, so I left BTIV at that point. Mind you, that was back in release, so tech issues should have been patched by now. Besides, my team had grown so powerful by then that it was steamrolling all combat encounters. I hear there’s a Director’s Cut edition now: if there’s an inexpensive option to upgrade my version to this one, I would certainly revisit and take care of unfinished business… https://www.facebook.com/chriskuv/

Dec 8, 2019·34h·3·Verified

Steam User 8025STEAMRecommended

This game has an amazing atmosphere, including its great soundtrack and fun innovative combat

Dec 2, 2019·40h·1·Verified

Steam User 8252STEAMRecommended

I love this game, I really do. I even supported it for production. I just wish it would run on my laptop....which isn't that old, but apparently still won't run this game. Sad face.

Nov 29, 2019·29h·1

Steam User 6884STEAMRecommended

I played and finished the original trilogy starting back on my Commodor 64 and backed this on Kickstarter the first day. I couldn't wait to play it, but life takes priority over games as you get older. :( I haven't played much and wish I had more time, but so far I really like the game and the combat dynamics. Anyone who likes the old school RPGs will like Bard's Tale IV.

Nov 27, 2019·6h

Steam User 2361STEAMRecommended

Nostalgia with pretty graphics, nice that you can nerf puzzles too

Nov 27, 2019·8h·2

Steam User 0181STEAMNot recommended

Zunächst geht es ganz spannend los, was aber im Spielverlauf wirklich abnervt ist
1. Du kannst nirgends die Zutaten oder Tränke kaufen, die Du brauchst. Wenn Du keine
Bomben oder Rotkohl hast, bist Du dem nächsten starken Feind 100 % ausgeliefert.
2. Bist Du noch nicht stark genug für die Kämpfe, gibt es keine Möglichkeit im Spiel
voran zu kommen, Du hast keine Gelegenheit stärker zu werden, um den Kampf später
zu meistern.
Nachdem ich ca 30 mal gegen die Doppelgigantenbesetzung gescheitert bin, habe ich
nun das Spiel deinstalliert, denn, was soll ich mit 100 untragbaren Rüstungen, wenn ich
Malefinische Essenz brauche, die mir bei 40000 Gold kein Mensch verkauft.
Wozu beherrsche ich Handwerkskunst, wenn das Material fehlt.
Mir hat das Spiel weniger Freude als Ärger bereitet, schade.
Im Spiel möchte man Leistungen erbringen und dafür Belohnungen erhalten.
100 Knochenhaufen statt lebensnotwendigem Heiltrank.....
Unser Held kann noch nicht einmal ein Böschung erklimmen.
Wem`s Spaß macht!

Nov 27, 2019·218h

Steam User 4072STEAMRecommended

Отличная пошаговая олдскульная РПГ. Любителям данного жанра играть обзательно)

Nov 26, 2019·99h·Verified

Steam User 8761STEAMRecommended

Really fun game, I think the mixed and negative type reviews you see online are due to the fact that people who backed the kickstarter were expecting something more in line with the original games. Bard's Tale 4 isn't perfect, but well worth the price. 8.5/10

Nov 24, 2019·149h·1·Verified

Steam User 5724STEAMRecommended

geiles Spiel

Nov 18, 2019·110h

Steam User 7369STEAMRecommended

Ein tolles Erfolgserlebnis wenn man ein Rätsel löst. Man muss die Umgebung aktiv absuchen als wäre man selbst aktiv.

Nov 14, 2019·233h

Steam User 0991STEAMRecommended

Bard's Tale IV is an awesome combination of exploring and puzzle solving that includes an enjoyable grid-based combat system. While some may say this game revolves too much around the puzzles, I think it does a great job of creating interesting and varied objectives instead of relying so much on the combat. For someone who normally dislikes turn-based combat, I loved the grid based system. There is a lot of options and strategy involved with deciding which party members to bring with you and how to position them effectively on the battlefield. The game rewards you for exploring thoroughly and backtracking to uncover secrets you couldn't access earlier in the game. Another highlight of the game is the music. The original Gaelic soundtrack is amazing and really adds to the experience.

Nov 12, 2019·68h·Verified

Steam User 2594STEAMRecommended

An update of a classic RPG (The Bard's Tale) that maintains the same character of the original while bringing improved graphics and sound. The game play takes a little getting used to, but the puzzles, level enhancement, skill trees, turn-based combat, limited party size, and D&D-style RNG bring back memories of the early days of adventure games. Combat speed is a little slow, and it's easy to miss things in the environment if you don't explore carefully. Plan to spend a lot of time exploring, grinding, leveling your characters, and solving puzzles to get through to the exciting finish.

Nov 3, 2019·163h

Steam User 9238STEAMRecommended

totaly ameizing

Nov 3, 2019·107h·Verified

Steam User 1165STEAMNot recommended

was ist das für ein Mist, erster Boss ist für mich NICHT zu schaffen, ich spiele auf easy und möchte es einfach nur zocken.Das ist aber wohl ein großer Irrtum.Warum frage ich mich, müssen die das Spiel so schwer machen ?
Nach 10 Versuchen , den komischen Boss Mangar zu schaffen, geht aber nicht, geb ich auf
Bitte kauft diesen Müll NICHT

Oct 27, 2019·85h

Steam User 9056STEAMNot recommended

I've tried picking this game up a couple times, I really liked the concept but the the number of game-crashing bugs just kill it for me.

Sep 21, 2019·26h·1·Verified

Steam User 7367STEAMRecommended

The only reason I played this game, is because players were ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ about it.
Truth be told I was gladly surprised and after almost 40 hours I can only recommend this game.
Fighting, the ammount of items, quests, puzzles, were freaking awesome.
Thanks devs.

Sep 21, 2019·38h·1·Verified

Steam User 9892STEAMRecommended

Es macht Spaß wieder als alter "Veteran" in Skara Brae zu sein, auch wenn es sich anders spielt als die Original Bards Tale 1-3 Teile damals, zieht es einen in den Bann wie es sich für ein RPG gehört sobald man sich an die Steuerung gewöhnt hat. Es sind einfach auch 30 Jahre an Technik dazu gekommen (C64/Amiga-2019). Lässt man sich drauf ein, gibt es eine spannende Geschichte zu spielen, die etwas weg vom damaligem "schnell nochmal etwas Leveln fürs neue Gebiet" ist, denn es geht recht linear voran. Es gibt viel zu entdecken, die Kämpfe machen auch Spaß, es gibt viele Händler und viele Gegner (die nicht respawnen) und Rätsel. Ich bin zufrieden auch wenn es anderes ist als die Ursprungs Bards Tale Trilogie fesselt es mich durchaus... Note 2- ...(ach ja die alte BT Trilogie remastered wurde auch released und diese spielt sich wie die alten mit besserer Grafik und besserer Technik -und ist absolut empfehlenswert TOP!)

Sep 8, 2019·36h

Steam User 7371STEAMRecommended

For certain, the best modern re-imagining of the Wizardry-styled RPGs. The grid-based combat system is solid, approachable, quick-paced but with meaningful depth. Puzzles feel mostly solvable without the help of the internet and the voice acting is surprisingly solid, often making a lemonade out of the lemons that often is the writing those actors are working with. World art is passable and character art is, well... it is what it is, but if you look past that, there is a really fun and immersive game here. And that IS what matters most.

Sep 2, 2019·36h·Verified

Steam User 6249STEAMRecommended

I have a serious love/hate relationship with this game and this may be the longest review I've ever done because of it. There are alot of good things about it, mostly in the potential of what they were trying to do (vs the execution) that could yield some excellent DLC or sequels. It felt to me like a cross between Grimrock and Wizardry8 (both games I loved) and was a very refreshing change from games like DOS2 and POE (which I also love).

Some rants...
Puzzles - I like puzzles and I'm ok with some I cannot solve since it's impossible to scale the difficult to all player levels (I'm clever but not exceptional). HOWEVER, with puzzles the key is defining the physics behind HOW they work and this game does a poor job of that on some, making them near impossible to solve if not intuitive to you OR you don't like spending hours and hours playing with the puzzle to figure out the physics. Unclear rules on how to solve led to a number of accidental solves where i was like "what did i just do" or unclear requirements in general. I whined in the early game about wanting less puzzles and more combat until i hit mid/late game where combat became unbalanced (see below).

Combat - One of the best and worst features. I like the idea of what they were trying to do very much but their balancing and technical bugs made it either very easy or very hard. The "first strike" mechanic becomes a "must have" on higher difficulties or the enemy wipes out 1/2 your party on the surprise round. Combine with some massive lag and technical bugs led to encounters i won or lost where I literally couldn't tell what just happened (5 effects going off at once, enemies with status effects that were hidden by their HP so i couldn't properly react to them, tanks mysteriously dying using the guardian feature). Also combat finishes so quickly that alot of the higher level powers I never used.

Gear - Terrible scaling. Maxxed out by mid game leading to no joy in exploring late game or secret passages that ended with...a small handful of gold to add to a huge pile I had no ability to spend in the first place. Some class based gear but little variety within that (so finding the exact same pair of boots in the early, then mid, then late game).

Elven puzzle weapons - Also a cool idea but bogged down with unclear requirements on how to unlock, poor scaling (they start weak and then some of them get massively OP once fully unlocked), or mirrored effects (shouldn't they all have unique powers?).

Masteries - A trend that alot of new games use (one reason I quit playing the original Guild Wars), you get 20 powers but can only use 4 in combat - removes alot of the tactical value (and fun) which is part of the point of the whole combat system to begin with. Combat then becomes repetitive and two dimensional. Also makes levelling at high levels less valuable. Why unlock new powers when they arent better then lower ones AND I can't use both. Just get more CON or STR.

Overall it felt like they just ran out of time/money (or spend too much on things that added little value - like secret/hidden areas with puzzles whose sole reward was a chest that gave you a handful of gold - so 100 man hours of coding that should have been used to fix the combat system). Possible the new Directors Cut addresses some of these issues (I finished it just before the DC was released).

I still recommend it as I like funding studios with good intentions. Hope they fix these issues and roll into some good new content soon, looking forward to it.

Aug 21, 2019·91h·Verified

Steam User 1135STEAMRecommended

If you enjoy old-school first person rpg feels this is something to look into. It isn't without its issues(some bugs, mostly patched now, and some clunkiness) so do some research before you buy but it is definitely worth looking into if you like the genre.

Aug 9, 2019·72h

Steam User 8674STEAMNot recommended

This game runs like absolute ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. I have a mid range PC that is able to handle anything on the market right now (maybe not on ultra), but not this game. Seriously the graphics aren't THAT good.

The devs are giving out the director's cut to all that own the game, and they claim to be fixing technical issues and performance issues. I will be trying the game again when this releases and I really hope that it plays better.

As far as I can tell in the 12 hours (as of writing this) I have in this game, it's pretty good, with interesting combat and puzzles galore. Can't wait for the director's cut to try this game again, hopefully it will change my opinion and I can give it a positive review.

Aug 5, 2019·12h·3·Verified

Steam User 8345STEAMNot recommended

[h1]Puzzle Tale IV: Deep Grave[/h1]

I think I solved more puzzles in this game than in all games I ever played combined. There are moving stone puzzles, bouncing wisp puzzles, classic align cog puzzles, steer blood puzzles, align multiple symbols puzzles, select constellation puzzles, align one symbol puzzle by rotating wheels, etc. There are many types of puzzles and they are everywhere. Fights are interesting although you see LAG in the fight. I have a beast machine but here game lags in the single player game during the fight as effects are playing out. Character development feels limited, you can make any character a healer through quests, even rogue. I normally love this types of games with similar combat like Might and Magic X or Lords of Xulima. This game just feels unpolished, full of unnecessary puzzles, and boring. Without puzzles you could probably pass this game in 5-10 hours rather than 50-60 hours. I don't want to rip into this game too much but it was just sheer disappointment.

[b]Pros[/b]
+ Evil imp mage companion

[b]Cons[/b]
- Too many puzzles
- Too many same cultist creatures
- Restrictive world with invisible walls
- Poorly optimized game that crushes a lot
- Very long loading screens
- Voice acting gets boring after a while

This game needs to burrow itself deep into a pile of games you would touch reluctantly. I bought this game for about $30 and I bought Assassin Creed Odyssey for same price and there is no comparison. Play Lords of Xulima instead and you will fall in love with that game, rather than play this puzzle simulator.

Aug 3, 2019·65h·7

Steam User 1932STEAMRecommended

For those not familiar with the original(or remastered) Bard's Tale games, the original games date back to the 1980s. As a result, many will not be familiar with games of that era. Turn based combat was very common in those days(unlike console/arcade action games). This is based on the old Dungeons and Dragons pen and paper style, where characters have an "initiative" roll, so characters(not the player) that are more nimble, will get to take their TURN first, then the next, then the next. So, both player characters and enemies will take their turns.

Bard's Tale 4 isn't as formal, but it IS turn based in combat, the player or enemy takes its turn, then the other takes its turn, you tell it what to do, back and forth, until one side or the other is dead. While younger players may not enjoy it, older players will appreciate the strategy aspect of being able to take your time to decide how to handle things.

So, on to the game. There is a LOT of exploration that comes into play, with things hidden, and things you can't get to until later in the game(exploration abilities). That is where the game shines. Without being fully open world, there is a fair amount of roaming around you can do, and you do open more over time. Some things are VERY well hidden as well. Side quests that are not required are available as well. If you enjoy the exploration aspect, it can take a WHILE to find most of the things in the game as well. Puzzles will block some areas, and that may turn off some people, even while doing a good job of keeping the game too easy to just get through.

Overall, Bards Tale 4 is a solid mix of exploration, puzzles, combat, and story. It's not going to attract everyone, but it holds true to the vibe of the original games, while improving graphics and EVERYTHING. If you played the original games back in the 1980s, you will probably love the new game, while if your experience is all about action and skipping story, you may not enjoy it.

Jul 27, 2019·185h·3·Verified

Steam User 0718STEAMRecommended

I was amazed. One of the most beautiful games Ive ever played. The atmosphere, the mesmerizing folk music in the background in the various worlds you enter while playing. Hundreds of puzzles, most of them fun to solve. I cant wait for the Director Cut version to replay this game!! :)

Jul 26, 2019·86h·2·Verified

Steam User 2470STEAMRecommended

Game was going good until I went to get the ledger in the doppleganger quest. Locked up and will go no further. Loaded previous save and went back to underground and completed Spells quest. Went back to doppleganger and it again locked up in the same spot.
Is there anything else that I can do to get past that issue.

Jul 21, 2019·200h·Verified

Steam User 8950STEAMRecommended

big thumbs up. Early reviews made me wait on this game. Great songs, great atmosphere, great characters, spooky - love the game. HUGE SHAME this wasn't on sale during the summer sale they missed out on more audiences to discover this game. Excited for DLC and more content -

Jul 11, 2019·42h·3·Verified

Steam User 1393STEAMNot recommended

Leider hält das Spiel nicht das was man sich unter Bards Tale Vorstellt

Jul 8, 2019·59h·1·Verified

Steam User 9963STEAMRecommended

It's nice evolution to the Bard's Tale Formula.

Jul 6, 2019·7h·1

Steam User 4741STEAMRecommended

A lot of people dis'd this game for various reasons. To them I say you always can find something to complain and nit pick about. This is a great game if you like the RPG genre. The game plays well, the missions are all pretty varied. You have to be pretty creative to figure things out (one of the things I like about the game). I also love you can receive quests early in the game but can't solve them right away until your party levels up and the game progresses more. It is somewhat linear which is okay. It isn't an open sandbox type of game. I strongly recommend. I liked this game way more than the first bard's tale or other subsequent bards combined.

Jul 5, 2019·70h·1·Verified

Steam User 0641STEAMRecommended

Super into the original series in the 80's, as well as the original Wasteland. Commodore 64. This sequel is pretty fantastic. It's difficult to even imagine how a sequel would translate much later on in time. Game standards have changed so much. The latest version has really good genuine character.

Jul 4, 2019·337h·1

Steam User 0612STEAMRecommended

Entertaining and a bit family friendly - my children will tolerate watching me play

Jul 4, 2019·46h·1