Bard's Tale The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep - Director's Cut

[fantadomat]

Sooo which one is better,BT4 or Cuckmaker or dumpsterfire dlc?

 

[Darth Roxor]

ELEX

 

[fantadomat]

ELEX

Hands down the best rpg in the past few years,

 

[ProphetSword]

Could there already be a sequel in the works? Could be possible if you believe this totally 100% real and not at all made up for fun Internet posting that I magically happened to find in an undisclosed location...

Hello everyone, this is Fryan Bargo with exciting news about The Bard’s Tale V, already in production. We feel that The Bard’s Tale IV was such a success that there was really no need to wait for all the thumbs up and glowing reviews to settle before jumping right in, head first.

We have listened to feedback and we’re 99% going to ignore most of that in order to bring you the best game you’ll ever want to spend money on foolishly. Here are the exciting features we plan to bring you in the next installment (due out January 2019):

* More puzzles everywhere. This seems to be everyone’s favorite part, so get ready for exciting puzzles every time you open your inventory, drink a potion or attempt to save a game in progress. We know you’ll enjoy deciphering runes and turning or pushing blocks every couple of seconds to totally immerse yourself in the game world.

* Combat with only one action per turn. We really want to simplify what combat is all about, so we are planning to only allow the heroes to have one solid action per combat round. Want to move from the front to the rear of the party? That’s a whole round of combat, over and done. Cast a spell to heal your friend? All finished. There’s no need to bog a player down with constant choices, after all. We’re sure you’ll love it.

* Even more tokens. The token system in The Bard’s Tale IV to create mercenaries was so successful, we are extending it to many other functions in the game. Now, if you want to open a door, you simply find a convenient door token. If you plan to swap out your armor for a better set, armor tokens can be found in at least two places in the game world. Need to save your game? No problem...the save token system should set you up for success...and each token comes at the affordable price of just $1 each.

* Better frame rate. We heard the complaints about frame rate within the game, and have decided to go to a monochrome wireframe graphic setup with stick-figure NPCs. This should allow most systems to push the game at optimal graphics with at least 20 FPS (given a fairly hefty graphics card, naturally). The visuals in the game will be powered by your imagination, and will be the best thing you’ve ever seen. We promise.

* Affordable price. We put a lot of effort into The Bard’s Tale IV, so we need to find a way to make up that cost. You can help out by purchasing The Bard’s Tale V. The introductory version (which allows for one playable character and a game world equalling four total areas) will be available for the absolutely affordable price of $199.99. We will have more information on more expanded versions later.

I hope you’re as excited as we are about this project. Take care.

 

[Zombra]

Past a certain point you cannot turn back, so make sure you complete all your side quests before you enter the final dungeon(s).

Is this properly signposted in-game? Seems like a lot of things aren't well communicated.

I'm enjoying what little I've managed to play so far - but what's with the checkpoint save system? Didn't enough people in the beta tell them this was dumb?

There has been a lot of conversation about save systems on the official board and it was apparently decided that an "anything goes" system was not desirable. There was little to no pushback on this during the beta that I saw; I personally think they built a good compromise. Of course some folks nowadays aren't used to intentional limitations.

And they're both right, so what does a dev do, flip a coin?

Make it optional. Like in Odyssey or RDR2. Many optional features.

No. Every option you throw in splits the design into two games. Adding four major options means that you are now designing 16 distinct and different games, and the design has to work for all 16, and you have to test and balance all 16, and when players review and discuss the game, nobody is going to know what the hell anyone else is talking about because they're not playing the same thing.

Make one strong, well-balanced design, and people can take it or leave it.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

Are you a bunch of wussies? Respec, pff. Back in the days the respec option was called "Start a new game".

Back in the day you didn't *need* to respec. You just gained more levels, or changed classes. There was infinite XP and nothing you couldn't fix with more grinding.

 

[Zombra]

Are you a bunch of wussies? Respec, pff. Back in the days the respec option was called "Start a new game".

Back in the day you didn't *need* to respec. You just gained more levels, or changed classes. There was infinite XP and nothing you couldn't fix with more grinding.

Yeah. Not the case in BT4 sadly. I'd be fine with no respec at all here, but I'm seeing reports from players unlocking new skill trees and then being unable to actually use them because the game is too far along at that point. Seems ... unfortunate ... to make character classes that literally cannot be used in the game

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

The essential part of oldschool RPG experience is botching your entire party with bad choices, picking all the worst classes and powering through the game despite depression and despair. Respec would just ruin all that fun.

 

[theSavant]

I can't bear it any longer. Must.Try.Game.
*Downloads game on 9 year old laptop* (probably pointless, but I recently got an UE4 game to run at 5 fps).

It worked! I was surprised it even started. Runs totally awful, but it runs (5-10 fps guesstimated). FYI my specs:
- Intel core 2 duo capped at 1.0ghz energy saving mode (otherwise it overheats)
- Ati 4650 mobility (which is comparable to intel hd4400 performance)
- 5400rpm HDD

inXile almost deserves praise that it runs on my shitty machine. And no crashes 3 hours in the game, running the patched GOG version.


Obviously I can't give a real review of the game, but my TLDR opinion is: It's ok. Yeah, really. Overall it's ok.


Some notes (most things not new):

About the graphics: everything is ugly, blurred and pixelated - and it's only my fault. Funny thing is, that these graphics remind me of Lands of Lore 3 graphics. Not only that, but the whole thing gives me Lands of Lore 3 vibes. Which is again funny, because LOL2/3 also turned away from the original formula and were therefore criticised (and probably hurt the sales). Nevertheless both had their own kind of charm - a charm I couldn't find in many other games. Bard's Tale 4 is kinda similar. It also turned away from the original formula, and it also has a similar kind of charm. They both seem to be created with more love and soul, unlike the soulless copypaste ElderScrolls sandbox.

About the issue of armor and weapons restricted to skills and classes: while I still find it subpar, it didn't annoy me as much as in Wiz8. Strange. Maybe it's because BT4 made it more clear and distinct from the beginning, while in Wiz8 it wasn't that clear and often misled me.

About the combat: the game really forces you to think and use various tactics and skills. You can't just bash mindlessly because then you'll lose the battle. But because of that, it also feels kinda slow and clunky. But it's a different slow compared to Wiz8. It's more like a HOMM battle (which also takes long as we know).
Besides I've tried to use keyboard controls only in battles, but it isn't really usable. You can only select a skill via keyboard, but not which enemy you want to attack. This could easily be added with cursor controls. Maybe they add it later?

About the SaveSpots: I'm not happy about the SaveSpots, redoing battles or backtracking to SaveSpots. While I haven't lost a battle yet, it will certainly happen later in the game. N thanks. It really should be "Save Anywhere".

About introduction and party building: playing the game myself I found the introduction much more involving that I had expected while watching it on youtube. Not boring, not too long, not complicated, and you can build your first character very soon. I still don't like to level up or even use "temporary party members", but the approach is understandable. I remember that Lands of Lore 1 also had temporary companions at the beginning and only later you got your full party. About the "blue waypoints" leading you by the hand, I have to admit (with a bit of shame) that I found them very helpful.


Overall I must conclude that my sorrows were a bit exaggerated (or maybe I already knew what to expect and couldn't get disappointed anymore). The overall impression is alright, and I'm definitely looking forward to play the full game (with a better computer).

 

[Nyast]

Past a certain point you cannot turn back, so make sure you complete all your side quests before you enter the final dungeon(s).

Is this properly signposted in-game? Seems like a lot of things aren't well communicated..

No, it wasn't communicated at all. At some point towards the end of the game, after defeating one of the main story's bosses ( the before-last one ) you're tasked to return to Skara Brae to report to the adventurer's guild. But a certain event occurs, which I won't spoil. There's no turning back after that.

 

[Zombra]

Past a certain point you cannot turn bac.

Is this properly signposted in-game?

No, it wasn't communicated at all. At some point towards the end of the game, after defeating one of the main story's bosses ( the before-last one ) you're tasked to return to Skara Brae to report to the adventurer's guild. But a certain event occurs, which I won't spoil. There's no turning back after that.

So what should one look for if they don't want to get trapped? I assume this isn't the only time in the game you're supposed to go to the Guild.

 

[Curratum]

LOL2/3

Goddamn it, now I have to dig those out of my GOG library and play them again! Got 1/3 into 2 and put just around an hour in 3 and loved them despite the most immediately obvious faults. Westwood sure knew how to make a quirky, charming game. #nostalghia

 

[Nyast]

Past a certain point you cannot turn bac.

Is this properly signposted in-game?

No, it wasn't communicated at all. At some point towards the end of the game, after defeating one of the main story's bosses ( the before-last one ) you're tasked to return to Skara Brae to report to the adventurer's guild. But a certain event occurs, which I won't spoil. There's no turning back after that.

So what should one look for if they don't want to get trapped? I assume this isn't the only time in the game you're supposed to go to the Guild.

At that point you have a feeling you're approaching the end of the game, and the last time the game made you report back to the adventurer's guild was in mid-game IIRC ( lot of time ago ).. so if you've beaten the before-last boss, that's pretty much your hint that going back to Skara Brae is a no return and you better complete all the side quests you want, before doing so.

 

[cvv]

LOL2/3 also turned away from the original formula and were therefore criticised (and probably hurt the sales)

Not true for 2, it was even better than 1 except that small problem with your character uncontrollably mutating into a beast and back. Whoever came up with that briliant idea deserves to be castrated, cremated and shot into space. This one galactically retarded decision buried the entire series.

LoL3 did veer away from the original formula, it was a weird, ungainly thing, but nobody really cared anymore coz nobody bought it.

Yuge sadness for the series. LoL1 is a very rare case of a game that's simplified and streamlined compared to previous blobbers - with the obvious aim to attract more casual, mainstream audience, which in the early 1990s meant mere aspergers instead of outright autists - but still extremely fun. One of my favourite RPGs evah.

 

[Infinitron]

PC Gamer likes it: https://www.pcgamer.com/the-bards-tale-4-barrows-deep-review/

THE BARD'S TALE 4: BARROWS DEEP REVIEW

I’ve sunk about 40 hours into The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep so far, and I’m not ready to hoist my 'Saved the World' tankard just yet. It's a really big game. But even though I have yet to dispatch the latest and greatest threat to the city of Skara Brae—and the greater world of Caith, because the adventure goes far beyond Skara Brae's walls—I am happy. This is the dungeon crawling adventure I've been waiting for.

The Bard's Tale 4 is a remarkable modernization of an infamously punishing old game, and the dungeon crawler genre as a whole. The update is most obviously apparent in the free-roaming movement system that lets me look and go where I want, without the conventional constraints of grid-based movement. It’s all smoke and mirrors—the levels are as linear and corridor-based as they were in the original Bard's Tale games—but the free movement, map layouts, and longer lines of sight work together to brilliantly camouflage the angular restrictiveness and make it feel more like an open-world game.

It took me awhile to adjust to the oddities that this hybrid system sometimes enables. The tutorial level talks about sticking to the shadows to sneak past an enemy, for instance, but there's no actual stealth feature, and visibility is solely a matter of distance and positioning on the invisible grid that maps are built upon. It's often possible to stroll up to within speaking distance of an enemy without being seen.

Jumping, ducking, hiding, leaning, and other advanced movements that you’d expect from a first-person RPG aren’t possible either, because—and I feel like this really deserve emphasis—that's not what The Bard's Tale 4 is. It might be dressed up like Skyrim Lite, but it's a Bard's Tale game through and through.

Shiny and old
As up-to-date as The Bard's Tale 4 looks and sounds (the ambient audio is fantastic), a number of the underlying systems are unforgivingly old-fashioned. Characters can't be re-specced, so if you make a bad choice or decide you don't like how your front-line tank is shaping up, that's too bad. Inventories aren't accessible in a fight, so forget about asking everyone to hold up while you open your pack and pull out a healing potion. Speaking of which, healing potions are in extremely short supply, and you can forget about crafting all you need because one of the herbs needed to make them is just as rare. And The Bard's Tale will happily throw enemies in your path that you are woefully unprepared to handle.

It was frustrating at times, until I came to terms with the idea that the fault was entirely mine for wasting resources and picking fights I couldn't win. The shortage of potions is a hassle, but it's something I can work around, rather than an unfair obstacle—kind of a puzzle in its own right. At one point on my adventures, I was faced with enemies who beat my ass severely. I could sometimes take them, but just barely, and not without blowing through far more potions than I wanted to. After several reloads (and increasing annoyance), inspiration struck: Go around them. It worked.

The leveling system is also from an entirely different era. Characters abilities are based on "masteries" that can be purchased as levels are earned: One level, one point, one mastery. But there are multiple tiers of masteries, and unlocking successive tiers requires the approval of the Adventurer's Guild Review Board, which will only grant it once you’ve unlocked enough of them at your current tier.

Because of that, chasing a specific ability or saving up points to sink into higher-level masteries isn’t always viable because higher tiers won’t unlock until you've enabled enough of them at your current rank. It's a hugely anachronistic but I actually like the way it saves me from the "build paralysis" I suffer when trying to figure out what to do with my characters. Instead of worrying about saving up skill points for the high-end abilities, I can blow them on the middling stuff without fear that I’m “wasting” them.

Other elements don’t feel 'old' so much as just rough or unfinished. There’s no inventory autosorting or stacking, paper doll screens aren't accessible when dealing with merchants so you can't see equipped weapons and armor when you're shopping for upgrades, and the map lacks detail—it doesn't indicate where the savegame markers are, for instance—and worse, it doesn't support manual notations. Little flags indicate "points of interest," but give no sign as to what's actually interesting about them. Maybe it's a nice view, or maybe there's a locked door or optional quest, but there's no way to leave a reminder on the map so that you'll know to pay attention the next time you're passing through the neighborhood.

Some of these issues have been addressed in a recently-released patch: Hard drive performance still isn't great but it's better than it was, there's an FOV slider, and crashing has apparently been reduced, although I didn't have any crash issues so I can't comment on that. InXile says future patches will continue to improve performance and gameplay, including the map, which will be cleaned up for "readability" and finally get save totem markers.

The save system bears a specific mention too. Bard's Tale 4 uses a manual checkpoint save system of "luck stones," some of which can be sacrificed—without a save—in exchange for a chunk of experience points. I really like (and hate) having to choose between the security of a save in the middle of a tough dungeon and the tantalizing promise of free and easy XP. But an unintended side effect is that I often take the XP, backtrack through a level to the most recent standard Luck Stone to save and rejuvenate my party, and then hike all the way back to the front line.

In a way, that's legitimately old-school too, kind of like the cheesy slide-and-swing maneuver commonly used in real-time grid-based dungeon crawlers: These games are hard, and we do what we must to win. But it's a good idea that doesn’t quite come off in execution. At times I agonize over the choice between safety and XP, but more often than not I just end up doing a lot more walking. The potential for frustration is also high: There are plenty of save points, but if you forget to use them and then wipe, it's tough noogies for you. There are no autosaves or do-overs if you pooch a fight. I’m inclined to see that as a good thing, but not everyone shares that enlightened perspective.

Skara Brae is back
Combat and exploration are where The Bard's Tale 4 really shines. Turn-based battles take place on a 4x4 grid with a shared pool of "opportunity points" determining what your party, and the enemy, can and can't do. Initiative is determined manually—charge an enemy and you get first strike, but it goes to them if you're spotted first—and proper positioning of your characters is vital, especially as the game wears on. 'Fighters up front, mages in the back' is timeless advice, but some class-specific maneuvers that inflict extra damage also have limited reach or proximity bonuses. Your magic user’s flame attack does triple damage if you blast your opponent right in the face, as an example, so it might be worth moving her to the front rank to score that heavy punch. But it'll cost a point to move her up there, and another to pull her back to relative safety.

Tactical movement isn't the flashiest of Bard Tale 4's upgrades, but it is one of the most important because it can force some really tough decisions. As it's a turn-based game I can take as long as I like to ponder my options (although the enemy side will start to razz me if I dick around for too long) but ultimately there is no reward without risk: I might be able to save my badly injured fighter by pulling him back to the rear rank, but if he stays up front and eats one more hit, my magic user could have a better shot of getting off his devastating Warstrike spell. It can be nerve-wracking, because there’s no guarantee that an enemy will react to your moves in the way you want him to, but a daring, high-risk maneuver that pulls out a last-second victory feels pretty great.

Effective use of buffs is also important. My personal avatar in The Bard's Tale 4 is, appropriately, a bard, and when people start fighting, I start drinking. The drunker I get, the more effective my songs, and the buffs they confer, become. But if I drink too much (which generally isn’t a problem, but hey, everybody has bad days), I get one turn of angry super-strength—and then I fall over, helpless.

And because attack damage is a fixed value rather than RNG-based, wins or losses never feel cheap. I know exactly what's going to happen when my rogue lands a Shiv attack (assuming I’m paying attention), and so I can plan around it. I can't blame a shitty roll of the dice for losing a close fight, but I feel in control of what I'm doing because outcomes, good or bad, are dependent solely on my planning and execution. While there's some joy to rolling the dice in, say, XCOM, games like The Bard's Tale 4 and Into the Breach, which telegraph more outcomes, bring a chess-like intensity where every sacrifice and attack must be planed turns ahead.

Drunkeneering
My bard's booziness is emblematic of a gentle silliness that runs through Bard's Tale 4. One of my masteries is Mean Drunk, which I chose solely for how ridiculous it is: After I chug a drink, I throw my magic mug at the enemy for 5 physical damage. There's a goofy lightheartedness to it that Serious Adventurers might not dig, but I really like it. It's endearing without being overbearing, and makes for a pleasant break from the usual grim business of dungeoneering. Enemy NPCs trash-talk amusingly during fights (they are particularly disdainful about my drunkenness) and party members banter as well, in a way reminiscent of the Baldur's Gate games. The Trow rogue tells dad jokes, the Dwarf fighter threatens to rip his ears off for it, and the Imp practioner—that’s Bard’s Tale terminology for magic user—gets a big bang out of tormenting me with threats of demonic possession.

The world of Caith is also an absolute delight. It's big, for one thing, and unexpectedly beautiful in parts, particularly the forest of Inshriach, a wooded area that opens up around the midpoint of the game. And there are all kinds of things to do. Combat is obviously at the top of the list, but there are people to talk to, puzzles to solve, lore to learn, and some pretty cool weapons and armor to pick up and play with. Some areas can be bypassed if you're in a hurry to get to the end (but why would you be?) and you can skip bits and come back to them later: I've got a giant who's been waiting for an ass-kicking in Skara Brae Below pretty much from the start of the game. The levels really feel packed, and it's worth putting time into properly exploring them. And there is one important concession to modern gameplay in the form of adjustable difficulty. 'Easy' mode isn’t a walk in the park, but it does makes combat noticeably more manageable.

The story underlying all this dungeon crawling business is fairly rote fantasy stuff about a powerful bad guy and a nefarious plot to take over the world (or maybe blow up, I'm not entirely clear on that). Familiarity with the old Bard's Tale games is fun for picking up references—the first major villain I encountered was Mangar, the final boss of the original Bard's Tale, and there's a shrine to creator Michael Cranford next to the old Adventurer's Guild, which I think is a nice touch—but not at all necessary to enjoy the story or understand what's happening. Not that Bard's Tale 4 leans too heavily on narrative anyway: The entire basis for the game is that my pal and I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I wasn't doing anything else so I decided to help him out.

Again, that's the old school approach: We're here because we're heroes, and this is what heroes do. If you need more motivation than that—a deeper meaning, or maybe a more elegantly-told tale—then this may not be your kind of thing. But for old-time adventuring in a sprawling, vibrant world, The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep delivers.

THE VERDICT
84

THE BARD'S TALE IV
An old-fashioned game in a shiny new package, The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep is a worthy addition to a classic series.

 

[Curratum]

And to think those same asshats gave DQXI a 68...

 

[aweigh]

I've noticed the healing potions "complaint" a few times and I gotta wonder why, I'm practically drowning in the things and can craft an almost infinite supply whenever I want.

Also kind of funny that those old-fashioned things they mentioned like not being able to "respec" or access your inventory in combat are both things that were actually present in most older games, but then again it's a reviewer so obviously everything they write is absolutely retarded.

 

[newtmonkey]

They just parrot what they are told by PR, that it's TOTALLY OLD SKOOL like your grandpa's RPGs.

There is not a single thing old-fashioned about BT4. Between reviewers' insistence on BT4 being "old-fashioned" and their weird fixation on how "Bard's Tale has always been known for its music, puzzles, and combat" (what music and puzzles??? maybe in BT 2004 lolz; they are certainly not referring to the death traps in BT2 lol), I get the feeling none of them have even played a BT game (up to and including BT4).

 

[Bohr]

Fargo is pleased

 

[felipepepe]

The leveling system is also from an entirely different era. Characters abilities are based on "masteries" that can be purchased as levels are earned: One level, one point, one mastery.

Oh, fuck off. It's a goddamn skill tree, something that every fucking game today uses, from Skyrim to FarCry.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Oh yeah, PoliticallyCorrectGamer. They alone probably make up for 50% of the retardation in the gaming press.

And what's with the dagger in that image?

 

[Feyd Rautha]

The leveling system is also from an entirely different era. Characters abilities are based on "masteries" that can be purchased as levels are earned: One level, one point, one mastery.

Oh, fuck off. It's a goddamn skill tree, something that every fucking game today uses, from Skyrim to FarCry.

why don't we have triggered button?

 

[Goral]

FYI on IRC channels Bard's Tale IV is more pirated than Pathfinder Kingmaker.

 

[Paper]

maybe beacuse pathfinder is trash

 

[Jezal_k23]

Yeeah I guess when a modern game has a skill tree then it's totally modern, comprehensible and perfectly designed, but then an RPG comes out that's PERCEIVED as oldschool then suddenly it's absolutely ancient game design from your grandpa's time and also everything in the game is outdated, unpolished, janky and unfriedly to use.