As has become my custom with games I intend to play, I only read threads and the review about Bard's Tale IV after having played the game myself, and I have to say that my view is very much contrary to the Codex general opinion. While I agree that the game has a rather uninspiring beginning, it quickly takes off after that and really is a great little gem of a game.
I think it manages to be an homage to the old games while also being new and unique in its own right. It's true that the game's systems are quirky and take some getting used to--especially the Skill Mastery system which, if used in a certain way, allows a character to use a "weapon" skill without actually wielding said weapon. But once that mental adjustment is made, and properly understood, it stacks up very well against others in similar games and has a certain old-school charm about it that speaks well of the designers.
The character classes are fun and unique, their different lines of skills are well-defined and in tune with the overall class. Whether or not one can call a Troubadour Bard and a War-Chanter Bard two different classes or not strikes me as a rather autistic argument I'd rather not have. What's important is that they play differently, have different roles in battle and in non-combat interactions and feel distinct.
The art style also manages the cool blend of the old and the new, reminiscent of some of the better Might and Magic games, updated. As the reviewer properly notes, there is one scene in particular involving a forest that is among the best graphical effects I've ever seen in a game. More, it's also shocking and unexpected.
The writing is a clear homage to the older games. Sure, we don't have Bioware's tired angst-ridden characters trying to decide whether or not to let a party companion stick something up their ass, but if you ask me that's all to the better. Instead, we get good old-fashioned stuff, like, say, Paladins who want to fight evil, Mages who want a quiet library to study and Bards seeking the original, ancient lyrics to a song.
And the songs! The music in this game is SUPERB. The songs are not only high quality, they are sung by different bards in different ways that make them almost like cover versions of the original, each good in its own way. Pass by a house in a village, and you may hear a busy housewife within singing to herself while she's doing the cleaning, walk by a bar and you may here a bagpipe lament coming from inside, pass a temple and you'll hear acolytes chanting within.
Combat is very tactical and turn-based, based on a grid, with skills that can force movement, impose different statuses (stunned, poisoned, bleeding, etc), and, holy of holies, features a MAGIC SYSTEM THAT ISN'T JUST SWORD DAMAGE AT A DISTANCE. That's right, for the first time in many, many moons in a CRPG, magic-users bring something powerful to the table. The combat system uses "opportunity points," itself a changable number depending on chosen skills, but on top of that, there are spell-points. Spell-points are hard to come by, but act completely independently of the opportunity point system. You likely will have only three or four opportunity points to spend on actions amongst your party, but if your magic-users have spell-points they can use them to their heart's content. This makes mages of various stripes decisive in battle.
The puzzles, mazes, riddles and lore books are all very, very well done. They are challenging at times, but, thankfully, not as challenging as the original games'. (I can recall stacks and stacks of maps and notes that I somehow manage to be nostalgic for yet at the same time not miss). When you hear the blessed whoosing and chime sound that means you have found the right answer, it's truly wonderful.
I'm not a huge fan of inXile. I even't don't like their name with the stupid capitalization. Heck, I didn't even like Wasteland 2.
But Bard's Tale IV is a good game, a real diamond.
So the latest release from a highly regarded series is a giant piece of crap? Again?! Ya’ll are pulling my leg, there’s no way the newest Mass Effect, Fallout, Bard’s Tale AND Jagged Alliance all suck ass! Like all of the sudden the developers were all, “know what? I’m tired of making good games, time to make some shit”?!?
