The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut

[b][i]Cabbage? Carrots? Potatoes?[/i][/b] Well, it seems they burned all their money on the soundtrack and voice acting. It’s a solid piece, reasonably well put together for what it sets out to be, but it doesn’t surprise me at all that—even carrying the name of a classic IP—the game remained buried among the handful of Kickstarter titles that spearheaded the modern CRPG revival. The game has nothing particularly remarkable about it. It offers a passable experience, but without much personality or sense of humor (which I believe is an important detail for fans of this franchise). Don’t expect a highly customizable RPG with interesting interactions and a gripping story full of choices and charismatic characters. At best, the writing is just very dry and incapable of making you care about anything (even if it comes with decent full dubbing), much less feel like you're visiting a well-realized and efficiently presented fictional universe. And your agency is completely superficial. What we have here is a very simple, on-rails adventure. A game that boils down to a repetitive and not very immersive dungeon crawler with a questionable sense of pacing, packed with abstract and tedious puzzles that grow increasingly intrusive, and poorly developed quests that exist mostly as an excuse for you to navigate badly designed maps—which would be a nightmare to traverse if not for the guidance systems. The low production values scream at you the moment you leave the main menu. A weak presentation, terrible graphics and animations, amateurish and disjointed art direction, and a world that feels practically lifeless and impossible to take seriously, doing a poor job of hiding its artificiality. Performance is also terrible—something that was very common in indie RPGs at the time, including the console ports. Modern machines can brute-force their way through the game without much trouble, but I’m sure the hardware of the time struggled to maintain 30 FPS with visuals that were already below average. It feels extremely dated, especially when compared to modern iterations of the genre. But, ironically, what saves the experience is precisely the fact that the game is simple. Because everything is so shallow and straightforward in its goals, there’s little room to get frustrated by the lack of polish. The execution is practically that of an ’90s dungeon crawler, with the addition of a very solid and well-balanced combat system (by far the best part of the game), in which you easily fall into a satisfying and easy-to-digest progression loop. The tactical challenges the game offers—within its very limited character and equipment customization—are more than adequate. And it genuinely pains me that this system wasn’t further refined and applied to another franchise. Even the combat interface feels more appropriate to the game’s budget and manages to do much more with less, streamlining things in smart ways, emphasizing what actually matters. The exploration is quite unengaging, as are the stories the game presents, but you can kind of just keep going without caring. It's not bad enough to be a deal-breaker. I wouldn’t say it’s worth the investment—especially in terms of time—but I can safely say that the ease with which you get pulled into the game’s core activities, combined with the addition of a song that lets you skip the more irritating puzzles, makes it hard to lose focus. It’s a mediocre game, but one that delivers what it sets out to do in large quantity and without too much unnecessary time-wasting. Now, whether what it delivers is actually good enough, I honestly can’t say. This is technically my second run, now on a more appropriate platform, but after putting in a few hours, I’m not sure I feel like continuing, because my overall impression has been kinda neutral. Not good enough, not bad enough. It seems like the kind of game I could play a little bit at a time until the end, and then I wouldn't remember anything about it. Except for the music, of course. It almost seems like a crime to waste such a good soundtrack on a game like this. But I’ll say one thing: those hours flew by. And for a franchise that has never been known for having good games, this one isn't far from its peak.

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.

i love the bard's tale remastered, funny entertaining and worth the coins. this is not! (got it on sale and still feel i was robbed). the game is buggy, the fighting is not intuitive and well it's a chore. i love old school RPG's this is a puzzle game desguised in a labyrith map of boring fights and annoying puzzles. your skills don't matter, your equipment doesn't matter and pretty much anything else doesn't matter. the music is good... i was looking for an old school RPG, not whatever this is pretending to be. Not for me, no thanks.

Super fun Old school dungeon romp with comedy. Reminds me of my Childhood running around in Skara Brae with my 13inch Color Tv and Commodore64 attached with a AV converter black slider box playing in Skara Brae for hours on end. Good times. good times......

This game in an excellent nod to cRPGs of yesteryears. If you like the old 3D Might & Magic games (namely VI and VII) or enjoyed newer versions of this style of game like Legend of Grimrock, then this game is for you. An excellent and unique blend of grid-based and turn-based combat. A very well done and balanced character talent point system. An awesome, fully orchestrated, and vocalized soundtrack and sound effects set. The environments are varied, detailed, and the puzzles are just challenging enough to appreciate but not so difficult that you would need a guide to figure anything out. This game deserves high praise, and I wish we saw more games like it these days.

Just buy it for the music : ) Games fantastic too by the way ; )

[h1][b]🎮 Reseña de The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut[/b][/h1] [h2]Resumen del Juego[/h2] The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut es un Rol clásico de exploración de calabozos en primera persona, con combates por turnos y un enfoque fuerte en el “vamos en grupo porque solos nos da ansiedad”. Aquí no vienes a hacer parkour ni a disparar: vienes a moverte casilla por casilla, a armar tu party, y a resolver rompecabezas como si tu vida dependiera de empujar la palanca correcta (y sí, a veces depende… de tu paciencia). La primera impresión es clara: este juego quiere que sientas “la vieja escuela” con orgullo, como quien presume un vinilo rayado. Personalización de personajes, exploración metódica y peleas por turnos que te piden pensar… aunque también te piden tolerancia a sus mañas. Es un viaje de fantasía con humor y ambición, pero con la sutil vibra de “yo no vine a complacer a todos, vine a filtrar débiles”. [h2]Baladas Épicas y Cachetadas al Ego (Lo bueno y lo No Tan bueno)[/h2] Lo Bueno: ✅ 🧭 Exploración de calabozos en primera persona muy marcada, ideal si te gusta mapear y sentirte detective medieval. ✅ ⚔️ Combate por turnos con enfoque de roles en grupo: si te armas bien, se siente táctico y satisfactorio. ✅ 🧩 Rompecabezas constantes: el juego se compromete con su parte “cerebro antes que músculo”. ✅ 🎭 Personalización de personajes: suficiente para que tu party sea tu desastre… pero tu desastre con estilo. ✅ ☁️ Steam Cloud + logros (59) + cromos: perfecto para acumular pruebas de que “sí lo terminé” aunque nadie te lo haya pedido. Lo No Tan Bueno: ❌ 🕹️ Compatibilidad parcial con mando: o sea, “sirve… pero no te emociones”, y se nota en un juego de navegación precisa. ❌ 🧠 El ritmo puede sentirse denso: entre exploración metódica y rompecabezas, hay sesiones que se sienten como tarea con soundtrack. ❌ 🧪 No es un juego para todo el mundo: si no te gusta el Rol clásico por turnos, aquí vas a sufrir (y el juego no va a pedirte perdón). ❌ 👥 Comunidad pequeña en el presente (15 jugadores): no afecta al modo un jugador, pero sí delata que esto es más “culto de nicho” que fenómeno. [h2]Tabla de Evaluación[/h2] [table] [tr][th]Aspecto[/th][th]Puntuación (0-10)[/th][th]Comentario[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Jugabilidad[/td][td]7[/td][td]Sólida si te gusta lo clásico; si no, se vuelve castigo autoimpuesto.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Dificultad / IA[/td][td]7[/td][td]Exige planificación de party y turnos; no te regala victorias por carisma.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Contenido[/td][td]7[/td][td]Entre calabozos, puzzles y progreso de grupo, hay bastante que masticar.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Gráficos / Video[/td][td]6[/td][td]Cumple sin deslumbrar: funcional, más “RPG serio” que postal next-gen.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Historia[/td][td]6[/td][td]Fantasía con intención; no es el guion que te cambia la vida, pero sostiene el viaje.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Ambientación[/td][td]7[/td][td]Buena vibra de aventura clásica: calabozo, misterio y épica medida.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Efectos (VFX)[/td][td]6[/td][td]Correctos, sin fuegos artificiales constantes.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Música[/td][td]7[/td][td]Acompaña bien el tono de balada aventurera; suma identidad.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Voces[/td][td]6[/td][td]Cumplen; no siempre te van a volar la cabeza, pero no estorban.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Diversidad[/td][td]6[/td][td]La personalización ayuda, pero no es el estandarte del género en este punto.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rendimiento[/td][td]6[/td][td]En general estable, aunque no se siente como el campeón técnico del año.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rejugabilidad[/td][td]6[/td][td]Puedes volver por builds/party, pero el ritmo y puzzles no invitan a todos a repetir.[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]Total Puntuaciones (Bueno)[/b][/td][td][b]6.5[/b][/td][td]Un RPG clásico competente: encantador para su nicho, terco para el resto.[/td][/tr] [/table] [h2]Conclusión (Bueno)[/h2] The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut es de esos juegos que te miran a los ojos y te dicen: “si no te gusta el Rol por turnos y la exploración lenta, no es mi problema”. Y honestamente, se respeta. Tiene un corazón de dungeon crawler clásico, con party management, rompecabezas y una estructura que premia la paciencia más que la impulsividad. Ahora, seamos controversiales: que hoy haya 15 jugadores activos no significa que sea malo… pero sí que no es precisamente la fiesta del pueblo. Aun así, con 676 recomendaciones totales, queda claro que a su audiencia le cumplió. Si tú eres de esa audiencia (la que disfruta el mapa, el turno, el puzzle y el “a ver, optimicemos la party”), aquí hay una aventura bastante decente. Si buscas acción inmediata o comodidad moderna, este juego te va a educar a la fuerza. [h3]Recomendación de Compra (Recomendado con reservas)[/h3] Puntuación Total: 6.5/10 Número de jugadores activos al momento de hacer esta review: 15 Descuento máximo registrado: -80% Veredicto: [i]Recomendado con reservas: gran sabor clásico, pero con asperezas y ritmo exigente[/i] Si te gusta el Rol clásico por turnos con exploración de calabozos en primera persona y rompecabezas frecuentes, vale la pena entrarle y dejar que te absorba. Si lo tuyo es el “rápido, fácil y sin fricción”, mejor no: este bardo no canta para complacerte, canta para retarte.

I'm not exactly someone who plays tons of classic dungeon crawlers. This is one of the first ones I'm trying out. That said, I think this game is really cool. First off you can play it with 3d movement instead of the blocky movement normal for dungeon crawlers. Maybe thats good for you or not but you can choose which way to play. The world is really quite stunning, although the graphics are somewhat dated they just look great. The voice acting in this game is also really good. What I like most is that this is just a good old fashioned high fantasy story. Combat is engaging, though the skills and masteries do take some getting used to. The enemies have various abilities for you to consider, and the grid based combat does keep the battles interesting as well. You get a party of adventurers and you can actually hire others and keep a bench roster and swap them out depending on what you need for a given quest. As I understand it, the story here is really quite long and I'm looking forward to it. I actually really recommend this one to anyone interested in this style of game.