The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut

Game mechanics are not easy.

A flawed masterpiece. There's so much to love here and it's very, very obvious that it was created with a LOT of love. It makes me sad that only about 25% of the players have made it past the first boss, there's so, so much more after that. So much beautiful art and so much beautiful music that it's a shame that more people haven't seen it. However, this game has it's issues. It is an INCREDIBLY slow burn. The story really doesn't get going until quite a while in. It's a dungeon crawler at it's heart and feels very much like the slog that the original Bard's Tale games were. Also, I have to ding it a bit for the combat. I dislike games that give you a bazillion options in your skill tree, but then only allow you to utilize a slight handful. It kills experimenting and flexibility. I found a working combination and pretty much stayed with it for almost the entire game. I'm also a fan of open world-type games, but the level size on this is insane. It felt like it would take forever to get to the next waypoint for the story. 90 hours in and I still skipped a couple of optional quests. So, to sum up. Awesome artwork, decent story line (specially if you're familiar with the series), amazing music, and some very nice voice work. But, long sloggy levels, and mediocre combat. My recommendation, give it a whirl, but stick with it a bit. Make it past Mangar before you give up at least.

Ein hervorragendes Spiel, das verschiedene Gameplay-Aspekte miteinander verbindet: Es bietet reichlich Raum für Erkundung und das Entdecken von Geheimnissen, Denkanstöße in Form von Rätseln sowie herausfordernde, aber durchweg fesselnde taktische Kämpfe. Alle Fähigkeiten sind gleichermaßen nützlich durch gute Balance zwischen den Klassen(Gegenständen), nützliches und einfaches Handwerk, eine ausgewogene Wirtschaft. Darüber hinaus besticht das Spiel durch eine wunderschöne Grafik und eine ansprechende akustische Untermalung. Kenntnisse von Bard's Tale Trilogie wünschenswert, da du sonst mit unbekannten Namen/Geschehnisse überfordert wirst. Kleinere Bugs bei mir: seltene Spielabstürze, schlechtere Optimierung der Küste auf der Insel 9.0/10

剛玩沒幾個小時 戰鬥系統目前覺得做的還不錯，有點像下棋的感覺 要想辦法讓肉盾擋在前面扛傷害的同時，後排又可以輸出 比較困難的時期是只有自己一人的時候，等到有隊友加入就會好一點，隊伍有三人的話就簡單不少了。 只要打可以打得過的敵人就好，打不過的先繞開，之後再回來打。 以我七小時的經驗來說，賊的輸出能力驚人，我的主角是選吟遊詩人 I’ve only been playing for a few hours. So far, I think the combat system is pretty well-designed; it feels a bit like playing chess. You have to figure out how to keep the tank in front to absorb damage while letting the backline deal damage. The toughest part is when you’re on your own, but it gets easier once teammates join you—and it’s much simpler with a three-person party. Just fight enemies you can handle; avoid the ones you can’t beat for now and come back to them later. Based on my seven hours of experience, the Rogue’s damage output is incredible. I chose the Bard as my main character.

I will continue but not because I'm making a healthy choice, that precludes a negative review and what I want to give. Like I suspect most bards require in games with depth; I need penicillin as I'm fairly sure this puzzle game gave me something communicable. Purchased at deep discount on the wave of fond memories, I lost little, but gained equal measure. -Edit- and now I'm not continuing, changing the review (wish there was a middle ground). Ambitious game, didn't succeed in my view.

Apres 30h a passer son temps sur internet pour trouver les soluces complétements débiles, des boss tous au si debiles, n'achetez pas ce jeu d'un autre age

AAA game makers can't top this, quite an amazing game!

Feels like an old game with high production value but the old school design choices and lack of Qol features hold it back

,,,

I couldn't believe I hadn't written a review for this when I played it all those years ago, so here I am. I think I had this and the trilogy for a couple years before I finally saw that this 4th game was a modern version for the game (I hadn't wanted to play the older stuff and think I only had them because they cost a $1 or something and I talked myself into buying them then lol). Anyways, the game is absolutely beautiful and still looks good to this day, 7 years after release! Paired with the top notch soundtrack and sound effects, the ambiance/atmosphere for TB4 stands shoulder to shoulder with the best RPGs out there. Being pretty to look at and listen to is one thing but the real meat and potatoes of the game is everything else. The gameplay itself -exploration, combat, story, secrets- are all marvelously done and chock full of content in each aspect. I found myself exploring every nook and cranny and fighting every fight I could to find whatever secrets and equipment I could as well as trying out different combinations of party members and gear. There were so many things to discover that I never had a moment where there wasn't something new to find. I'm not sure how the entire game holds up compared to other RPGs in 2026 because its been 5 years since I played, BUT from what I remember and described here I doubt that it isn't still a fantastic game to play in 2026. Currently it's $6.99 (giggidy)- you cannot find a much better game for that price! I don't know if I'd still pay its asking price ($35), but for this price/under $10 this is a fantastic choice for your money, Edit/Disclosure: I had taken my first ever tiny little piece of a.c.- i.d. and with that little you don't trip but you do feel absolutely AMAZING; everything- visuals/sounds- are just a little bit more fun and impressive and it really made the game amazing lol. I'm not recommending anyone go out and do what I did but for me personally it made the experience an especially memorable one.