The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep Coming September 18
It’s back! The Scotland-inspired fantasy world of The Bard’s Tale has finally returned thanks to developer InExile and their upcoming sequel The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep. The Bard’s Tale series was an 80s staple for PC gamers, but it’s been MIA for a long time.
How long has it been since the last installment of this series? Long enough for people to be born, grow up, experience puberty, leave home, get married and start families of their own. The last chronological game in the series, The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate, came out thirty years ago.
You could say the wait has been substantial, but InExile is determined to make it worth it.
A return to the series’ roots, The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep takes players back to the fantastical world of Caith for a classic single-player, first-person, party-based role-playing adventure rich in exploration, devious puzzles and combat. Recruit and level up a party of six renegade heroes and rise against the dark powers that have corrupted the realm. Dive deep into dangerous, maze-like dungeons, solve challenging riddles and quests, and defeat magical beasts, creatures and more in dynamic phase-based battles.
The Bard’s Tale IV runs on Unreal Engine 4 and utilizes a storyline from acclaimed writer Nathan Long (Wasteland 2). The vast landscapes are enhanced with a Scottish-flavored musical score composed by Ged Grimes (Simple Minds) and enhanced by some of the world’s top Gaelic singers.
Though The Bard’s Tale IV doesn’t officially come out until September 18, you can play an early version today under the right circumstances. Beta testing is going on now for Kickstarter backers, but it you’re reading this, it’s too late to contribute to that. Fortunately there’s a second way: preorder the Platinum or Ultimate edition of the game.