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The Bard's Tale (Reviews)09/03/2005 12:13:33
Reviving the retro classic, The Bard's Tale will set off quite a few nostalgia meters amongst Gamepro readers. Although it's a very old game by today's standards, the original Bard's Tale mixed 2D portrait images with rolling text that explained the game's events. Welcome to the future. The Bard's Tale on PS2 and Xbox is a graphical tour-de-force, built on the console Baldur's Gate engine and loaded with quirky characters, detailed graphics and solid production values. Based on the Orkney Islands north of Britain, The Bard's Tale is filled with extremely nice scenery. Fully 3D trees and intricately detailed buildings are presented at a continuously high standard. The Bard's Tale is also resplendent with excellent quality models, animation and voice acting throughout. However, the really surprising part of this game is the Bard's unusual character. This particular Bard is roguish anti-hero, motivated by greed and lust. This might not otherwise be noticeable apart if not for the strong character interactions and frequent conversations in-game. In conversations, you'll often have the opportunity to choose a "nasty or nice" response, which are often quite amusing. You'll find yourself looking forward to the clever and sardonic retorts the Bard delivers. The primary story involves the Bard being roped into rescuing a gorgeous princess by flirtatious promises of a medieval good time - without clothes. The witty repartee between the lonely Bard and the desperate princess is of a standard rarely seen in videogame presentation. The Bard's adventures are top-notch, too. You'll rescue townsfolk from giant Vikings, arriving halfway through their unfortunate pillage and plunder. There's also nice non-linear adventures and parallel tasks which you can tackle at will. Basic combat isn't neglected either, with a solid set of attacks and blocks for the furious realtime action that takes place. There's a small variety of weapons, but each is distinct and has its own noticeable advantages. Also, talking to the shopkeepers in the game is a rare pleasure. Some are only too keen for your business, while others sneer at you, nastily hinting that you ought to shop elsewhere. Being the Bard, you use your musical instrument to summon useful allies. The Bard sheaths his weapons and strums up a catchy little ditty, causing visible musical notes to flow into a charmed ring, causing the magical appearance of the creature. They are a neat bunch of assistants, such as an elemental spider which shocks enemies with lightning, a sexy elven archer, a brutish rogue with a battleaxe and an elderly witch who casts healing spells on the party. There's also a nasty rat and a light-emitting fairy, useful for dungeon exploration. Overall, The Bards Tale plays like a cheeky, detailed Diablo with lively, funny and surprising character interaction. Recommended to RPG fans and non-fans alike.
Score = 8.5/10
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