The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep
6.8
Platforms
- PCSep 18, 20186.8playscore6.724 Critics6.5695 Players
24 critic reviews · 0 community reviews across all platforms
Critic Reviews
- The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep has a satisfyingly deep and flexible battle system, surrounded by heavy puzzle exploration and a narrative that doesn't manage to stay interesting. There are some really neat systems at play here for those looking for intricate combat, but performance issues and a lacking storyline make it a hard sell to a larger audience.
Adam Vitale · Dec 02, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review - Of course, I wanted to love this. The little eleven-year-old boy who lives in my head and played the originals wanted to build a party of adventurers and explore the cellars beneath Kylearan's tower so much. I wanted something of Skara Brae to evoke memory of those long summer evenings spent indoors while I should have been out riding my bike, instead trying to find the silver shapes necessary to get into Mangar's tower.
Stuart Thomas · Nov 24, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review - The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is definitely for a specific crowd of hardcore RPG and series fans, and for those, it caters wonderfully. It features a fascinating world and one of my favorite turn-based combat systems in recent memory. That being said, it may not be as appealing to a mass audience due to its complicated nature and glitches.
Tomas Franzese · Oct 22, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review - Character customization feels simplistic and limiting. Combat indicators can be annoyingly misleading. Puzzles come off as simplistic, at times tedious. Stingy loot drops. Exploration is pretty ho-hum at best as well. The Bard's Tale 4 has some positives and a whole lot of potential but it's also dragged down by a number of design and technical issues. Hopefully, a revamp and optimization helps it realize the full extent of its charm.
Ravi Sinha · Oct 08, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review - A lot of the issues are tech-related: crashes, geometry bugs, load times, and framerate can all be fixed with patches. As of now? The interesting puzzles and fantastic music are not worth suffering through the bugs, lackluster models, and mediocre combat and skills. If your interest is piqued here, wishlist it and come back at a later time; I have no doubt that this game will reach its potential, but it's just not even close right now.
Patrick Hancock · Oct 01, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review - The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep hides a few good moments inside a mess of a game. It feels dated not for its old-school inspirations, but for its execution of those ideas. The world and story lack flavor, despite having a couple of memorable and funny characters. If the combat didn’t move forward in odd performance hiccups, it would be enjoyable in itself. For die-hard fans of dungeon crawlers and puzzles, I’d say this is only barely worth a try.
Marcus Hansson · Oct 01, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review - Common wisdom and clichés aside, The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep proves you can go home again. But why would anyone want to? While the game re-creates what we played in the 1990s, misty water-colored memories of hours spent with Eye of the Beholder are not enough to fix numerous design miscues, performance problems, and bugs. This is a tough sell to all but the most dedicated and patient retro fan.
Brett Todd · Sep 30, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review - Strong character development and strategic turn-based combat are the core of the game, and the Easter eggs hidden throughout the story will bring many smiles to any veteran of the franchise. As long as inXile continues to work through the technical issues, mainly crashes and graphics problems, The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep could earn its place in the tales of legend sung by bards across the land.
Mitchell Gassner · Sep 27, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review - Again, that's the old school approach: We're here because we're heroes, and this is what heroes do. If you need more motivation than that—a deeper meaning, or maybe a more elegantly-told tale—then this may not be your kind of thing. But for old-time adventuring in a sprawling, vibrant world, The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep delivers.
Andy Chalk · Sep 27, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review - At its roughest edges, The Bard’s Tale IV shows its retro revival roots in some not so positive ways. It may not be special enough for me to easily overlook these technical shortcomings entirely, but it’s an RPG that’s brimming with enjoyable, challenging fights, elaborate and entertaining puzzles, and plenty of visual and musical flair. And that was more than enough to keep me humming along contentedly to its tune more often than not.
TJ HAFER · Sep 26, 2018 Reviewed on PCRead full review
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About the game
Trailers & Screenshots:
The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep is the triumphant return of one of the most iconic RPG series of all-time. Delve into a tactically rich combat system that rewards creativity, solve puzzles to gain treasure and advantages, and discover a beautifully crafted world.
Developer: InXile Entertainment