In the midst of a cinematic year that features the Jurassic Park, Mad Max, Star Wars, and Terminator franchises, and that the genres enjoying the most sweeping resurgence in interactive entertainment are Role-Playing-Games and Space Flight-Simulators, one can be forgiven for a bit of chronological confusion.
Brian Fargo, inXile, and A Bard’s Tale are looking to add fuel to that fire. Fresh off of a two-straight win-streak of resounding Kickstarter successes in the form of the multiple GotY-award winning RPG masterpiece Wasteland 2 and the highly-anticipated Torment: Tides of Numenara, the industry vet and indie studio extraordinaire are resurrecting the fan favorite Bard’s Tale franchise.
On the 30th anniversary of the first title in the series, the Kickstarter for A Bard’s Tale IV will go live. Promising hardcore dungeon-delve mechanics, a bespoke, authentic Celtic musical experience, the combination of the Unreal IV engine and the use of photogrammetry on actual locations in the United Kingdom, A Bard’s Tale IV promises to be a manifold beautiful return to the storied world of the franchise.
There isn’t much in the way of detail on the title as of yet, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise given the fact it hasn’t hit the crowd-funding stage, but given Fargo and inXile’s perfect record of success with Kickstarter, as well as the loyalty surrounding the Bard’s Tale franchise, there isn’t much room for doubt on the future of the project. There’s only one extant image of A Bard’s Tale IV, and you’ll find that – as well as the official press release – below.
The Bard’s Tale IV coming to Kickstarter June 2nd on the 30th anniversary of the original game
Newport Beach, CA – May 18, 2015 – inXile Entertainment is proud to return to Kickstarter for their next big cRPG project, The Bard’s Tale IV, launching Monday June 2nd at 6 AM PST/13:00 UTC. Return to Skara Brae for a true dungeon-crawling sequel to the original The Bard’s Tale trilogy that helped define the cRPG genre!
On the 30th anniversary of the original Bard’s Tale, what better time than now to go on an adventure worthy of song? The Bard’s Tale IV will feature challenging maze-like dungeons with devious puzzles and riddles to explore in the first-person dungeon crawler style of the original trilogy. inXile has the full rights to use everything from the original trilogy, so the game will be rich with callbacks and old favorites such as teleporter zones and magic mouths.
Utilizing the Unreal 4 engine, The Bard’s Tale IV will also represent a graphical leap forward in the genre, immersing you in a highly detailed and lush world you’ll want to map to is farthest reaches. inXile plans to use photogrammetry to create in-game 3D objects from photos of architecture, taken right in Scotland.
With the Bard leading the way, the game has a strong focus on music and sound design. Inspired by and involving Gaelic musicians, the soundtrack and lyrics of The Bard’s Tale IV take cues from Scottish culture, which will be used to enrich the existing setting from the original games.
Of courses, you’ll need to contend with all matter of hostile beasts, monsters and brigands as you explore the world. The Bard’s Tale IV will feature a dynamic phase based combat system, utilizing the complex decision making opportunities of traditional phase based combat, but with a constantly evolving enemy strategy and a pacing that keeps you on your toes.
Check The Bard’s Tale IV website to follow along as we count down to the Kickstarter launch, or sign up to receive news and info directly from inXile!
- The Bard’s Tale IV Website: http://bardstale.inxile-entertainment.com
- The Bard’s Tale IV Sneak Peek: https://cdn.inxile-entertainment.com/bardstale/img/press/SneakPeek.jpg
About The Bard’s Tale IV
The original The Bard’s Tale was a surprise hit in 1985, putting Interplay on the map and launching the career of Brian Fargo. Now, 30 years later, inXile has full access to the name and contents of the original The Bard’s Tale, making it possible to make a true sequel to the originals, living up to the rich dungeon crawler heritage it helped build.
About inXile Entertainment
Founded by long-time industry veteran @BrianFargo in 2002, inXile Entertainment develops interactive entertainment software for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. The most current projects under development are Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera, both financed by its fans via @Kickstarter.
For more information about inXile Entertainment visit: www.inxile-entertainment.com.
Wasteland, Torment and Bard’s Tale are registered trademarks of inXile Entertainment.
Stay tuned to Pixelated Geek for the latest details on A Bard’s Tale IV, as well inXile’s upcoming Torment: Tides of Numenara!