The Bard’s Tale franchise is really old, it’s older than me, it’s older than most of the people that will read this, it’s been thirty years since the release of Bard’s Tale 3: Thief of Fate, back in 1988. Do you feel old yet?
The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep will hit digital storefronts on September 18 – according to developer inXile Entertainment, the first release will be several months ahead of the console ports. We don’t know exactly when the PS4 and Xbox One versions do not have a firm release date yet.
The first-person dungeon crawling and witty dialogue make a return in the fourth game, which is being billed as a return to the roots of the franchise. So those of you out there who played the earlier games should find something to enjoy here too. The game also features dozens of hours of Gaelic music composed by Ged Grimes of Scottish rock legends Simple Minds. And that’s perfectly fitting because the game is set in a fantasized version of ancient Scotland.
Accompanying the release date news is an official beta. The beta is available to Kickstarter backers but is also available by pre-ordering the game’s Platinum or Ultimate editions. Those editions will cost you $74.99 and $109.99 respectively, and include goodies like digital maps, an art book and the full game soundtrack, and of course you get the game as well.
More than 30,000 people raised more than $1.5 million towards the project, and it’s full steam ahead. So if you missed out on your chance to pledge, you can still back the game on the official website via PayPal.