The Bard's Tale Trilogy

The Bard's Tale Trilogy is a complete remaster of the iconic series that helped define the RPG genre. Featuring updated graphics and optional quality of life gameplay features, this is the ideal way to experience the dungeon crawling challenge that made the original games beloved classics.

The Bard's Tale Trilogy is a rpg, dungeon crawler and classic game developed by Krome Studios and inXile Entertainment and published by inXile Entertainment.
Released on August 14th 2018 is available on Windows and MacOS in 6 languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Polish and Russian.

It has received 1,387 reviews of which 1,321 were positive and 66 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.0 out of 10. šŸ˜

The game is currently priced at 2.49ā‚¬ on Steam and has a 80% discount.


The Steam community has classified The Bard's Tale Trilogy into these genres:

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at The Bard's Tale Trilogy through various videos and screenshots.

Requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS *: 64bit OS, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 / 8.1, Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core2 Quad Q9300 / AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ / Intel Core i5-2500K or higher if using integrated Intel GPU
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Graphics card with DX10 (shader model 4.0) capabilities
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • Additional Notes:
MacOS
  • OS: OS X (10.14)
  • Processor: 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000
  • Storage: 1 GB available space

Reviews

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Oct. 2024
Note: This game was played in its entirety on a Steam Deck. Both controller, and keyboard+mouse were used. TLDR: 6.5/10. A lovely remake, but some old warts remain. The rose tinted goggles of nostalgia come off fairly quickly in Part 3. So, The Bardā€™s Tale has always been an interesting series of games for me. I think, among every game Iā€™ve ever owned, Iā€™ve owned this series ā€œthe mostā€. By that, I mean Iā€™ve owned the first title for my C64, Amiga 500, PC, Mac, NES, and probably some other systems I cannot remember at the moment. It would feel like as soon as I got a new system, I would have to get The Bardā€™s Tale as my inaugural purchase. The same holds true for Parts 2 & 3, though not to the same extent as Part 1. And despite owning this many copies, I have never finished any of the games, never, until now. Unlike many other reviewers, I found my playthrough to be almost an inverse experience to theirs, enjoyment-wise. I had the most fun in Part 1, despite it being the simplest game by far. The plot logically flowed from one location to the next, and you definitely felt your party growing much stronger as the adventure neared its conclusion. Item progression was the ABSOLUTE best in this game, by far. You start out with almost nothing, and by the end of the game your characters feel like gods. (Spoiler: right at the end is an optional weapon. You can get multiples by running the dungeon multiple times without killing the final boss. Get this weapon for ALL your melee characters, and more if you plan to change your party). The second game really expands on the first. Itā€™s a huge thrill to go ā€œoutsideā€ and into different cities. But the best part, for me, were the timed puzzles bookmarking each chapter. Most people hate these (and reviews reflect this), but I always found them fascinating. The clues to each are in plain sight, but they can be extremely difficult to figure out. These ā€œsnaresā€ were the highlight of Part 2. What I didnā€™t like so much was: 1) character progression, 2) item progression, and 3) combat. 1) You were probably already max stats from Part 1, and Part 2 expands on this in such a minor fashion that youā€™ll be max stats again after the first dungeon. There isnā€™t much to look forward to, with few spells and songs to buy/find. 2) Similarly, there are almost no new items in this game. There are a handful (probably only around a dozen or so), but they are all outclassed by what you could have gotten in the first game (if you chose to do so). The shocking truth was that from the start of the second game until the penultimate dungeon, I had made exactly ZERO changes to my equipped gear. Finally, in the last two dungeons, I did find some (minor) upgrades. 3) The combat in this game just drags on and on and on. You were already godlike at the end of the first game, so they had to make the enemies so much stronger to compensate. Combats will be over in either two seconds or will be a long slog for several minutes (with no danger to your characters, everyone will just be missing both attacks and spells). In the end, I did enjoy this game, just not as much as the first. The third game was my least favorite. It was also my least played when the originals were released, so almost everything in this game was new to me. Like before, the monsters get even more of a glow up, but thankfully you are given more room to grow in the final adventure. Itemization is ā€œokā€, with, again, few upgrades in the first third of the adventure. In the second third, I received some great upgrades, and then in the final dungeons again a few upgrades. Combat is an absolute slog this time. The worst part is that youā€™ll need to rely on bard songs for damage, but unlike spells, there is no convenient ā€œrecently usedā€ category to make casting/singing easier. So this becomes a huge drain on your hands to have to select the same song every turn of combat, for multiple turns, for each combat. Itā€™s annoying and with all of the other quality of life improvements to the game, I really feel like they missed the ball on that. The final combat (no spoilers) was both a delight and an annoyance. Looking back on the over one hundred hours I played on this version, Iā€™m glad I did, because I finally got to see everything in these games that I have owned for probably close to 40 years now. The remake is competently done, with no crashes, and only a few minor hiccups that, for the most part, do not detract too much from the game. Thank you for reading this far!
Read more
Aug. 2024
I played these games on my Commodore 64 computer back in the day. Remember back then, how you'd have to use graph paper to make a map of the dungeon or town you were in? Or you had to look up descriptions of things in a book because they couldn't add all the text to the game itself? I remember those days, and I loved them. But, the quality of life added to these three games to make them appeal to modern gamers is a welcome addition to these fine adventure games! If you're old school (or new) and love CRPGs, do yourself a favor and get this trilogy to play again, or for the first time!
Read more
July 2024
10 year old me watched my Dad play The Bard's Tale in the late 80s, I didn't understand the appeal at the time. 44 year old me understands it big time and is loving every minute of it. My Dad passed away in 2015, I'm hoping to finish this trilogy for the both of us.
Read more
March 2024
I remember playing this as a kid, but I never got to finish it as it was a friends and we'd play for hours yet never figure out all of the stuff. Now 54, I got the game again and playing it is an old fond remembrance of when I was a kid again. Love the game!
Read more
March 2024
A beautifully redone classic. I played this when I was a teenager. Now, at 54 years old... reliving this beautiful piece of nostalgia with better graphics, and CHOICES to make when playing ... how close to the original do you want it? You can CHOOSE. I love when games give us choices. So far the game is wonderful. I did have to slightly "cheat" as an adult... as a teenager I solved the game with no help... but, as an adult, my time is more limited. I went from roaming the city to directly going to the castle where I kept dying but was making some decent progress. I knew there were sewers BUT I forgot one critical piece of information given to me early in the game... I had to lookup how to get to the sewers and when I realized where they were I kicked myself... LOL! My fault, not the games. :) BUT, I'm really enjoying the sewars in Bards Tale 1. I can't wait to solve 2 and 3. I may even spin them up again on my Commodore 64 which I still have along with all the originals and play it on original equipment again once I solve it on this modern PC. Kudos to the dev team. Well done. From 1 programmer to another... I applaud how you did this remake.
Read more

Similar games

View all
Might & Magic X - Legacy After a decade, a Might & MagicĀ® RPG is back with both the unique core formula and a new set of improved and fine-tuned features. The best RPG of its class!In the wake of the spectacular events in Might & MagicĀ® HeroesĀ® VI, you will play in a party of four adventurers entangled in intrigue and political machinations unfolding in...

Similarity 92%
Price 29.99ā‚¬
Rating 6.5
Release 23 Jan 2014
Wizardry 8 A New Wizardry for a New GenerationThe universe is in the throes of violent upheaval and change. Vast and mysterious forces are preparing for the final confrontation. A small group of heroes from distant lands must plunge into the heart of the maelstrom, to uncover long-forgotten secrets, and bring about a new era.

Similarity 88%
Price 9.99ā‚¬
Rating 8.5
Release 10 Sep 2013
Grimoire : Heralds of the Winged Exemplar (V2) Cleveland Mark Blakemore's Magnum Opus! The ultimate classic style turn-based roleplaying game in the tradition of Wizardry, Might&Magic, Lands Of Lore and Eye of the Beholder! 600+ hours of play with hand-painted graphics and old skool goodness!

Similarity 83%
Price 8.19ā‚¬
Rating 6.7
Release 04 Aug 2017
Wizardry: The Five Ordeals Welcome to the world of dungeon crawling! The classic dungeon crawler released back in 2006, returns to Steam with improved UI and more.

Similarity 82%
Price -57% 16.95ā‚¬
Rating 8.0
Release 26 Oct 2023
Legend of Grimrock 2 Legend of Grimrock 2 is a dungeon crawling role playing game with a modern execution but an oldschool heart. A group of four prisoners have shipwrecked on the secluded Isle of Nex. The island is filled with ancient crumbled ruins, mysterious shrines and a vast underground network of dungeons.

Similarity 78%
Price -66% 5.89ā‚¬
Rating 8.8
Release 15 Oct 2014
The Quest The Quest is a beautifully hand-drawn open world role playing game with old school grid-based movement, turn based combat and intricate quests. Explore a huge world, full of challenging mysteries and dangerous monsters!

Similarity 75%
Price -50% 4.99ā‚¬
Rating 8.1
Release 19 Feb 2016
Geneforge 1 - Mutagen Unique, truly open-ended fantasy adventure in a strange, new world. Use battle or cunning to change the world, served by your own army of custom-made mutant monsters. Over 80 zones to explore and 50+ hours of gameplay. Multitudes of skills, abilities, factions, treasures, and servants to create.

Similarity 74%
Price 16.79ā‚¬
Rating 8.7
Release 24 Feb 2021
Dungeon Of Dragon Knight Dungeon of Dragon Knight is a retro dungeon crawler RPG in modern visual design. Pointed by a mysterious witch, your party will descend into a dungeon with traps and monsters in search of the evil Dragon Knight and his treasure weapon. Or, are you fooled by the witch?

Similarity 74%
Price 9.99ā‚¬
Rating 7.2
Release 10 Jul 2019
The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition In this tactical combat & dungeon crawler mash-up, explore a massive dungeon, full of danger, mystery and secrets. Fight your way through hordes of enemies and powerful creatures, with your tank, healer & damage dealers party.

Similarity 74%
Price -66% 6.79ā‚¬
Rating 7.9
Release 06 Nov 2015
Legend of Grimrock Use the Dungeon Editor to build entirely new adventures and challenges for other players to solve.

Similarity 74%
Price -83% 2.46ā‚¬
Rating 9.1
Release 11 Apr 2012
Zavix Tower Zavix Tower is an old-school, party-based, first-person CRPG with rogue-like elements, an upgrade-able and persistent town, and turn-based combat.

Similarity 73%
Price 9.99ā‚¬
Rating 6.9
Release 21 Jul 2016
Heroes of the Monkey Tavern After countless days and nights celebrating within the infamous Monkey Tavern, our team of adventurers have spent every last penny... Their fates, however are about to change...

Similarity 71%
Price 9.99ā‚¬
Rating 7.0
Release 22 Sep 2016

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates

Steam data 21 November 2024 06:07
SteamSpy data 21 January 2025 03:10
Steam price 23 January 2025 04:20
Steam reviews 21 January 2025 14:08
The Bard's Tale Trilogy
9.0
1,321
66
Online players
45
Developer
Krome Studios, inXile Entertainment
Publisher
inXile Entertainment
Release 14 Aug 2018
Platforms