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.The Wargamer

Perhaps the single most annoying thing about Japanese RPGs is that the main character is nearly always an angst-filled teenager with something to prove and is usually surrounded by a cast of misfits or egomaniacs. The formula has been used over and over again to the point that it's become ingrained into our consciousness as part of what a Japanese RPG should be. Sure, some progress has been made with titles like Shadow Hearts: Covenant and a handful of others, but those are few and far between. There has always been a yearning, for me at least, to play a somewhat adult-themed RPG featuring a typical adult male who just wants to make a few bucks and likes to go out gallivanting. In other words, someone similar to me.

Enter the Bard's Tale's single most compelling strength: the adult-themed storyline with a main character who is almost an anti-hero in how human and weak he is. Gone are the noble causes of chivalry and good deeds. In are the single-minded goals of getting rich and getting laid. Prepare ye, oh faithful RPGer, for what is quite probably the most entertaining RPG story that you've ever come across.

Without delving into the specifics of the story or the natures of the quests that lie within, The Bard's Tale tries devilishly hard to avoid the pitfalls of many RPGs, namely quest and fetch, power-ups, anal inventory management and a tired story. However, you'll find that the 20+ hours that you invest are worth the storyline alone, even with the game's shortcomings. The game is based on Snowblind's venerable engine, as seen in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, which allows for an isometric, top-down perspective. If you've played any of the Baldur's Gate console games, you'll feel right at home with this one. However, perhaps the game's single biggest weakness is the combat system, wherein you'll find that enemies tend to swarm the Bard and you cannot get your hits off fast enough to swing at them,

particularly with the flail. The Bard can also summon various creatures and people to fight for him through his instrument, which is upgraded throughout the game. Play a little tune and have The Mercenary come in and help you defeat the foes which lie in your path. The AI of those that you've summoned is a mixed bag. Some make terrible decisions and wind up getting wiped out within moments of your having brought them into the scene. Others fight quite admirably.

As with other RPGs, you'll level up and be able to assign points to the typical attributes that govern most genre characters: namely, Strength, Charisma, Constitution, and so on. Obviously, your abilities tie in to whatever strengths you feel like focusing on. Charisma, for example, will elevate your summoned creature's abilities while Strength will make the Bard's physical attacks that much more forceful. Unlike many other RPGs, you can carry as much treasure as you want without having to worry about being overloaded and not being able to move. I have always found inventory management to be a complete bore, as dumping certain items for the sake of carrying other items was always chore. Just give everyone an unlimited Bag of Holding and forget about that nonsense, as far as I'm concerned. Armor and weapons upgrades are very sparse and your trips to the various stores of the land aren't all that frequent.

The dynamite voice acting also goes a long way in carrying the game. Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) plays the Bard and his performance is nothing short of amazing, considering the long legacy of poor voice acting that accompanies many videogames. Equally, Tony Jay who narrates the story is nothing short of marvelous and adds an even more humorous element to the game. The game's dialogue is also quite entertaining, not to mention flexible: you're given choices in various conversations to either ride the high road or be the sarcastic persona that defines the Bard. Depending on your responses, the characters you're interacting with will respond differently to you. You'll invariably chuckle at the droll responses and sarcastic language that the main character uses in nearly every situation. You'll probably also find that when you fail a mission and the Bard's body lies still on the ground that the narrator is actually happy that you have failed and that he won't have to narrate anymore. Unless you continue, that is.

The Bard's Tale is very much a single-player experience. The Bard himself is a loner of the highest magnitude and wants nothing to do with anything unless there is something in it for him. As much as his actions seem less than honorable throughout the entire experience, one can't help but to continue on because of the strength of the dialogue, voice acting, and the story that ensues.

Overall: 9/10
An argument could perhaps be made that the game's mechanics or graphics might be a bit dated in light of its competition. However, InXile has focused on that which many other games tend to overlook, in that the overall experience can often outweigh the individual weaknesses that might otherwise detract from the title. All in all, The Bard's Tale is an experience that no true RPG fan should miss and is one that won't soon be forgotten.

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