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> Results: Bard's Tale
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Fantasy role-playing game (RPG) fans in search of a light-hearted romp that fuses classic hack 'n' slash elements with humor may have fun playing "The Bard's Tale," but its share of shortcomings prevent this ambitious action-adventure title from being a must-have.
After all, 50 bucks is 50 bucks. InXile's game may share its name with a coveted 1980s PC RPG, but it is not a remake of it. In fact, this new game pokes fun at classic RPG conventions ﾗ from coins miraculously appearing when a wolf is slain to overdone clichés such as rescuing a princess or scouring medieval dungeons for ominous creatures. The dialogue is quite funny and professionally delivered, particularly the banter between the game's snide hero, voiced by Cary Elwes ("The Princess Bride," "Twister") and veteran voice actor Tony Jay, who serves as the overly dramatic narrator. The game's many cinematic sequences are worth kicking back and enjoying for the humor alone.  We first meet The Bard, a traveling musician who can summon creatures by playing a specific tune on his lute, as he enters an inn in search of a hot meal and soft bed. Because he has no money he secretly summons a rat, sneaks it in the basement window, then tells the buxom barmaid he'll get rid of it in exchange for his requests. Little does our hapless hero know the inn's cellar houses another rat, 10 times bigger than the one he conjured up (and one that breathes fire!), so the joke is on him. It is here we learn how to fight using swords and spells. Archetypal quests include entering towns, forests and castles to find and free characters, battling creatures big and small and amassing enough loot to occasionally purchase new gear. As with many other RPGs, side-quests are optional. It should be noted "The Bard's Tale" is an "RPG-lite" ﾗ players need not concern themselves with equipping the Bard with new clothes, items and weapons as it's done automatically. Dialogue is also fairly automated, with the exception of selecting a "snarky" or "nice" response. While fun, and funny, the game-play is merely average. We've seen these missions and characters many times before (perhaps that's what the game is parodying?), but after a while the tasks grow repetitive and tiresome. Graphics are OK, though the top-down perspective isn't the most attractive way to navigate through a fantasy adventure, nor is it the most conducive as it can be difficult to maneuver around some locations from a bird's-eye view. Combat is straightforward, but healing oneself can be a pain as it takes three button clicks to conjure a healer. It would have been preferable to have a "drinking" button on the controller for consuming potions, especially considering the "jump" and "defend" buttons are rarely used in the game. The artificial intelligence is pretty dumb as players can approach a group of three or four baddies and lure them away one at a time for an easier fight than all at once. There is also no option to play cooperatively with a friend on the same television as you can with other similar games. Much of the fun, however, is picking up songs to summon new creatures, such as a bow-and-arrow-wielding heroine, a giant brute or a seductive rogue who flirts with male enemies, then slices them with knives when they get close enough. "The Bard's Tale" is not a bad pick, but the cleverly written dialogue and comic moments just aren't enough to make up for run of the mill game-play. Indeed, seasoned gamers will get a kick out of the RPG customs it parodies, but the game can be enjoyed just as much as a weekend rental, at a fraction of the price. 
"A quest for Coin and Cleavage" ﾖ the quote found on the back of the box nicely sums up a kid factor for this title. It is clear that some adult themes will appear, but in general the game will tend to portray them from a humorous angle. While the content may not be appropriate for all families, I expect that most people will find the ESRB rating of T (for Teen) to be about right. While there is no explicit sex or inappropriate exposure, there are a few stereotypical over-endowed, under-clothed females around. However, this is somewhat mitigated by the explicit lampooning of most of the situations. For example, our intrepid adventurer meets a barmaid early in the game. During the conversation, the camera angle will occasionally begin to pan down towards the maiden's rather ample bosom until he is sufficiently reprimanded by the bar maid. If later conversations with the maid are performed correctly, the game implies that they spend the night together. Nothing is ever explicitly shown.
As with any game of this genre, the character performs some magic (mostly summoning people and creatures to assist in combat and other activities) and has plenty of opportunity to slay the evil monsters and beasts encountered within the story. Some blood and gore is shown, but the focus is never on the gore itself. The hero is somewhat self serving, so may be less heroic in deed and motivation than the norm, but still generally winds up doing the right thing. One more caution that rarely comes up in video games is the use of alcohol. One can't truly make a game about a self-serving bard without a liberal availability of alcohol. It isn't a major focus within the game, but it is possible to get yourself drunk and some of the more amusing sing-alongs (yes, sing-alongs) focus on beer. In the end one might consider this game along the lines of Mad Magazine or National Lampoon. While very young readers might find something amusing or funny, the deeper humor comes from the satire portrayed in the game. Those familiar with the role playing genre will recognize how many gaming stereotypes are mocked through exaggeration. This makes the game best suited for the 14+ crowd, although most teens might miss some of the deeper humor to be found. With its brazen mocking of some questionable video gaming traditions, it could be used to open up a good discussion about stereotypes found within video games in general. Kid Factor by Dr. Matt J. Carlson Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Bard's Tale |
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