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Bard's Tale, The
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Bard's Tale, The (Australia)

PlayStation 2
🇬🇧
Reviewed in
2004
76
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✪ Reviewed on December 28, 2024
70

A satirical action RPG with sharp humor mocking RPG genre clichés. Gameplay is fun and voice acting is standout. Its absurdist comedy is the main draw; those seeking a serious RPG will be disappointed but fans of comedy-infused games will be charmed.

Your verdict
Category
Action RPG 1 player 12+
Description
A 2004 irreverent reboot of the cult series by Brian Fargo and inXile. This isometric hack-and-slash stands out for its openly parodic tone: the bard hero, voiced by Cary Elwes, fires off cynical one-liners at every cliché of medieval-fantasy RPGs.

Bard's Tale, The review

4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Long"
Technical info
💾3,1 GB 📅26/10/2004
Published by Vivendi Universal Games

Bard's Tale, The (PS2) price, value & rarity

Common
Q1 loose
 $7 Q6 complete
 $11 Q10 new
 $14 !
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Other versions
Bard's Tale, The
Europe
26/10/2004
🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 🇫🇷
Bard's Tale, The
Korea
26/10/2004
🇰🇷
Bard's Tale, The
USA
26/10/2004
🇬🇧

Is Bard's Tale, The still worth playing in 2026?

An action RPG from InXile, The Bard's Tale ironically revisits the codes of heroic fantasy, following a cynical, self-interested bard who roams a medieval fantasy world summoning creatures to fight in his place, against a backdrop of biting humour and sarcastic narration. The self-deprecating writing, the tasty voice acting and the parodic tone appeal to fans of offbeat adventure. The repetitive combat system and a dated production bound the ambition. For a fan of acid humour action RPGs or someone curious about a fantasy parody, the title keeps a preserved humour and charm, in a dated edition.

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