The Bard's Tale (2004)
Encyclopedia
The Bard's Tale is an action-role playing game video game created by InXile Entertainment
, and released in 2004. Marketed as a humorous spoof
on fantasy role-playing video game
s (of which the original Bard's Tale
was given as a prime example), it has more in common with modern console games like Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
.
The Bard's Tale was released for the PlayStation 2
and Xbox
in October 2004. It was released for Microsoft Windows
on July 28, 2005. The game was re-released on Steam in December 2009. A universal iOS
version was released in December 2011 for iPhone
and iPad
.
.)
The Bard (voiced by Cary Elwes
), ends up being recruited by a cult to help free a princess named Caleigh. As a result of this, the Bard finds himself being attacked by an assortment of fanatics from a Druid-like cult, sent to dispatch him by a being called Fionnaoch. (Many of the names and characters are influenced by Celtic mythology
and the stories of the Orkney Islands
.) On the way to complete his quest, the not so valiant anti-hero will have to overcome the truly terrifying challenges of three monstrous guardians, break-dancing corpses, spontaneously melodious goblins and a giant, fire-breathing rat.
environment with the player watching his only controllable character from an overhead vantage point, and it is better described as an action-adventure game
than a traditional role-playing video game
(i.e. there are no character classes or inventory management).
The player's character, The Bard
, has magic and weaponry at his disposal to complete the task. The more the player accomplishes, the better his skills will become. The appearance and gameplay is much the same as the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
series, which shares the same graphics engine.
The game uses a "snarky or nice" system of dialog that allows the player to change the outcome of many situations by deciding how they want to respond. Some choices, such as being snarky to the dog at the beginning of the game, have game-lasting consequences. The first decision is whether to be nice or snarky to the barmaid in The Drunken Rat. Being nice to her gives her the impression the Bard's a gentleman and she leaves him alone, being snarky ensures the Bard doesn't spend the night alone. For example, near the beginning of the game you can find a dog. If you are nice to the dog he follows you for the rest of the game and gives you a few other skill options such as training it to fight. Also, you meet a farmer later in the game in order to obtain a certain quest item. He'll only give you the item, however, if you choose to be "snarky" to him. Normally "nice" answers could get you better results when not dealing with female NPCs (with the exception of some cases like the former one). "Snarky" answers, however, are often more comical and entertaining for the player.
The game also contains several song numbers, including:
Kirkwall
, Dounby
, Finstown
, Houton
, and Stromness
. Some optional areas are places in Ireland, including Dún Ailinne
, Ardagh
, Carrowmore
, Emain Macha
, and Tara
.
by addressing the narrator directly.
, InXile Entertainment never had any rights to the trademarks of the original Bard's Tale — those rights are still owned by Electronic Arts
. This meant that InXile was not legally allowed to use any of the plot, characters or locations featured in the original trilogy.
However, allusions to the original Bard's Tale do exist in the game. The city in which Fionnaoch's tower stands, Dounby, is only a few kilometers away from the ruins of real-world Skara Brae
, where the original trilogy takes place. The USA PC port of The Bard's Tale comes packaged with the original Bard's Tale trilogy.
InXile Entertainment
inXile Entertainment is a video game developer formed in late 2002 by Brian Fargo, a founder of Interplay Productions...
, and released in 2004. Marketed as a humorous spoof
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
on fantasy role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s (of which the original Bard's Tale
Bard's Tale (1985)
The Bard's Tale is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in and distributed by Electronic Arts...
was given as a prime example), it has more in common with modern console games like Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is an action role-playing game developed by Snowblind Studios for the PlayStation 2; later released for the Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. It was re-released on the PlayStation 2 as a Greatest Hits title...
.
The Bard's Tale was released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
in October 2004. It was released for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
on July 28, 2005. The game was re-released on Steam in December 2009. A universal iOS
IOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
version was released in December 2011 for iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
.
Story
The plot involves "a sardonic and opportunistic musician and adventurer, driven by carnal rather than noble pursuits. The Bard (who is never identified by a specific name and in fact, The Bard may be his name) is not interested in saving the world, his humble motivations are strictly 'coin and cleavage.'" His quest is narrated by a mocking, biased man who cannot stand him (Narration is provided by Tony JayTony Jay
Tony Jay was an English actor, voice actor and singer. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in animation, film and computer games. Jay's distinctive baritone voice often landed him villainous roles...
.)
The Bard (voiced by Cary Elwes
Cary Elwes
Ivan Simon Cary Elwes , known professionally as Cary Elwes, is an English actor. The son of Dominick Elwes and Tessa Georgina Kennedy, Elwes acted in off-Broadway plays during college and moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He is known for his role as Westley in the cult classic The...
), ends up being recruited by a cult to help free a princess named Caleigh. As a result of this, the Bard finds himself being attacked by an assortment of fanatics from a Druid-like cult, sent to dispatch him by a being called Fionnaoch. (Many of the names and characters are influenced by Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
and the stories of the Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
.) On the way to complete his quest, the not so valiant anti-hero will have to overcome the truly terrifying challenges of three monstrous guardians, break-dancing corpses, spontaneously melodious goblins and a giant, fire-breathing rat.
Gameplay
Completely unlike the classic Bard's Tale games, this game is in a 3D3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
environment with the player watching his only controllable character from an overhead vantage point, and it is better described as an action-adventure game
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
than a traditional role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
(i.e. there are no character classes or inventory management).
The player's character, The Bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
, has magic and weaponry at his disposal to complete the task. The more the player accomplishes, the better his skills will become. The appearance and gameplay is much the same as the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is an action role-playing game developed by Snowblind Studios for the PlayStation 2; later released for the Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. It was re-released on the PlayStation 2 as a Greatest Hits title...
series, which shares the same graphics engine.
The game uses a "snarky or nice" system of dialog that allows the player to change the outcome of many situations by deciding how they want to respond. Some choices, such as being snarky to the dog at the beginning of the game, have game-lasting consequences. The first decision is whether to be nice or snarky to the barmaid in The Drunken Rat. Being nice to her gives her the impression the Bard's a gentleman and she leaves him alone, being snarky ensures the Bard doesn't spend the night alone. For example, near the beginning of the game you can find a dog. If you are nice to the dog he follows you for the rest of the game and gives you a few other skill options such as training it to fight. Also, you meet a farmer later in the game in order to obtain a certain quest item. He'll only give you the item, however, if you choose to be "snarky" to him. Normally "nice" answers could get you better results when not dealing with female NPCs (with the exception of some cases like the former one). "Snarky" answers, however, are often more comical and entertaining for the player.
The game also contains several song numbers, including:
- Beer, Beer, BeerCharlie MoppsCharlie Mopps or Charlie Mops is the mythical inventor of beer, as described by the drinking song "Beer, Beer, Beer". His name is presumably meant to rhyme with barley and hops, two main ingredients in beer.- History :...
- sung by drunks in The Drunken Rat - Nuckelavee - sung by a band in The Aiken Drum, lamenting the unleashing of the NuckelaveeNuckelaveeThe Nuckelavee is a creature from Orcadian folklore.The name is a corruption of the Orcadian name "knoggelvi", which in turn seems to be a variant of the "Nokk" or "Nuggle", and is thus related to the Icelandic Nykur....
(which, unbeknownst to the band, was set loose by The Bard) - It's Bad Luck to Be You - a recurring song by the Trow Trio, with differing lyrics each time it's sung
Setting
Most of the names for places are actual locations in the Orkney Islands, includingKirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
, Dounby
Dounby
Dounby is a village in Orkney in the north of Scotland on the A986 Road. It features a co-operative store, a doctor's surgery, pharmacy, care home, pub, post office, hairdressers, church and a community school that serves, Dounby, Sandwick, Stenness, Harray, Twatt and Birsay.Dounby village has...
, Finstown
Finstown
Finstown in the parish of Firth on Mainland, Orkney is the third largest settlement on the island. According to travel author Linklater, the homes in Finstown are tidy and well cared for...
, Houton
Houton
Houton is a settlement 5 miles southeast of Stromness on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. From here, a ferry sails to Lyness on Hoy and the oil terminal at Flotta. Nearby are the remains of the round church of St Nicholas and the Earl's Bu, the ruins of a former manor house of the Earldom...
, and Stromness
Stromness
Stromness is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.-Etymology:...
. Some optional areas are places in Ireland, including Dún Ailinne
Dún Ailinne
Dún Ailinne, on the hill called Knockaulin, is a large enclosed archaeological site in County Kildare, Ireland. It lies close to the modern N78 road to Athy, south-west of Kilcullen , and immediately adjacent to the lower rise on which sits Old Kilcullen. The site comprises 13 hectares surrounded...
, Ardagh
Ardagh
Ardagh may refer to several villages in Ireland:* Ardagh, County Donegal* Ardagh, County Longford* Ardagh, County Limerick, where the Ardagh Hoard was found in 1868* Ardagh, County Mayo, south of Ballina...
, Carrowmore
Carrowmore
Carrowmore, County Sligo is one of the four major passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland. It is located at the centre of a prehistoric ritual landscape on the Cúil Irra Peninsula in County Sligo in Ireland....
, Emain Macha
Emain Macha
]Navan Fort – known in Old Irish as Eṁaın Ṁacha and in Modern Irish as Eamhain Mhacha – is an ancient monument in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to Irish legend, it was one of the major power centers of pre-Christian Ireland...
, and Tara
Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara , located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland...
.
The Bard
The otherwise nameless protagonist of the game, The Bard is a selfish rogue who will only undertake a quest if there is a likely profit in it for himself.Summonable Allies
- Brute - throws boulders at enemies, momentarily stunning them
- Enchantress - can resurrect the Bard in the event that his Hit Points run out
- Knight - can use his shield to stun enemies and has high defense due to his armour
- Mercenary - swings haphazardly at enemies with an axe
- Rogue -draws foes to her then speeds behind them and stabs with daggers
- Crone - periodically restores the Hit Points of the Bard and his allies
- Heroine - shoots at enemies with a rapid-fire crossbow
- Knocker - electrocutes enemies with lightning rods
- Light Fairy - lights up dark areas, and can stun enemies in battle with flashes of light
- Explorer - can disable traps (at the cost of fewer Hit Points than if the Bard were to get caught in them). Can also pick up treasures and uncover secret passage ways
- Bodyguard - draws ranged attacks to himself
- Behemoth - charges into foes causing an explosive inferno
- Elemental - a burning creature that hurls fire balls at enemies and can be used to melt walls of ice
- Gouger - transfers the Hit Points of enemies to the Bard and his allies
- (Vorpal) Rat - a rat that can be used to scare women (and a Viking in Finstown) by doing so the bard can get a small bit of coin
- Thunder Spider - a small spider made of lightning, that discharges continuous streams of electricity into enemies stunning them
The Narrator
The ever-present commentator of the game, The Narrator provides sarcastic observations throughout the game, mostly about The Bard's self-interested character. The Bard frequently breaks the fourth wallFourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
by addressing the narrator directly.
The Three Tower Bosses
Once defeated, the Tower Bosses become summonable allies.- HerneHerne the HunterIn English folklore, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. His appearance is notable in the fact that he has antlers upon his head....
- LughLughLug or Lugh is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. He is known by the epithets Lámhfhada , for his skill with a spear or sling, Ildánach , Samhildánach , Lonnbeimnech and Macnia , and by the...
- MannananManannán mac LirManannán mac Lir is a sea deity in Irish mythology. He is the son of the obscure Lir . He is often seen as a psychopomp, and has strong affiliations with the Otherworld, the weather and the mists between the worlds...
Kunal Trow
Humanoid, goblin-type people, who tend to be very aggressive in nature. Unlike goblins, they speak fluent english.Peerie Trow
The smaller, less violent version of the Trow, these creatures are more likely to use cunning to achieve their ends.Parody of fantasy games
There are many references and parodies to common clichés of the fantasy RPG genre. These include:- The first quest involves slaying rats in the cellar of a tavern (a cliché of Baldur's Gate fame). However, in this parody, instead of defeating small, harmless rats, the vermin in question turns out to be a gargantuan, fire-breathing rodent.
- When The Bard kills his first wolf, it drops a pile of treasure, parodying a common video game clichéClichéA cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
of wild animals inexplicably having money and items. After that, enemies only drop items they may logically, albeit not always trivially, have. For example, a dead wolf may leave its hide, but also a red hood or picnic basketLittle Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
. The dead Druids often drop snow globes depicting Houton or keepsakes from Stonehenge. - Early in the game, fun is also poked at the common looting of homes in RPG games. When The Bard takes said treasure, the Narrator accuses him of stealing. The Bard's defense is that he's providing a public service and that the chests would be cluttered if he didn't clear them out.
- The player can have The Bard smash a barrel early in the game, which prompts the barrel-maker to come out and chastise him for smashing his barrels. He does offer a deal: smash all other barrels The Bard sees so that the barrel-maker can sell more barrels. This parodies the smashing of barrels, crates, containers that is common in most video games. In the game guide, it lists that The Bard's previous profession was as an assistant to the barrel maker, however he was fired for producing inferior barrels which "... shattered with a mere whack of a sword." And his mentor chased him out of town for such shoddy work, saying that "A key won't even be safe in these things." This is a parody of the common practice in RPGs of the players breaking containers for their goods, commonly including keys.
Connection to 1980s series
Although touted in early promotional materials as a remake of the classic Bard's Tale seriesBard's Tale (1985)
The Bard's Tale is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in and distributed by Electronic Arts...
, InXile Entertainment never had any rights to the trademarks of the original Bard's Tale — those rights are still owned by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
. This meant that InXile was not legally allowed to use any of the plot, characters or locations featured in the original trilogy.
However, allusions to the original Bard's Tale do exist in the game. The city in which Fionnaoch's tower stands, Dounby, is only a few kilometers away from the ruins of real-world Skara Brae
Skara Brae
Skara Brae is a large stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It consists of ten clustered houses, and was occupied from roughly 3180 BCE–2500 BCE...
, where the original trilogy takes place. The USA PC port of The Bard's Tale comes packaged with the original Bard's Tale trilogy.
External links
- Official InXile Bard's Tale website @ Ubisoft
- IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
: The Bard's Tale (PS2) Xbox