Kickstart This: Bard’s Tale IV Reveals Stunning Footage

Back in 1985 – a year I remember, although I don’t think any of my IGM colleagues do – a small company called Interplay introduced the world to a little adventure known as Tales of the Unknown I: The Bard’s Tale .

. To everyone’s surprise, it was a smash hit and propelled its creator, Brian Fargo, to a long career of producing popular RPGs. These include Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment , to name just a few. But his first baby remains a treasure of gaming history; the original Bard’s Tale was one of the first titles inducted into the Computer Gaming World Hall of Fame. It spawned two popular sequels, and the third game in the trilogy was even featured in the Smithsonian’s “The Art of Video Games” exhibit.

Thirty years later, Fargo and inXile Entertainment– realizing that the Bard’s Tale franchise is still as beloved as ever – have undertaken the release of a fourth installment in the series. The Kickstarteris underway and has proven just how much fans want to see this game; with almost a full month still left to go as of this writing, they need to raise less than $100,000 USD of their goal of $1.25 million.

Unusually for a Kickstarter, this fundraising effort does not include stretch goals. Once the goal is reached, inXile will match it with at least as much of its own money to double the starting budget. With a minimum of $2.5 million to use, the quality of Bard’s Tale IV should be exceptional. If there were any doubts, they were likely silenced by the developer’s video of the first-ever in-game footage from the coming game.

Anyone who has never played the first three games might be especially interested in backing the fourth. All backers who pledge $20 or more will receive emulated versions of The Bard’s Tale, The Bard’s Tale II: The Destiny Knight, and The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate as part of their thank-you gifts. To do so, inXile has partnered with Rebecca Heineman, the original programmer from Bard’s Tale III ; she and her company Olde Sküülwill help to update the games for modern machines.

As to the fourth game itself, players will return to the much-loved realm of Skara Brae, exploring in search of answers to an unfolding mystery. The developers promise challenging puzzles and dynamic phase-based combat set against beautiful Gaelic music, with the Bard’s own melodies having an impact on the gameplay. It is being built using Unreal Engine 4 and will be playable on PC, Mac, and Linux; players will be able to purchase it from Steam, GOG.com, or The Humble Store in English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, or Polish. The developers are looking for as much feedback as they can get during the Alpha and Beta stages, noting that gamer input will directly impact features as well as design. Be a part of this next chapter in Bard -ic history by checking out the Kickstarter, and by following the project on Facebookor Tumblr.