- The Bard's Tale 4: Director's Cut adds a new dungeon, difficulties, and 'thousands' of fixes - 27 August 2019
" Bard's Tale 4 was good at launch" is a hill I will happily die on, but not everyone had a smooth-sailing experience with it out of the gate, and even I have to admit that there were some rough spots. The Bard's Tale 4: Director's Cut, released today, aims to address those shortcomings with new features, a "massive balance pass," and new content including more powerful bosses, Dwarven weapons, and the Royal Necropolis of Haernhold. "We had a rough launch as you know and the sales were not as strong as we had hoped. We knew we had a good game but the issues at launch didn't allow everyone to get the same experience, the review scores were all over the map," inXile CEO Brian Fargo said. "In addition our fans pointed out areas that needed improvement and we got right to work to create a game they would really enjoy. We spent the last 8 months implementing a good 40 pag…
- Devil May Cry 5 leads more Xbox and PC Game Pass additions for August - 19 August 2019
Microsoft has fumbled around in its magical bag of Game Pass treats and yanked out a fresh helping of games coming to the Xbox One and PC subscription service this month, including Devil May Cry 5, The Bard's Tale 4, and Blair Witch. Starting today, the big 'un is Capcom's superb hack-and-slash revival, Devil May Cry 5, which will be available for Game Pass subscribers on Xbox One. Also coming to console via Game Pass today is Paradox's mighty sci-fi grand strategy opus Stellaris, while PC players get their strategy fix in the form of Age of Empires: Definitive Edition. As for the rest of August, there's jazz-hued primate action from Ape Out, arriving on PC and Xbox One next Thursday, 22nd August, and open-world RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance is added on the same day. Read more
- The Bard's Tale 4 Director's Cut is coming in August - 11 July 2019
The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep was one of my favorite games from 2018, and I wrote a glowing review to prove it. In August it will get even better as The Bard's Tale 4 Director's Cut, which was announced in February , will go live. The Director's Cut "directly addresses feedback received from the game’s initial launch with thousands of fixes and tweaks included," developer inXile Entertainment said. It will also add long-awaited DLC in the form of a new final chapter that promises to add hours of new content. No details were revealed, but based on appearance of the large green fellow at the end of the trailer, I'd say we're finally going to see what's happening in Haernhold. (Also, that's what inXile said last year .) The updated version will also include new enemies, weapons, and items, an updated interface, more class and gender characte…
- The Bard's Tale 4's massive Director's Cut update is finally out this August - 11 July 2019
Developer InXile's long-awaited Director's Cut mega-update for The Bard's Tale 4 has finally received a release date: it arrives on 27th August, and the game, in its freshly refined guise, will be making its way to PS4, Xbox One, Mac, and Linux on the same day. Although The Bard's Tale 4's puzzle-y RPG action was well-received at launch, the experience was more than a little rough around the edges. Indeed, Eurogamer's Robert Purchese, a fan of the game, noted that it was hard to ignore its "general lack of finesse" in his review . Since release, InXile has offered numerous bug fixes and optimisation updates, but its focus has been on delivering a major overhaul of the experience, initially referred to as "2.0". Due to its scope, however, the developer announced in February that the update would be renamed Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep - Director's Cut, with an anticipated (if now missed)…
- The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut First Look - 7 June 2019
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32396885%2F96470b9d513a4aaa3b52bb6ddeeadb295ba183b4.jpg Hi everyone, work on the Director’s Cut is going very well, and we’re excited to share more about our progress today. As you’re aware, we were acquired by Microsoft late last year, and they’ve been a truly amazing partner, providing us access to new resources and refinement processes, and allowing us to take the time we want to ensure we make this the definitive edition of The Bard’s Tale IV. The good news is that the wait won’t be that much longer, as we’re targeting late summer for a Steam release of the Director’s Cut on Windows, Mac, and Linux. We’ll be sharing more news on specific dates in the near future, but for now here is a video on the changes from the game’s Creative Director, David Rogers, detailing what you’ll find in this new Director’s Cut. https://you…
- The Bard's Tale 4 is getting a major Director's Cut update in June - 18 February 2019
Developer InXile has announced that it will be releasing an expanded, enchanced version of its 2018 RPG The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep later this year, and that its additions are significant enough to warrant a new Director's Cut moniker. When Eurogamer's Robert Purchese reviewed The Bard's Tale 4 at the tail-end of last year, he was a big fan of its puzzle-y RPG action. However, for all the praise he heaped on its richly imaginative design, it was, he said, hard to ignore its "general lack of finesse". The game has received several updates since then , adding new features, ironing out wrinkles, fixing up bugs, and optimising its sometimes wonky performance, but one mega update - known as 2.0 - has been looming for some time. Now, speaking in a new Kickstarter backer post , InXile's Paul Marzagalli has explained just how significant an overhaul it really is. Read more
- The Bard's Tale 4 is getting a 'Director's Cut' overhaul - 18 February 2019
I thought The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep was an excellent dungeon crawler when it came out in the fall of 2018, but not everyone was quite so satisfied with the experience. I enthusiastically stand by my assessment—I enjoyed it throughout, even though the ending was a bit of a bummer—but if you're on the "disappointed" side of the divide, inXile is working on a "Director's Cut" version of the game that might give you a reason to take another look.  The Director's Cut is an outgrowth of the 2.0 update that the studio announced in December 2018. "As the scope of the patch has expanded (and continues to), we decided that it warranted a more formal title than 2.0. When released, it will turn the game into The Bard’s Tale 4: Barrows Deep - Director’s Cut," inXile's Paul Marzagalli explained in a Kickstarter update . "We are introduci…
- The Bard's Tale 4 is getting a new, free dungeon and a big 2.0 update - 21 December 2018
I liked The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep an awful lot when it came out earlier this year and it's improved considerably since then, with new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes. Today developer inXile Entertainment announced that the studio is working on a new dungeon, the Royal Necropolis of Haernhold , which will be free for everyone who owns the game.  The Royal Necropolis will be a combat-focused dungeon with "several new mini-boss fights and two very challenging boss fights." Players will have the opportunity to uncover the truth of Tarjan's treachery and reverse the destruction wrought upon the tomb of Gaerwyn, the greatest hero of the Dwarves.    "While the emphasis is very much on trying out and acquiring new, powerful gear and then using it on the most challenging fights we’ve ever made, we are also able to leverage all of our e…
- Hotfix 4.2 is live - 28 November 2018
Hello everyone, We have just released a hotfix regarding the following issues: Loading time improvements. These improvements are targeted for people with non-Solid State Drives. Reported push block puzzle issues with free movement are now resolved. We also have an additional known issue: If player charges characters on elevated platforms or cliffs, there is a chance that the combat will start off-grid or the player will not be aligned properly to the combat. We are working to address this in the next full patch. Thanks for helping us to continue improving the game for everyone. Please keep letting us know if you are still having any issues with The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep. The team at inXile
- A big Bard's Tale 4 update adds grid movement, save anywhere, and respeccing - 22 November 2018
InXile Entertainment has rolled out a major update for The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep that brings a host of new features to the old-timey dungeon crawler. Collectively known as "Legacy Mode," the changes include the promised grid-based movement with selectable free or fixed camera, a save anywhere option, character respeccing, and toggles for gameplay options including waypoint display, automapping, and auto-resurrection.  The grid-based movement mode is still in beta, "but rather than holding back for longer we wanted those of you who are passionate about this feature to try it out and let us know what you think," inXile wrote. It also warned that enabling the feature in a saved game prior to patch 4 will result in many NPCs not looking directly at you while you're moving. The developers adjusted NPCs to better align with the grid, but propagating that through existing…
- Bard's Tale 4 whopper-patch addresses some of our biggest concerns - 22 November 2018
The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep was scruffy at launch - I used that word in my Bard's Tale 4 review - but inXile has done significant work since. Case in point: this week's Second Sight patch, which is a whopper. It allows you to save anywhere in the game - halle-bloody-lujah! Previously you had to wait until you reached a Luck Stone, which was a pain in the arse if your game crashed, which mine did, over and over. Arguably the biggest thing in the patch, however, is the ability to play the game in Grid mode, like the original Bard's Tale games. As it stands, you free-roam The Bard's Tale 4 and then phase to grid for battles. Read more…
- The Bard s Tale IV adds free saving, old-school grid movement, old heroes and more - 21 November 2018
Whether you appreciated its fresh approach or loathed the concepts behind The Bard’s Tale 4 , it’s hard to deny that the revival of the ancient RPG series needed a few more months in the oven. Today’s big ol’ patch, which developers inXile are calling the Second Sight Update , smooths over some of the bigger cracks in its pseudo-old-school facade. For the good of everyone, you can now save the game anywhere, but those wanting a more uncompromising retro experience can enable grid-based movement and even recruit the original six pre-made Bard’s Tale heroes. (more…)
- Second Sight Update now live! - 20 November 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32396885%2F8c8334990365622dd37c15cc010490f58d9f9193.png Hello everyone! Today, we are pleased to bring you the Second Sight Update, which brings a number of requested features (most notably an option for “save anywhere and anytime”) and a host of fixes. It also brings our previously mentioned Legacy Mode features, which we’re thrilled to finally deliver, especially to our long-time fans of the series! For details on this patch, please check out the notes below. Work on the game continues. Certain major milestones, such as a revamped inventory system and controller support, are still on their way. That is in addition to continued improvements and optimization based on your feedback. In addition to the above, we also continue to work on the Mac and Linux versions, as well as a few other nice things that we can´t talk about y…
- InXile acquired by Microsoft: the interview - 19 November 2018
On Saturday 10th November, Microsoft announced buying Californian role-playing game developers inXile Entertainment and Obsidian Entertainment . Two studios independent which had fought for survival for a decade-and-a-half were now under the Xbox umbrella. The message from Microsoft was reassurance: don't worry, nothing will change, we won't kill them - they'll continue to make the games you love, only they'll have more resources and support available to "fully realise" their ambitions. Nevertheless, questions remained. Both companies are tied up in crowdfunding - particularly inXile, which has Wasteland 3 still to deliver - so what happens there? And what happens to promised PlayStation 4 versions of games - can they still fulfil those as Xbox studios? Moreover, will they leave isometric games behind in favour of glitzier projects? For this interview, I'm concentrating on inXile, speak…
- Oh my RPG, Microsoft is buying Obsidian Entertainment and inXile - 10 November 2018
The rumours were true: Microsoft Studios is buying Obsidian Entertainment . It's also, in an unexpected twist, buying inXile Entertainment. The acquisitions were announced during the X018 fan event in Mexico today. In a statement sent to Eurogamer, Microsoft said of Obsidian: "As one of the industry's premiere RPG developers, we couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to add their expertise to Microsoft Studios, while enabling the studio to preserve its unique culture and build on its talent and vision to fully realise their creative ambitions." Read more…
- Hotfix 3.1 is live - 15 October 2018
Hello everyone, We have just released a hotfix to solve the following issues: German - Fixed the issue where cogs were unintentionally stacking as a single type versus three different types. The tooltips aren't localized at the moment, however, all new German players will not be blocked. For German players with previous save games, please adventure to Boar Temple and Skyhenge to find additional cogs waiting for you so you can progress your adventures. Fixed players having a small chance to suffer odd behaviors, including crashes, when using a Practitioner’s Dragon Breath & Conjurorer’s Mark on groups of skeleton enemies. Fixed an issue with Fairy Powder Bomb that would cause hangs with multiple wave combats. Fixed an issue with the Zanta fight in regards to killing multiple skeletons in the first turn of combat. Fixed a crash during combat when stacks of ‘On Fire’ are damaging Yadis and…
- The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep Patch 3 - 11 October 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32396885%2F20b3c93630e4f71fed0cce1a345e4da72509262d.png Hello everyone! Today, we are pleased to get you the latest patch for The Bard´s Tale IV: Barrows Deep. Patch 3 introduces additional enhancements to graphic settings, character art, localization, as well as further addressing remaining issues like ability bugs, optimization of loading times, and stability across the game. With Patch 3 done, please allow us a few personal words: Here at inXile, we are always committed to making quality RPGs, and we are totally devoted to what we are doing. The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a game that we poured our hearts into, and every single one of us is very sad that the release of the game we are so proud of was overshadowed by performance issues. Of course, we wish that we had caught these things at launch and have been workin…
- The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep review - a scruffy puzzler's delight - 4 October 2018
I'm sorry this review arrives late, but The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep is stubborn. Trying to power through it is like trying to solve a great pile of crosswords in one sitting: your brain would turn to mush. You could cheat - The Bard's Tale 4 includes a walkthrough out of the box - but you would rob yourself of the point of the puzzle in the first place. The answer doesn't really matter; it's the process you undergo to get it and the satisfaction you feel when you do that counts. In this way The Bard's Tale 4, one giant collection of puzzles, can be enormously satisfying, but force the issue and you will bang heads with it. It cannot and should not be rushed. The other important thing to know or remember about The Bard's Tale 4 is where it comes from. This has its roots in crowdfunding, and is not a big budget game with a huge team. Character models are dated and cutscenes are slides…
- The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep Patch 2 - 29 September 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32396885%2Fb7c362dac08d9af3e90673cfc9353bf4ef5bb882.png Hello everyone! The second patch for The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep is live, and it is a big one. Once again, thank you for all the feedback you provided. We really appreciate it. In this patch, our team's main focus was continuing to improve optimization of the game across both the GPU and the CPU. We have made some great gains in this area across all quality settings and we will continue to improve it in the upcoming next patch. We also continued our improvements to loading times. Additional notable fixes in this patch include a resolution to a problem some people experienced during launch where non-ASCII characters in Windows usernames would cause a game crash, UI support for widescreen and non 16-9 aspect ratios, large localization updates across all languages,…
- The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep review - 27 September 2018
I’ve sunk about 40 hours into The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep so far, and I’m not ready to hoist my 'Saved the World' tankard just yet. It's a really big game. But even though I have yet to dispatch the latest and greatest threat to the city of Skara Brae—and the greater world of Caith, because the adventure goes far beyond Skara Brae's walls—I am happy. This is the dungeon crawling adventure I've been waiting for. The Bard's Tale 4 is a remarkable modernization of an infamously punishing old game, and the dungeon crawler genre as a whole. The update is most obviously apparent in the free-roaming movement system that lets me look and go where I want, without the conventional constraints of grid-based movement. It’s all smoke and mirrors—the levels are as linear and corridor-based as they were in the original Ba…
