Skip to main content

‘The Bard’s Tale 4: Barrows Deep’ is available now on Steam

Chug some booze and belt out battle songs in 'The Bard's Tale 4'

The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep Launch Trailer

The long-awaited sequel to a series that helped set the tone for fantasy RPGs and dungeon crawlers as we know is available today on PC and that game is The Bard’s Tale 4: Barrows Deep. Arriving just in time to celebrate its 30th anniversary, it’s a come up story only made possible by a Kickstarter campaign that amassed over 30,000 backers and $1,500,000 in funding.

The developers inXile Entertainment have a history of successfully launching niche video games using the crowdfunding platform, releasing titles such as Torment: Tides of Numenera and Wasteland 2 to great critical acclaim. It’s a feat not easily achieved by developers on Kickstarter but if you take a moment to look at The Bard’s Tale 4: Barrows Deep’s Kickstarter page, you’ll start to understand why inXile gets such enthusiastic support from its fans.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

From meaningful pledges and motivational stretch goals to candid developer updates and a near unrestrictive say in the outcome of the game for its backers, you can tell there’s a meticulous amount of detail and passion poured into their games, and the same can be said for The Bard’s Tale 4.

It brings with it a true single-player, party-based role-playing experience, filled with scenic exploration, intricate dungeons, dynamic combat, and over 40 hours of challenging tactical gameplay. There are four archetypes to choose from that include Bard, Rogue, Fighter, and Practitioner. When combined, they all have the potential to unlock up to 21 different classes with each possessing about 65 skills.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

You can handpick a total of six heroes to join you on your journey against the evil that looms in Caith (a location that the series has visited before) where you’ll level up your party, suit them in the strongest weapons and gear, and even summon the help of beasts — in The Bard’s Tale 4: Barrows Deep it’s all about feeling like you have a hand in the outcome of your story.

It goes without saying that The Bard’s Tale 4 isn’t a game for everyone but that’s what makes its Kickstarter success so remarkable. With such a loyal and supportive following of backers, inXile Entertainment was able to launch not just one but three games, and according to CEO Brian Fargo, if the game does well then the revival of his first company, Interplay Productions, might be on the table.

The Bard’s Tale 4: Barrows Deep releases today for Windows PC on Steam and will be available for Mac and Linux platforms in the very near future.

Editors' Recommendations

Felicia Miranda
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Born in '89 and raised through the 90s, I experienced what I consider to be the golden age of video games. At an early age, I…
How to buy and customize ships in Sea of Thieves
The name King of Red Lions floats above a red, customized ship in Sea of Thieves.

The newest season of Sea of Thieves is here to take you back to your favorite swashbuckling adventure world. And whether that means you're checking out the series for the first time or you're having trouble remembering everything from the last time you played, you're probably aware that you'll need a ship to find a transport your booty around. Here's how to get a ship in Sea of Thieves as well as customize it to your liking.

Read more
Quick! This PS5 bundle just got an unprecedented price cut
The Playstation 5 system standing upright.

We didn't expect the PlayStation 5 Slim, the updated version of Sony's video game console, to go on sale this soon, but you can already get the PlayStation 5 Slim Marvel's Spider-Man 2 bundle from Amazon with a 20% discount. From its original price of $559, you'll only have to pay $449, which is a fantastic price for this gaming machine. PS5 deals always attract a lot of attention, so we expect this offer to get sold out quickly. If you want to take advantage of it, you're going to have to hurry in completing your purchase.

Why you should buy the PlayStation 5 Slim Marvel's Spider-Man 2 bundle
The PlayStation 5 Slim is more than just a slimmed-down version of the original PlayStation 5 -- though the difference is noticeable with 18% less weight and 30% less volume for the disc version. There's no performance upgrade between the PS5 Slim and PS5, and you'll be able to play all of the PlayStation 5 games on either model, but the PS5 Slim comes with a 1TB of storage with around 842GB usable, compared to 825GB with 667GB usable in the original PS5. That's nearly 200GB of extra space for your installed games, save data, and screenshots.

Read more
How to change your Steam username
Steam library.

Unless you've got an absolute premium username or have too many linked accounts to name, there's no reason to stick with the same username forever. Unlike some services that offer limited username changes or charge to change your tag, Steam allows users to adjust their usernames at any time.

You don't have to keep that awful username you picked on some random Tuesday before hopping into a game. Here's how you can make a change.

Read more