![]() Forget the combat or magical properties of said objects (which range from the typical stuff like swords and shields to more amusing loot like family pictures and swim trunks) - it’s their more basic value as currency is all that matters to the Bard. In one of its more elegant features - one that cuts like Ockham’s Razor to the heart of the hero’s drive for treasure in the genre - rather than looting bodies by collecting items from your vanquished foes, examining them to see if they are an improvement on your own equipment, and then selling the “junk loot” at a nearby town, all the loot you pick up that isn’t better than what you currently have is immediately converted into gold. The Bard’s motivations are simple - he quests for coin and cleavage.Įven the gameplay supports this pragmatic approach to heroism. When asked to take on the quest to save the princess, the Bard is hesitant until he sees her and realizes that she’s a hottie and is assured by her that both her body and her wealth will serve as rewards for her rescue. This cynicism is also reflected in the attitude of the Bard and returns me to my earlier cynical take on the genre. As a player, I giggled and was immediately sold on the cynical premise of this tale. Striking a victorious pose with sword held aloft, a voice booms “quest complete”. Inside, he locates a rat and kills it in a single blow. Our Level 1 character must begin his career inauspiciously taking on less than terrifying vermin to prove his worth and begin his ascension towards more legitimate heroic levels.Īs the Bard descends into the dimly lit “dungeon”, he stops cautiously to save at a conveniently placed save point, then begins exploring the labyrinth. The story begins with such a skewering as the Bard is asked to skewer rats in a tavern cellar (yup, a la Baldur’s Gate - you’re even sent on the mission by a buxom barmaid) that begins many such adventures. As noted, the game is satire and thus its narrative depends largely on skewering the clichés of the genre. If this sounds familiar that’s because it’s supposed to be. Its premise is simple: our hero, the titular musician and rogue, must save the world by banishing a great evil and rescuing a trapped princess. The Bard’s Tale is ostensibly an homage to the classic PC RPG of the same name, but it is more of a satire of the aforementioned games (borrowing much of their top down dungeon hacking game style and play) and the fantasy genre in general. It almost felt as if Brian Fargo and the folks over at inXile had generated a game just to prove my point. Loading up The Bard’s Tale was a strange event for me, then. ![]() Indeed, developing a character - a hero - in games like Champions of Norrath, Baldur’s Gate, or Diablo is largely based on improving the statistics of their equipment and less on character itself. A few months ago I wrote a review of Champions of Norrath, arguing that “in Western culture, the most successful of our heroes are the ones holding most of the gold.” In essence, I contended that RPGs and the fantasy genre in general contain a master narrative of a hero who develops chiefly through material goods (weapons, armor, and the gold that buys them).
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