I really liked what I played of Brian Fargo and inXile’s crowdfunded RPG The Bard’s Tale 4 a few months ago. It hinted at a very unique and potentially deep party- and turn-based combat system that role-playing fans would really be able to sink their teeth into. What I didn’t realize until my hands-on with the Kickstarter backer beta, however, is that what I saw last time was barely scratching the surface.
I played the opening hour of The Bard’s Tale IV and was pleasantly surprised at just how deep of an RPG it appears to be. It opened in a town square, with myriad NPCs roaming about to speak with – some of them offering sidequests to undertake. Visually, too, the reborn Bard’s Tale makes a wonderful first impression, with graphics that feel on par with games that have exponentially larger development budgets.
Source: IGN.com The Bard's Tale 4's First Hour Reveals a Deeper RPG Than We Expected