The Bard's Tale
The Bard's Tale is a 1985 RPG developed by Interplay, a first-person dungeon crawler set in the monster-plagued town of Skara Brae, cursed into eternal winter by the evil wizard Mangar. Players assemble a party of up to six adventurers across various classes and explore mazes, towers, and dungeons in a grid-based, tile-by-tile view, battling foes in menu-driven turn-based combat.
The game's distinctive touch was the bard class, whose songs could buff the party, damage enemies, restore magic, or reveal secrets, adding a unique layer to standard dungeon crawling. Its detailed monster illustrations, deep character building with multiple magic-user paths, and challenging labyrinths full of traps, spinners, and teleporters helped popularise the party-based RPG on home computers and rewarded meticulous mapping.
The Bard's Tale spawned sequels and, decades later, a modern remaster of the original trilogy alongside a separate reboot. Those classic games remain accessible through re-releases and emulation for fans of old-school dungeon crawling.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to The Bard's Tale, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
| Alternative | Price | Steam Deck | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut | € 34,99 | Steam Deck Playable | PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Legend of Grimrock Indie | € 14,99 | Steam Deck Unsupported | PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad |
| Legend of Grimrock 2 Indie | € 23,52 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac |
| The Bard's Tale Trilogy | € 12,49 | Steam Deck Playable | PC, Mac |
The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut
€ 34,99An official modern sequel that revives the dungeon-crawling series with 3D visuals and puzzles.
The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Legend of Grimrock Indie
€ 14,99An indie grid-based first-person dungeon crawler in the classic Bard's Tale tradition.
Legend of Grimrock runs on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad. Not available on Linux, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch.
Legend of Grimrock 2 Indie
€ 23,52Grid-based first-person dungeon crawling with real puzzles and a proper outdoor world.
Legend of Grimrock 2 runs on PC, Mac. Not available on Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch.
The Bard's Tale Trilogy
€ 12,49All three originals remastered with automapping and modern controls, the originals rather than a reimagining.
The Bard's Tale Trilogy runs on PC, Mac. Not available on Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch.
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