The Bard's Tale
Also known as Tales of the Unknown: Volume I
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.
Where can you play The Bard's Tale today?
Device by device, which of the 4 alternatives below you can play on it.
- PC
- The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut (€ 34,99), Legend of Grimrock (€ 14,99), Legend of Grimrock 2 (€ 23,52) and 1 more.
- Mac
- The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut (€ 34,99), Legend of Grimrock (€ 14,99), Legend of Grimrock 2 (€ 23,52) and 1 more.
- Linux
- The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut (€ 34,99).
- iPhone
- Legend of Grimrock (€ 14,99).
- iPad
- Legend of Grimrock (€ 14,99).
- Android phone
- None of the alternatives to The Bard's Tale runs on Android phone.
- Android tablet
- None of the alternatives to The Bard's Tale runs on Android tablet.
- PlayStation
- The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut (€ 34,99).
- Xbox
- The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut (€ 34,99).
- Switch
- The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut (€ 34,99).
- Steam Deck
- The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut (€ 34,99), Legend of Grimrock 2 (€ 23,52) and The Bard's Tale Trilogy (€ 12,49). All 3 on Steam Deck
Games like The Bard's Tale
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.
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 is also an alternative to 1 other classic
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. It is Steam Deck Playable.
Legend of Grimrock Indie
€ 14,99An indie grid-based first-person dungeon crawler in the classic Bard's Tale tradition.
Legend of Grimrock is also an alternative to 4 other classics
Legend of Grimrock runs on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad. Not available on Linux, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Unsupported.
Legend of Grimrock 2 Indie
€ 23,52Grid-based first-person dungeon crawling with real puzzles and a proper outdoor world.
Legend of Grimrock 2 is also an alternative to 2 other classics
Legend of Grimrock 2 runs on PC, Mac. Not available on Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Verified.
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. It is Steam Deck Playable.
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