The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a game about solving puzzles and fighting monsters, dressed up as a grand adventure. It is also a game that barely leaves its own shell. Nothing more happens here. And that is the problem.
Trailer, via inXile entertainment.
Setting and Story
The game drops you into a fantasy world full of castles, dungeons, and ancient ruins. The story is thin, mostly delivered through text boxes and brief voiceovers. You assemble a group of companions, each with their own skill set, and send them into dungeons to gather gold, items, and experience points. The goal is simple: get stronger, find better gear, and beat the final boss.
Combat System
Combat is turn-based. You select a move, your party member acts, and the enemy responds. The system is easy to grasp. It is also repetitive. Dungeons are filled with the same enemies, arranged in the same patterns, with the same rewards at the end. There is little variation between encounters, and the pacing drags as you walk back through familiar corridors after a fight.
Puzzle Rooms
Puzzle rooms break up the fighting, but they suffer from the same problem. Most puzzles involve moving blocks, finding keys, or pressing buttons in a sequence. They are clever in isolation, but the game rarely builds on them. Once you solve the first few, you know exactly how the rest will work. The difficulty curve is flat, not steep.
Look and Sound
The Bard’s Tale IV looks dated. The art style is cartoonish, with exaggerated proportions and bright colors, but the textures are rough and the lighting is dull. Character models are stiff, and animations are jerky during movement. The game runs on a first-person perspective, but you spend most of your time looking down at a grid-based map, which removes any sense of immersion. The sound design is sparse, with generic battle effects and forgettable music.
Length
The campaign is short. It can be completed in under twenty hours, though that number varies depending on how much grinding you do to level up. Side content exists, but it is limited. There is no reason to return once the credits roll.
Voice Work
The music is forgettable. It does not stand out, and it does not linger. The voice acting is adequate, with a few standout performances from the main characters, but the supporting cast is underwritten and their lines feel scripted. The writing is serviceable, but it rarely rises above the mechanical demands of the plot.
Final Word
The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a competent but unambitious game. It does not reinvent the RPG genre, nor does it try to. What it offers is a straightforward dungeon crawler with a few decent ideas and a lot of filler. The puzzle rooms are thinly executed, and the combat lacks variety. The game never surprises, it never challenges, and it never earns your attention for long.
The game is at its worst when you are walking back through a dungeon you have already cleared, grinding for experience to level up your party. That imbalance is the core problem. The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep wants to be a memorable adventure, but it settles for being a routine one.
Key Facts
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One
- Genre: Role-playing (RPG)
- Modes: Single player
- Perspective: First person
- Published: 2018, developed by inXile Entertainment
- Score: 5.5/10
The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a game that understands its own limitations. It knows what it is, and it delivers that without pretense. But that honesty is not enough to overcome the flaws. The puzzles are thinly executed, the combat is solid, and the setting is imaginative, but none of it goes anywhere. The game never surprises, it never challenges, and it never earns your attention for long.
If you are a fan of the genre, you might find a few hours of entertainment here. If you are looking for a game that pushes boundaries or offers a deep, rewarding experience, you will be disappointed. The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a game that is fine, but it is not great. It is a game that will be forgotten as soon as you put it down.
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