Review of The Bard's Tale Trilogy (Remastered)

[@GrayHairedGamer]

I came across this video today looking for content related to the BT Trilogy remasters, since it came up as a topic of discussion earlier. I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your style, presentation, observations, and detail. Looking at your channel and the type of content you create, I told my wife afterwards that you and I probably would have been good friends had we gone to school together! 😂 I took her down memory lane talking about hex editing, character editors, and wanting to be a game designer as early as age 11 or 12 as well. Keep up the great work and can't wait to check out more of your content.

[@ka-bar5060]

WOW!!! I love this! I got the original back in 1985 for my Commodore 128 and then got Vol. 2, but not Vol. 3. I had moved on to PC games by that time. This is so well done. I think I will have to get this from GoG. Watching this review brought back a lot of memories.

[@SprocketWalker]

I think the sound of the monks chanting in the temple is from Monte Python's Holy Grail movie. At least that's what I think of when I hear them chanting. Thank you for reviewing this classic series!

[@markbranham6365]

I had wondered if you had tried this. I installed this several months after release. It is amazing and beautiful. My first exposure to RPG games as a little kid was the original Bard’s Tale when my brother would visit and bring his bulky monochrome screened IBM laptop. Thank you for this review.

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

You're welcome Mark!

[@DOSBoxMom]

I remember that the C64 version of Bard's Tale II was bugged so that it would crash when you were about to find a piece of the Destiny Wand. EA got tired of my requests for patch discs (this was back before one could easily download bugfix patches, and offered to exchange BT2 for one of their other games. I chose to instead download a "trainer" program from Q-Link (a C64-specific precursor to America Online) to get past the bugs. (The days of 1200bps downloads over a dial-up modem connection on Sunday nights when the long-distance connection to the nearest host was at its cheapest - gamers nowadays don't know how good they have it!)

[@wolfwing1]

hehe I remember the infinite gold cheat on comodore 64, just about every version has it just requires different methods.

[@crazykong1967]

I played the originals on a Commodore 64. Back in the day we had to draw the maps, but that was part of the fun. I still remember playing these games back in the summer of '85 with friends. The remastered edition of all three games is outstanding! I also played the Amiga version, but only the original game. I noticed since the last time I played some new features were added. Overall for less than $15 on GOG you would find it almost impossible to get a better deal. I wish some older games like the Gold-box series would this get this kind of upgrade. Excellent review, IMHO I do not think you will find a more comprehensive, well written review on KZbin.

[@wes788411]

I really enjoyed making maps on graph paper on these grid based games, it really made me more immersed in the game. If you like grid based dungeon crawlers, there was a game released a few years ago called Legend of Grimrock that was in the spirit of Eye of the Beholder that was really good.

[@teejay818]

I’m so glad they added the auto map. It’s the reason I’ve never come back to enjoy the game a second time - I certainly don’t have the patience to graph paper map the game a second time! I’m two dungeons in so far with my new playthrough, what a great remaster. Retains the soul while modernizing the quality of life. Thanks for the detailed review, picked up a couple things I didn’t know!

[@dennismoore2752]

Hard to grasp for players today that, they had to put TEXT into the manual to save KILOBYTES of discspace😂

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

Very true!

[@FridayNightArcade]

Well... looks like I'm gonna have to figure out how to freeze time so I can sit here and binge watch your entire video catalog.

[@Tony_Cardoza]

Yeah, like you ain't got the time.

[@DOSBoxMom]

I think I might still have my copies of the Quest for Clues books with walkthroughs for all 3 of the original Bard's Tale games; hopefully they'll still work with the remastered version.

[@mikesol1162]

I always loved your detailed review style. That 43 minutes went by very fast. I bought this game on Steam long ago and your review makes me want to play it now. I like the graphics in this game. They look like upscaled EGA graphics which is the perfect look for this game remake. I really hope the people behind this remake can get their hands on the very early Might & Magics and remake those at some point.

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

Thanks Mike! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and even more glad it makes you want to play the game! I agree, would be fantastic to see inXile and Krome do the M&M (or Wizardry)!

[@mikesol1162]

@@dfortaeGameReviews Wizardry would be good too. I am a bigger fan of Might & Magic but Wizardry needs the remake treatment more. I hope it happens. :)

[@Cannonquail]

Hey Dforte. I've been watching your videos for awhile now but never commented. Wanted to say I love the channel, it's given me so many hours of entertainment. This review got me to buy the bard's tale trilogy and I'm loving it. Keep up the good work on the channel man.

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

Thanks for letting me know @Cannonquail! I'm glad you are enjoying the channel and The Bard's Tale Trilogy! I appreciate the kind words.

[@grahamlewis6777]

I have know about this game (born in the 70s) but never player it. thanks very much for a thorough and very useful review!

[@nutherefurlong]

Passed this up on sale because I thought it was just the old versions re-issued, but they did so much to enhance the old stuff, I can't remember the last time I've seen an old game so well treated. Imagine what this kind of treatment would do for a game like Darklands, especially fixing the bugs and missing features. A lot of love went into this, thank you for the review :) Edit: Also, how wild would it be if they had the Bard's Tale Construction Set with more features along these lines, expanding what you could do with it?

[@GAMERLONN]

I would have given it an A+++.

[@Erik6562]

Great review! I love your detail. Yet another review of yours which convinced me to go out and get the title.

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

Thank you Sir Erik! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy the game!!!

[@jackballjohnson3468]

Best review of Bard's Tale ever.

[@whirlyn]

This Review was .... Fantastic!!!

[@whiplashthunderhead4258]

Wow I tip my hat to you I have seen vids posted years ago and have been all but abandoned Yet here is a 3 year old vid has continued comments and responses as recently as 3 weeks ago Sir, your a credit to your audience 👏

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words!

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

I'm working on a mod for this game, by the way. Garth's will exist in the 3rd volume, and many balance changes!

[@breakbeatz309]

Great review, I loved the originals and will have to try this version. BTW, what is the game in your intro where there is a lady casting a spell at a green dragon? I don’t recognize that one.

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. That is Spirit of Excalibur.

[@khelben1979]

Very good review! I will definitely buy this at some point. I miss playing this on my Amiga, but I'm looking forward to go back to this.

[@DigitalPhreak765]

Wish they would remake Might and Magic aswell

[@necroscope5064]

An amazing remaster. Played this originally on the Spectrum. Wonderful memories

[@Yoni123]

How is the gamepad support? Just got it from GOG

[@salexume9622]

It’s great

[@johnsknows3135]

I love these reviews. You really appreciate the atmosphere of this game

[@ChrisFreeman_4Bit]

We’ll done. Love hearing your take on this. The upgrades are so well done, and I agree with you on the auto map. It’s the perfect combination of helpful and willing to let you get lost.

[@lilBugger35]

Cabbage, Carrots, Potatoes.

[@Frank_42]

The tone of these reviews are so much like in VWestlife's channel. I almost feel like it's the same guy.

[@h_r7708]

Is there a roll your own dice option?

[@montyball2868]

Quick question. Do the monsters/npcs you add to the party also share experience points or is it just divided btw the PCs?

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

No, experience is not shared with monsters/npcs.

[@thesnare100]

There was also a bug (I'm guessing) in the original Bard's Tale, when you were say a 10th level conjurer or magician (whatever level you needed or past it to cast the maximum spell level of that class) and switched classes to a new one, it would treat your spells as if you were a 1st level caster and not take into account your levels as your previous class, So I noticed my dragon breath and starflare and shock sphere spells were repelling off creatures as if I was a 1st level conjurer or magician again, same with wizard and sorcerer

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

That's actually not a bug, that was by design to help prevent overpowered characters early on as you switch classes. Your "spell save" (i.e. magic resistance) would drop back to level 1, making your characters more vulnerable, even though they keep their previous hit points.

[@tohitAC0]

Yeah not a bug. Similar to how dual class worked in 2e d&d

[@thesnare100]

@@dfortaeGameReviews you mean ENEMIES magic resistance don't you? Either that or your ability to overcome their magic resistance.

[@insomnia2411]

I played and beat the third game as a child without having a manual to even know how to type in the spells. Still remember Arfi as arc fire….

[@danielchez9356]

Not bad. I miss the old intro!

[@alexshadowfax1119]

Im very new to games like this, it looks super fun though, is it only available on computer im guessing? Or is there anyway to play it on a console?

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

There's a version for XBox.

[@alexshadowfax1119]

​@@dfortaeGameReviews Thank you for replying

[@rainyjay8156]

What was the bar trick you mentioned at 14 mins ?

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

That would be giving away a secret! I'll never tell, but I'm sure you can find it online if you really want to know.

[@thesnare100]

Did they put Roscoe's energy emporium in part 3, unlike the original which doesn't have it? That was a major complaint about that game. I know it was supposedly destroyed as part of the story, but they could still have him have fled the city and setup outside it in a tent or something, THe original bard's tale 1 didn't have a bank or casino in the game (he jumps around to different games in the series) Also you could heal the petrified condition at a temple in the original, just NOT with any spell, and Garth's was also closed at night in the original. The stasis chamber might as well kill you because the only way was to shut off your computer in the originals to get out of it!

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

No, Part 3 has no shop, nor Roscoe's. There is a storage/barn area to store items (and items you had in the bank from 2 appear there in this). Garth's is still closed at night. There's a difference between killing the whole party, and forcing you to kill the game. If your whole party is killed, their bodies appear back at the guild, and you can have others resurrect them. If you turn off the game/computer, it just resets to where they were before they died.

[@thesnare100]

@@dfortaeGameReviews kinda sucks how MPs work in part 3, harmonic gems or walking around during daylight hours, then. I remember what I had to do with part one was save the character files in another directory then put them back so they'd be alive after dying.

[@thesnare100]

@@dfortaeGameReviews but pc's were not meant to be shut down by turning off the power switch, in dos you were supposed to exit ot a prompt before shutting down. So, I've been told not doing so was bad for your system

[@FedePixelWizard]

Great review, thanks!

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

Thanks, and my pleasure!

[@bearcattony00]

Just beat the first one. I never got very far in the classic version with its lack of saving. The live automap made me appreciate this game more than ever. I only played the btiii original.

[@luisalves1706]

Very nice, thanks.

[@tommyhatcher3399]

I like the old games more. You lean forward you'll see the look of old games are abstract and fuzzy. Gives the illusion of something photorealistic being shown on a computer that can't handle it. Like a very old movie where details are hidden by the primitive recording but you can tell those details are there. Guess you can just call it using your imagination. All new games do is clear up that confusion and so they end up looking more bland and basic than the old, not fully realized games.

[@MrJimbo-ew9vk]

I would love to see this on consoles.

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

It is on Xbox One (a console).

[@MrJimbo-ew9vk]

@@dfortaeGameReviews Well, wake me up when there are plans to release it for the Switch.

[@highergroundgaming7202]

Fantastic! 🤪

[@ZephaniahL]

This is like reparations to the game fans to make up for Burger Bill Heineman falling victim to the worst ideology of our time and cutting his own... off.

[@telengardforever7783]

The Commodore 64 never looked so good.

[@tenchi586]

I'm so tired of remakes and remasters. Old games with old graphics should be appreciated and cherished like old black and white movies with dated effects are. I wish the remasters had the options to play the originals.

[@schwungsau2]

Bard's Tale Trilogy is most over-rated crpg to date. ok i was one the first rpg but iut was boring when playedin c64 and still boring. emty dungeon's, you can not monster until the game tell, "you fighting monsters now, yes nor no?" the wait the results. and so much grind. if so broing compared the game with with other crp at the time !