The Bards Tale IV: Barrows Deep

I am 21 hours in.And I must say I absolutely love this games.Yes the game had its issues on release day.(Crashing,Framerate Drops Etc...)However I was able to over look all of those thing and enjoy the game.The game is fully voice acted for one.It tells a wonderful fanastical story.Its paced very well.It boost it self with an aray of very Colorful and animated characters.Each with there own hidden agendas and circumstances.I will write another review in about a week.But this game isn't one to miss.It is a hidden jewel that must not be forgotten.

This game has been an absolute joy to play.
Full disclosure: I did a 4 hour sponsored event from inXile on release day, and have since done multiple 4 hour streams since (all unsponsored)
This game has been a breath of fresh air in the RPG genre. The world, combat mechanics, voice acting and humor are all top-notch. The puzzles have been engaging and fun to do, the world has been interesting and engaging, the combat is interesting with tons of different approaches, the classes seem interesting and customizable. Granted, i'm only about 12 hours in right now but I've been enjoying the hell out of this game and plan to continue streaming it for the foreseeable future.
Also it's important to mention that inXile is on it in terms of following through with making this game a polished product. Although there are definitely some bugs and issues (including balance and technical), they already have THREE WEEKS of patch notes up and are furiously trying to get the game into a more final state.
Will add more here potentially as I move through the world but yeah... Overall? This game is unique, fun and something special.

I feel like I've played enough to get a solid sense of the game, and since there seems to have been a rush to post negative reviews, for whatever reason, I thought I'd post a more positive take to balance the scales a bit.
Let's start with performance. On my i7 and GTX 1060, the game stutters a bit more on ultra settings than I would expect, but it's far from unplayable. I'll be hoping to see performance smoothed out by patches in the months to come. The graphics themselves are a mixed bag, with some character models looking alright and others less than impressive. But I will say the strategic use of lighting and color do a lot to set a mood and invigorate the visual experience. I'm hoping this will only improve as I progress to more exotic locations in the game.
As for the game itself, I backed this project not as a Bard's Tale fan but as a fan of puzzle- and combat-centered dungeon crawlers. On that basis, I'm quite happy with it so far. There are secrets packed around every corner, and the use of acquired abilities to open up both major new areas and little hidden treasure troves alike really makes the exploration experience pop in a satisfying way.
Character progression is ... somewhat different from what I envisioned when I backed the game. The impression I got in 2015 is that there would be several classes to choose from the outset, forcing you to think carefully about party composition and opportunity cost. The implemented system, on the other hand, sets characters as one of four archetypes, who become more specialized as they descend down a variety of skill tree paths. Eventually, new sub-class perks are available to unlock. It lacks the initial excitement of a more robust class system, where each character feels specialized and distinct from the outset, but it also limits choice paralysis, which is a virtue in its own right. So my impression is the system isn't bad, just different from my expectation.
I'm happy to report that the combat system is wonderful and is probably my favorite thing about the game, at least until I advance to some of the more sophisticated puzzle designs. Managing your spell and opportunity points while minding your position on the battlefield makes for an immensely satisfying experience, especially when you're playing on hard and a plan really comes together.
On a final note, I'll just point out that there's something warm and cozy about this game that's more than the sum of its parts. The Gaelic music and overall art direction do a lot to further that sense. Set against the cheery anime aesthetics of Etrian Odyssey or the inscrutable mysteries of Grimrock (to name a couple contemporary peers), this game feels like a crackling fire and hot beef stew. Dungeon crawlers live and die by their mechanics, sure, but the difference between me completing a game and setting it down halfway through typically depends more on intangibles like atmosphere, character, mood, plotting and writing. We'll see how TBT4 handles these elements as it unfolds.
As a newcomer to the series, I can't say how this game fits into the mechanics and story of the previous Bard's Tale series, which seems to be a chief complaint among the more unhappy backers. That's a valid point of view, but from my perspective, the game is showing a lot of promise, and these types of dungeon crawler experiences don't come around that often.

InXile have done a great job of dragging The Bard's Tale franchise into the modern era whilst retaining the essence of what the series was about. Of course the way it works is necessarilly different and the combat is not the same. But you can still have a large party, bards still like their grog, there are recognisable characters and locations. And it's great fun to play. I will update this review when I have played more of the full game but, aside from it appearing to be a bit on the short side, I can safely say this will continue to develop into an epic adventure and I have very little reservation in recommending it. The puzzles are logical *edit: but often complex* and progression is fairly smooth. I can't wait for the planned DLC expansions.
The story elements are good and well voiced. There is humour but it's subtle and I would say that overall you will have a fairly serious outlook with a few giggles here and there.
They have stated that gameplay is a 40 hour minimum..but such estimates do not take into account side quests and secrets..of which there are plenty, deaths and restarts, as well as time to work out puzzles and where you need to be. So my estimate would be at least double that.
*edit* Despite the game being great a large amount of downvotes can rightly be put down to the extra content issues. You can't advertise four versions of a game (one being well over twice the price of the base game) and then not provide the expected extras. This is a monumental blunder which I am sure will be rectified soon. Other than that significant development my positive stands but this issue IS something you should be aware of before purchasing.
*update* Still no extra content. A lot of people having this issue and I have now just given up hope of ever getting it. I have not encountered any major bugs that have been reported (just a few minor irritations). Performance is fine but not great on my below average system. I don't know where they got 40 hours from but this game is big - expect a LOT more.

I love this game, its got a fair load of bugs and technical issues (which are mostly getting resolved by the day) and character models and textures may be ugly as sin but that doesnt detract from the rest, even though i'm playing it on low settings.
This game has something not a lot of other rpgs i played have, and that is a heart and soul, you can tell the devs really poured it all on to the making of this and it shows in the level design, the puzzles, the music, atmosphere and overall feel of the game.
I felt like i should drop a positive review because this game absolutely does not deserve its current mixed reviews, thanks inXile for the adventure.

Prerequisites:
1. I finished nearly all modern Dungeon Crawlers (and reviewed them).
2. I didn't play any previous Bard's Tale game.
3. 100% of the game done.
Let's list the most important aspects of this genre.
PLOT / QUESTS - 4/6
Writing is nice, the main plotline is... ok. Nothing spectacular but also nothing to be ashamed of. First person dungeon crawlers always had higher level of immersion - same applies here.
I had huge problem with side quests. Most of them require A LOT of backtracking. A lot of times you will receive a quest that you can acomplish 5-6 locations in the future if you wont miss out. Maybe its a thing with this series but in general I didn't like that part so much.
I am quite certain that the game had TONS of references and easter eggs for Bard's Tale series fans. So if you are nostaligia driven, stop reading and just play the game.
TEAM / PARTY - 4/6
You have 4 classes. Each one with few different skill lines. In theory it looks nice. You can build a Fighter into DPS or a Tank. You can select few magic schools. However once you figure out how the game works, you can respect and just go for the best skills. I literally resigned from having a Tank and went full dps. The only viable DPS in this game are Rogues and Fighers. And the only viable weapons are Daggers and Swords. So, half of the skills are pretty much useless. My mage were there to cast one buff for 50% of the game because my Rogue could kill 2 x 200 Hp enemies in one turn - right away. Why mage could do just ~50 dmg in one turn. Bards seems useful but like the games, I was just using them to refresh the cooldowns and didnt need it for anything else. Meh. For not min-maxers this can be cool. So if you are playing casually - you will enjoy mixing some skills and different tactics. If you are tryhard or more experienced gamer - I would strongly suggest having not more than 4 party members and playing on Hardmore instantly.
COMBAT / INVENTORY - 3/6
It was cool until like 50% of the game. I had to figure out things, new types of enemies, I didnt reach some skills yet. But when I did reach last row of masteries - literally halfthrough the game, the rest of the combats became full steamrolling. Same things over and over. Start, buff the rogue, kill 2 enemies with rogue. Kill 1-2 enemies with fighter, repeat. OVER AND OVER until the end of the game. At like 80% of the game I was hiding in shadows and skipping some fights not to lose time. Why did I skip them? Because I already had everything. All skills I needed and all weapons. And about them - This game needs more items! 1H swords for example. There are 3 rarities (green/purple/orange) and they may come with 2 different skills. So 6 in general. Once you will get Orange Sword (and you can get it at 30% of a game) with the skill you want - there is your endgame weapon. Having weapons with random stats/skills would make this game MUCH better. I wouldn't probably skip any fight simply because of it.
RIDDLES / SECRETS - 5/6
This is very important part of Dungeon Crawlers. In general: They are good. Block riddles are ok. Fairy Golf was awesome addition to the genre. Celtic knot - cool. Lights - nice. Gears - awesome. Charn's - AWESOME. Some of them were demanding. Most of them were on a level that would make you thing hard enough but not to freak about and go to YouTube instantly. Only few of them were REALLY hard. So in general the balance was really nice.
I didnt give it 6 because of A LOT of forced riddles. Look. There is a gate. You unlock it by moving two blocks into right spots. Two blocks. And the sports are right next to them. There is no difficulty. Just silly hassle. Or you just have to use one skill that you've learned 20 hours ago and then click the lever to unlock the gate. Pointless. And im talking about like 20 of them.
NOVELITIES 2/6
Elven Puzzle Weapons - At first, them seemed nice. After finishing a game - They were bad. I was using TWO of them. Both because they had the best stats. In general - the bonus that normal weapons are giving to skills was way superior than all keywords. And when the game forces you to backtrack A LOT and go back to Elven Shrines located all around the world to upgrade it to Tier 3 - no - I am not going to do that. Spoiler: I didn't use any of the found Puzzle Weapons. The only two I used are crafted Elven Weapons. Dagger and Greatsword.
Shrines
Concept is cool. You have actual physical Code Wheel (that you have to print, cut out and assemble) or just use a Digital one from your Extras folder. And then you have to match symbols from the shrine to the Code Wheel setting. And then sacrifice some items on the altar. The problem was that the prizes werent THAT good and some of Shrines that were located in the middle of the location required me to bring some items that I had to craft from the recipes that I didn't yet find. And I would find them in next 10 hours. So that means - backtracking. To get something not worth doing that.
Bard Songs.
This was nice. It was like having special environment skills similar to Pokemon Games. Sometimes I had to come back to previous locations after unlocking some of these skills. Most of times, to reach the chest with 2 cabbages or other stuff that I didnt need.
GRAPHICS - 5/6
This was the best looking Dungeon Crawler game that I've played. Let's not compare it to the AAA Actions RPGs. For this budget and genre - this was really nice. Locations were really cool, landscapes - amazing. I gave it minus one points for character desing (mostly NPS). They were just ugly.
BUGS?
A lot of reviews are mentioning them. The game is FULLY PLAYABLE. Yes, they were few crashes and glitches but in general - nothing to really complain about.
I just feel that this game was rushed. Seriously it was so mediocre at so many cases that it hurts. Especially that it was Brian Fargo and inXile. If creators had spend 20% more time on a game, this would be real gem. It just seems rough around the edges here and there.
And for god sake, the item descriptions! The weapons are NOT described. I didnt know if I am handling the sword or a dagger. Mace or an Axe. Especially that some Elven Weapons could be both. There is no information about what mastery it uses. And some skills descriptions were vague as well (Archmage!).
FINAL VERDICT - -4/6
The game was fairly OK. It didnt hurt but also didn't amaze me. I love this genre, so any game that comes out, deserves to be finished. If you - like me - finished everything you could - play this one. You will probably enjoy it.
If you are just diving into the genre - nothing beats Wizardry 8 and it will probably remain the king of the hill. And other games like Vaporum or Fall of Dungeon Guardians (both developed by way, way, WAY smaller teams) are better in my opinion).

Such obvious love and care poured into this. The environments and music cavort together to produce a quirky, unique and totally absorbing hideaway to gawk at and listen to.
Loadsa secrets, skills, spells, drunk Scots, tartan and potatoes. Beasties abound and combat is a madcat explosion of skills and effects of real variety.
I've laughed, run away, hidden, been stumped, stopped to listen (how often does that happen in a game?), passed out, nearly died, actually died, and made a lot of sandwhiches. With cabbage (really devs?)
Released a little early, it has a few bugs and missing features. Running like the morning after 8 pints and a deep-fried kebab, it staggers but has a head full of great memories and good times.
A wee beauty.