inXile Entertainment's 'The Bard's Tale IV' for Xbox One launches in August

What you need to know

  • The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a role-playing game with numerous choices.
  • It was supposed to launch in 2018, but was delayed to 2019.
  • According to inXile Entertainment, the game is coming to Xbox One in August digitally.
  • You can preorder The Bard's Tale IV for $40 through Amazon.

Updated July 13, 2019: Only the physical version launches on September 6, the digital version hits on August 27. Xbox's Aaron Greenberg confirmed that it would be available through Xbox Game Pass at launch. After that, inXile Entertainment said that it would feature Xbox Play Anywhere, too.

The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep is a dungeon crawler from inXile Entertainment and legendary designer Brian Fargo. Fargo has worked on experiences like Fallout, Wasteland, and Torment: Tides of Numenera in the past. Many older PC gamers will immediately recognize the series. The title features challenging combat that rewards creativity, various puzzles that lead to treasure, and a lot of environmental variety.

Last August, the developer said that The Bard's Tale IV was coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2018. It's already available on PC. No concrete release date was provided, but it seemed like the team was targeting the holiday season. Recently, the title went up for preorder for $40 on Amazon, and today, the team finally provided a new launch date. It's coming to consoles on September 6. Despite the fact that inXile is now part of Xbox Game Studios, The Bard's Tale IV will still launch on Sony's machine because the decision was made before the acquisition.

The Bard's Tale IV is set over a hundred years after the events of the last game. The terrible happenings of Skara Brae's violent destruction are nearly forgotten. In the dark ruins below, an evil has waited patiently for its time. Fanatics are gathering control, the famous "Adventurers Guild" has been outlawed, and you must rise up in defiance to become the hero the realm needs.

The highlight of The Bard's Tale IV has to be its various customization options. The game allows you to create your own characters and play as a "Bard," "Fighter," "Practitioner," or "Rogue." What's truly impressive is that each character features around seventy skills and a handful of classes. You can even choose your companions so there are countless combinations. Each playthrough will be unique and your adventure will be vastly different than other players.

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Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.