Game Details
Tales of the Unknown: Volume I - The Bard's Tale
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Released on: Apple IIGS, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST/STE, Mac, DOS, Amiga, Apple II, Amstrad CPC
Developer: Interplay Productions
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Themes: Fantasy
Game Modes: Single player
Perspective: First person
| Platform | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Apple II | December 31, 1985 |
| Amiga | December 31, 1986 |
| Commodore C64/128/MAX | December 31, 1986 |
| Apple IIGS | December 31, 1987 |
| Atari ST/STE | December 31, 1987 |
| DOS | December 31, 1987 |
| Amstrad CPC | December 31, 1988 |
| ZX Spectrum | December 31, 1988 |
| Mac | December 31, 1989 |
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About:
Tales of the Unknown: Volume I, better known as "The Bard's Tale", is an RPG developed by Interplay Productions in 1985 originally for the Apple II. It was quickly ported to numerous other platforms and became widely successful. This was partly because it incorporated unprecedented 3D graphic design, featuring partly animated character portraits and engaging gameplay. It also helped that the game was available on the Commodore 64-the most successful game console at the time, whereas the main competitor-the Ultima series, was not.
Story:
The Bard's Tale is a typical dungeon crawl styled game, where the objective is to gain experience and progress each character's skill level through combat and monsters. This is done by working through a number of labyrinths, solving puzzles, and upgrading equipment. In this particular dungeon crawl, the story is centred around the evil wizard Mangar, who must be defeated by a small band of unproven young Warriors, Magic Users, a couple of Bards, and a few Rogues, led by the player. Mangar has brought evil creatures into the town of Skara Brae and cast a spell of Eternal Winter, isolating Skara Brae from outside help.