The Bard's Tale

Year: 2011
Genre: Action Role-Playing
Website: http://www.inxile-entertainment.com/projects/the-bards-tale-android

---

Lee:

• Platform: Android
• Hours logged: 1.0
• Playthroughs: 0
• Rating: --/10

Shane:

• Platform: Android 
• Hours logged: 1.0
• Playthroughs: 0
• Rating: --/10

---

Notes and Discussions:

• Shane (4/10/2014): This game showed up on one of our Humble Bundles.  I wasn't immediately against it, having played through Dungeon Hunter on the Palm Pre twice.  I installed this, loaded it up, sat through the opening cut scene and... frowned.  The emotions that hit me were varied though simple.  On one hand I was intimidated by how much time I spent on Dungeon Hunter and I knew I didn't have that in me right now.  On the other hand... this game was trying to display a self-aware sense of humor that fell VERY short of entertaining.
  
  In short, I wasn't willing to spend the effort to enjoy this game.  If I want to dive that deep into a story I will read a book or go play Final Fantasy again.  I don't want to be tied to my phone for 75 hours on something that didn't offer a challenge or a compelling story.
  
  No playthrough.  No rating.  No more effort expended.

• Lee (5/6/2014): I did try to keep an open mind and made a small attempt toward getting into this game. Initially, I was intrigued by the slightly more "mature" humor and content that the game seemed to offer, and the graphics seemed decently well made (down to the detail of the barmaid's cleavage...by nerds for nerds). However, there was something seriously lacking that I couldn't put my finger on. Perhaps Shane was right in that they tried too hard to be clever and funny. Regardless, I pressed on, hoping to be rewarded with engaging gameplay and an intriguing story. No such luck. I defeated the giant rat in the cellar, watched my character be an asshole to an old man, and then made my way into a forest full of bandits. Hack, slash, hack, slash, yawn, snore...
  
  I can't say that I really gave this game a fair shake, but I do know that it didn't scratch the gaming itch that I had at the time. Maybe some other day. Probably not though.

• Shane (5/6/2014): I am really amused by how many games are getting the "I may try this again later... but I doubt it" label.  I know that we both mean exactly that, even as far as WANTING to be able to make it back into some of these, and I will be keeping a tally of how many of them we ACTUALLY revisit.