# The Bard's Tale

> Humorous 3D epic role-playing game with summoning, exploration, and combat. (iPhone/iPad app by inXile Entertainment.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-bards-tale/id480375355 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [inXile Entertainment](https://appshunter.io/developer/290807372)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Action, Role Playing
- Price: $2.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 657 App Store ratings · 382 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 1.7 GB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, European Spanish
- Released: 2011-12-01
- Data updated: 2026-08-30
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-bards-tale/id480375355/reviews.md

## What is The Bard's Tale?

#1 RPG in 75 countries, including USA, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Japan, and China!

Sync your saved games between iOS and Mac!
Includes classic games trilogy!

They said it couldn’t be done… a full-scale massive 3D epic role-playing game on iOS!  See why it’s the BIGGEST iOS game ever made!

“The Bard’s Tale is easily the funniest game I’ve ever played, and I’ve played all the funny games out there.” – IGN

You are the Bard, a selfish rogue weary of pointless sub-quests and rat-infested cellars.  Through magical song you summon characters to join your quest for coin and cleavage!

“Ready your weapon and bladder as you embark on this ridiculously addicting quest and the funniest adventure of the year, The Bard’s Tale” – Game Chronicles

Prepare to immerse yourself in over 20-30 hours of adventure, featuring:

• 50 enemy types (not counting bosses!) 
• A vast world to explore with towns, wild forests, rivers, castles, towers, secret dungeons, snowy mountains, caverns, haunted tombs and more 
• A full cast of bizarre NPC’s 
• Over a dozen special boss enemies to defeat 
• 16 magical characters to discover and then summon at will to aid you 
• Over 150 unique items of weaponry, armor, instruments, tokens, artifacts and loot! 
• More Song & Dance numbers than any other game, including a zombie dance-off! 
• Over 14 hours of outstanding voice-acting from top Hollywood talent, including Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) as the Bard, and the inimitable Tony Jay as the Narrator

But wait! That’s not all! Enjoy these great new additions in the iOS version:

New Features:
• Leaderboards—for accumulated Silver and Experience! 
• Achievements—over 50 spread throughout the game! 
• Autosave—option to save automatically when you near a save-book in game.
• iCloud Saves—option to save to iCloud, enables sharing saves across your iOS devices.
• Time-Savers—optional in-app purchases are available to pump up your Bard and save you time! (Note: All such items are attainable through normal game-play, with time and persistence, just as in the original console release.)
• Classics Games—includes original classic games The Bard’s Tale 1, 2 & 3.
• Supports 60beat® GamePad.


Universal App with Adaptive Rendering:
For a single low price, play on all your compatible* devices!  The Bard’s Tale takes full advantage of your hardware to maximize your experience--including HD resolution and 60Hz video refresh on capable devices.**  iOS adaptation by Square One Games.  

“This game is satire in its sharpest form” – Cheat Code Central

Play The Bard’s Tale today!

* Compatible with iOS 4.0 and higher on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 3rd generation, iPod Touch 4th generation, iPad, and iPad2&3.
** HD on iPhone 4S/5, iPad2,Mini,3&4, iPod Touch 5G. Enhanced rendering includes: environment mapping, dynamic water surfaces, full shadow cast, and  60Hz display-refresh (with in-game “Battery Savings” option turned off).

Support:
We are committed to improvement.  Please send support requests through The Bard’s Tale Support link below.

IT IS HUGE!
Please note: Installation over Wi-Fi can temporarily require as much as 3.4GB of free space on your device.

## Key features

- Massive 3D epic role-playing game
- Magical song summoning
- Vast world exploration
- 50+ enemy types
- Over 150 unique items
- Includes classic trilogy
- iCloud saves

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $2.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coin Clipping Kit | $0.99 | one-time |
| Receive Inheritance | $0.99 | one-time |
| Discover Lost Silver Mine | $2.99 | one-time |
| Talent Boot Camp | $2.99 | one-time |
| Trow Map Collection | $1.99 | one-time |
| Bard Training | $0.99 | one-time |
| Bard Intensive Training | $1.99 | one-time |
| Bard Epic Transformation Training | $2.99 | one-time |
| Best Bow: Ddraig Goch | $2.99 | one-time |
| Best Armor: Armor of Llyr | $2.99 | one-time |


## Chart rankings

- #193 in Top Paid · Role Playing (US App Store)

## What do users think of The Bard's Tale?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Funny and entertaining
- 👍 Good value for money
- 👍 Nostalgic for old fans
- 👍 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Good voice acting and music

**Cons**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Glitchy save system
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer devices
- 🔋 Performance issues on older devices
- 👎 Repetitive gameplay
- 👎 Difficult without in-app purchases

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Dialogue options not showing up
- Saved games getting corrupted
- Compatibility issues with iOS 14 and newer

**Most requested features**

- Improved graphics and visuals
- Better tutorial and onboarding
- More save points and checkpoints
- Ability to restore in-app purchases

## Recent user reviews (10 of 382)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-bards-tale/id480375355/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Original trilogy fail

*2026-03-01, version 1.9.3*

Loved the og games when I was a kid, so I figured why not have some fun…and I did, right up til the third game
1 and 2 worked great, but when I try to play 3 it went south real fast
First and worst, it won’t let me bring my characters from 1&2 over, and I spent a lot of time building up a strong party
Ok, I can get over that, the will still be fun, right? Wrong
Second, it forces you to use keyboard mode only, no mouse or touch screen options
Alright, annoying but doable if you want to put in the work, just have to get used to looking at an even smaller screen, thankfully the graphics are up to par…oh wait
Third they used a really bad version for the final game, looks like a 1970s 4-bit console game

Play the first 2 for fun if you want, just be prepared for a Soprano-esque ending

### 5/5 — Good port

*2026-02-23, version 1.9.3*

Just like classic bard’s tale

### 5/5 — Great Game

*2025-12-02, version 1.9.3*

I played this back in the 90s.  I loved it then and more now.

### 4/5 — A little clunky at first

*2025-09-09, version 1.9.3*

Once you figure it out the game is really pretty good. I keep collecting diaries and I still don’t know if they do anything but for a fun dungeon crawler it’s great.

### 2/5 — Don’t waste your time

*2025-09-06, version 1.9.3*

I hate this game; even on easy mode it’s hard. I play to relax and enjoy. I don’t care about challenges. It’s very difficult to save the game and mobs will often times block you from doing anything. Spells take forever to cast. And you have to use the spells to summon guardians or buffs/heal very frequently. It’s very very annoying and frustrating. The movement button is very buggy and you stop very frequently and will die quite often.

### 5/5 — Good old school RPG fun!

*2025-07-24, version 1.9.3*

One of the funniest ARPG there is. They should create more ARPG’s like this.

### 3/5 — Needs more save spots!

*2025-07-16, version 1.9.3*

Fun and funny but only has one save spot so you can easily miss key matters and cannot go back to redo so that’s really frustrating!

### 1/5 — Beware

*2025-07-07, version 1.9.3*

The 2025 version sold on the apple app store hangs in video sequences and support site does not exist. Nb apple will not refund purchase.

### 5/5 — Wonderful

*2025-06-23, version 1.9.3*

How I’ve never heard of this game until now? I came across TBT looking for a legit mobile rpg and was pleasantly surprised to find this port. The writing, voice acting and music are top notch, and I’m loving the atmosphere. Also, thank you for including controller support! More games need to do this. 
I’m still early into the game, but I’m already hooked. Wonderful job, inXile!

### 5/5 — One of the funniest and best RPG‘s

*2025-05-26, version 1.9.3*

The bards tale is easily one of the funniest RPG’s ever sometimes it can be really challenging, but it can also be very easy. It’s a very fun game. I wish you could customize your character though, and you could and you could customize your name but other than that, it’s a really good game and I find it very sad that not a lot of people know about it. I give it a five stars.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

## Frequently asked questions about The Bard's Tale

### What kind of game is The Bard's Tale?

The Bard's Tale is a massive 3D epic role-playing game known for its humor and extensive content. It features a vast world to explore, numerous enemy types, a wide array of items, and the ability to summon magical characters to aid you in your quest.

### What are the key features of The Bard's Tale?

Key features include a massive 3D world with diverse environments, over 50 enemy types, more than 150 unique items, and over a dozen special boss enemies. The game also includes magical song summoning, a full cast of NPCs, and classic games trilogy.

### How much does The Bard's Tale cost?

The Bard's Tale is a universal app available for a single low price, allowing you to play on all compatible devices. While optional in-app purchases are available as 'Time-Savers,' all items can be attained through normal gameplay.

### What devices is The Bard's Tale compatible with?

The game is compatible with iOS 4.0 and higher on various iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad models. It takes full advantage of compatible hardware, including HD resolution and 60Hz video refresh on capable devices for an enhanced experience.

### What are some common use cases for The Bard's Tale?

Players can immerse themselves in over 20-30 hours of adventure, enjoying a humorous storyline, exploring diverse locations like towns, forests, and dungeons, and engaging in combat with a variety of enemies. The inclusion of classic games and leaderboards also provides extended replayability.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.9.3 — 2022-10-14

Fix Original Trilogy install which was causing it not to be playable.
Fix videos being cut off on iOS 16+ ultra wide devices.

### 1.9.2 — 2022-10-05

Updates for iOS 16.
Fix Korean text display.

### 1.9.1 — 2021-11-30

Resolves crash when accessing items in shops.

### 1.9 — 2021-11-19

Resolve crash at startup caused by iOS 15.1 update.

### 1.8.6 — 2017-12-20

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

Fix the Kunal Trow maps achievements.
Further layout tweaks for iPhone X.

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## More apps by inXile Entertainment

- [The Impossible Quiz!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-impossible-quiz/id334503000)
- [The Bard's Tale - TV Edition](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-bards-tale-tv-edition/id1273356719)

All apps by inXile Entertainment: https://appshunter.io/developer/290807372

## Related topics

[bards tale](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bards-tale) · [baldurs gate ii](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/baldurs-gate-ii) · [bard](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bard) · [into the breach](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/into-the-breach)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-30.*
