The Bard's Tale vs Grimvalor
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Bard's Tale
Embark on a massive 3D epic role-playing adventure filled with humor and magic. Summon allies, explore a vast world, and battle diverse enemies. This critically acclaimed game offers hours of engaging gameplay with a full cast of characters and a rich inventory.
- Massive 3D epic role-playing game
- Magical song summoning
- Vast world exploration
- 50+ enemy types
- Over 150 unique items
- Includes classic trilogy
- iCloud saves
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#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.
Grimvalor
Embark on a dark fantasy adventure as a lone warrior battling through a corrupted realm. Master skill-based combat, explore atmospheric landscapes, and face epic boss fights in this challenging hack and slash platformer. Restore the kingdom and uncover the fate of its lost king.
- Skill-based combat
- Exploration of dark fantasy world
- Epic boss fights
- Stunning 3D visuals
- Customizable touch controls
- MFi controller support
- Offline play
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Slash your way through the hordes of darkness and defeat King Valor's fearsome guardians in this breathtaking adventure! "Chaining together a slick series of attacks, dodges, and jumps, is incredibly satisfying." — PocketGamer "I suspect mobile gaming fans will be playing and replaying this one for years to come." — TouchArcade, 5/5 A malicious power stirs in the forgotten kingdom of Vallaris. Tasked with discovering the fate of its lost king, your quest quickly takes a sinister turn and you are cast into darkness. Surrounded and outnumbered, you must grab your sword, steel your temper and fight your way through a land that does not welcome you. Except for the friendly merchant - he's grateful for your business. ABOUT THE GAME Grimvalor is a challenging hack & slash platformer with fast-paced combat in a dark fantasy world. Take control of a lone warrior on a quest to restore a corrupted realm. Embark on a journey through atmospheric landscapes and dungeons in a massive story-driven premium experience. COMBAT & EXPLORATION Master skill-based combat, learn enemy patterns and bring them down with all your fury. Explore the shattered lands of Vallaris, find and upgrade equipment and level up your character. Face the legacy of King Valor's madness and prevail! FEATURES • Epic boss fights • Stunning 3D visuals accelerated by Metal graphics • Accurate and customizable touch controls • Full support for MFi game controllers • Use iCloud to keep your saves in sync between devices. • Play offline - perfect for commute. • No ads or in-app purchases
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grimvalor at none against The Bard's Tale's 10. Grimvalor also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (91% vs 70%). The Bard's Tale's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $5.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On update cadence, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
The Bard's Tale costs $2.99 and Grimvalor $5.99 up front. The Bard's Tale sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Grimvalor asks for nothing beyond the download.
Grimvalor holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grimvalor has 9.8K ratings behind it against 657, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of The Bard's Tale's written reviews are positive against 91% of Grimvalor's.
The Bard's Tale ships an update every 3 months, Grimvalor every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.
| Parameter | The Bard's Tale | Grimvalor |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (657 ratings) | 4.9 (9.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.4% of reviews | 90.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 657 | 9.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #55 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.7 GB | 739 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | inXile Entertainment | Direlight |
Customer experience
The Bard's Tale
Grimvalor
User reviews
The Bard's Tale
From 657 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Funny and entertaining
- 👍 Good value for money
- 👍 Nostalgic for old fans
- 👍 Smooth gameplay
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Glitchy save system
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer devices
- 🔋 Performance issues on older devices
- 👎 Repetitive gameplay
Grimvalor
From 9.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Excellent controls
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🎶 Great soundtrack
- 💰 Worth the price
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🕹️ Challenging difficulty spikes
- 🕹️ Frustrating jumping puzzles
- 🕹️ Dodge mechanic issues
- 🔍 Lack of character customization
Bugs and requests
The Bard's Tale
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes on startup
- Dialogue options not showing up
- Saved games getting corrupted
- Compatibility issues with iOS 14 and newer
Requested features
4 requests- Improved graphics and visuals
- Better tutorial and onboarding
- More save points and checkpoints
- Ability to restore in-app purchases
Grimvalor
Reported bugs
4 issues- Dodge not registering properly
- Crashes in New Game Plus
- Companion AI issues
- Graphical glitches on older devices
Requested features
5 requests- More levels and content
- Ability to replay bosses
- Enemy scaling for higher difficulties
- Expanded weapon and trinket selection
- New game plus improvements
In-app purchases
The Bard's Tale
- Coin Clipping Kit$0.99
- Receive Inheritance$0.99
- Bard Training$0.99
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- Trow Map Collection$1.99
- Bard Intensive Training$1.99
- Discover Lost Silver Mine$2.99
- Talent Boot Camp$2.99
- Bard Epic Transformation Training$2.99
- Best Bow: Ddraig Goch$2.99
- Best Armor: Armor of Llyr$2.99
Grimvalor
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Bard's Tale free?
Is Grimvalor free?
Which has better reviews, The Bard's Tale or Grimvalor?
Do The Bard's Tale or Grimvalor have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Bard's Tale or Grimvalor?
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