Comparison

The Bard's Tale vs Grimvalor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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

#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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Skill-based combat
  • Exploration of dark fantasy world
  • Epic boss fights
  • Stunning 3D visuals
  • Customizable touch controls
  • MFi controller support
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

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

The Bard's Tale4 screens
Grimvalor4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Bard's Tale ships an update every 3 months, Grimvalor every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
The Bard's Tale versus Grimvalor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Bard's TaleGrimvalor
Price$2.99 — better$5.99
Rating4.5 (657 ratings)4.9 (9.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.4% of reviews90.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6579.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#55 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB739 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperinXile EntertainmentDirelight

Customer experience

The Bard's Tale

All ratings657 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews382 reviews
Positive70.4%
Neutral4.2%
Negative25.4%

Grimvalor

All ratings9,754 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews803 reviews
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative6.0%

User reviews

The Bard's Tale

From 657 App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

10 purchases

The Bard's Tale

One-time10
  • Coin Clipping Kit$0.99
  • Receive Inheritance$0.99
  • Bard Training$0.99
Show 7 more
  • 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
None

Grimvalor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Bard's Tale free?
The Bard's Tale costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Grimvalor free?
Grimvalor costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Bard's Tale or Grimvalor?
Grimvalor is rated higher. The Bard's Tale averages 4.5 out of 5 from 657 ratings, while Grimvalor averages 4.9 from 9.8K ratings.
Do The Bard's Tale or Grimvalor have ads?
Neither The Bard's Tale nor Grimvalor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Bard's Tale or Grimvalor?
The Bard's Tale ships an update every 3 months, and Grimvalor every 2 months. Most recently, The Bard's Tale was updated on October 17, 2026 and Grimvalor on October 17, 2026.

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