ABSTRACT
The player begins in the village of Houton, where The Bard’s early-game abilities are put to the test when buxom barmaid Mary MacRary asks him to rid her cellar of a pesky rat. The player will collect money, weapons, armor, and other items during play, carrying such things in their inventory until they can be traded, sold, or discarded. The Bard’s Tale’s humorous, parodic take on RPGs has been well explored by the game’s designers, critics, and fans. In a typical role-playing game, the player directs a character through a well-defined game world to complete a series of quests, solve puzzles, or achieve a central goal—usually saving the world. The earliest adventure games, such as Wizard and the Princess, and arcade games such as Donkey Kong, feature characters battling the forces of evil to rescue a damsel in distress. Other humorous musical examples are integrated into the gameplay.
