The Bard's Tale is an action-adventure game for Xbox that reimagines the classic series in a 3D setting. Players control the Bard from an overhead perspective, utilizing magic and weapons to progress. The game emphasizes skill improvement over traditional RPG elements like character classes and inventory management. Its visual style and gameplay are reminiscent of the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series.
Completely unlike the classic Bard's Tale games, this game is in a 3D environment with the player watching his only controllable character from an overhead vantage point, and it is better described as an action-adventure game than a traditional role-playing video game (i.e. there are no character classes or inventory management).
The player's character, The Bard, has magic and weaponry at his disposal to complete the task. The more the player accomplishes, the better his skills will become. The appearance and gameplay is much the same as the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series, which shares the same graphics engine.