A Bastard's Tale

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 294 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • graphics
A Bastard's Tale Game Cover
Hard but satisfying – if you put in the time to get good, that is.
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"A Bastard's Tale" is an action-packed game with deep and challenging combat, featuring numerous enemies with unique attack patterns and weaknesses. The game offers 5 levels to beat, high replay value with New Game and New Game Plus modes, and an Endless Fighter Mode to set high scores. It supports controllers and customizable keyboard controls. Satisfaction is guaranteed when overcoming tough foes.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 294 reviews
music28 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique combat system that emphasizes blocking and counter-attacking, providing a challenging yet rewarding experience for players who enjoy skill-based gameplay.
  • The pixel art and backgrounds are visually appealing, with some reviewers praising the atmospheric soundtrack that complements the medieval theme.
  • Despite its difficulty, many players find the game addictive and satisfying, especially when they successfully learn enemy patterns and defeat challenging foes.
  • The game suffers from inconsistent controls and bugs, leading to frustrating experiences where players may take damage unexpectedly or find the roll button unresponsive.
  • Many players feel that the game is overly punishing, requiring excessive grinding through levels to face bosses, which can lead to a sense of tedium and lack of respect for the player's time.
  • The lack of a compelling story or character progression, combined with confusing enemy attack patterns, makes the game feel shallow and unwelcoming to new players.
  • music48 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as fitting and atmospheric, with a medieval style that enhances the overall experience, though it is often considered forgettable. While some players find the soundtrack enjoyable and a good complement to the gameplay, others note that it can become repetitive, especially during challenging segments. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's aesthetic, despite mixed opinions on its memorability.

    • “The background, animations, all the details and soundtrack, when all put together it makes this a great artwork.”
    • “Music is divine.”
    • “A bastard's tale is an overlooked gem that presents a punishing but very fair experience through tight controls, atmospheric soundtrack and wonderful aesthetics that evokes the memories of old masterpieces like Moonstone.”
    • “A shoddy dark souls clone with soul-grating looped music, terrible pixel-art, odd hitboxes, unresponsive movement, unfair signaling (way too hard to tell whether you should block left or right side - it's a 2D dang game!), and cheating enemies resetting their attack animations the moment you roll.”
    • “Sound-wise, the only noises are enemies and a little soundtrack for ambience.”
    • “Nothing special, just music that fits the medieval scene and 2D music.”
  • gameplay48 mentions

    The gameplay features a unique three-directional combat system that is both simple to learn and challenging to master, creating a slow yet strategic experience. However, many players find the gameplay repetitive and somewhat stiff, leading to a sense of monotony as they progress through levels. While the mechanics are praised for their elegance and difficulty, some players feel that the game could benefit from more variety and depth to enhance overall enjoyment.

    • “The gameplay employs a unique and novel combat system that revolves around you and your enemies being able to block and attack in three directions: to your left side, above you, and to your right side.”
    • “A Bastard Tale is one of those games that truly mesmerized me with how successfully it managed to unite simple yet astonishing gameplay that rewards careful and quick thinking with a hard difficulty that rises almost methodically through the levels.”
    • “Well worth the money, it's challenging with simple mechanics that are easy to get into but hard to master; there is also a sequel called Driven Out which even outdoes this game.”
    • “All of the above considered, this results in a very slow and deliberate gameplay loop that quickly becomes exceedingly repetitive, stale, and bland, especially when you learn the visual cues of the regular enemies and have no trouble with them.”
    • “Gameplay is repetitive - move forward, block enemy's attack, kill him in one swing, move forward, do a roll back, block enemy's attack and again kill him in one swing (except mini bosses and bosses).”
    • “The game is hard as nails and really consists of only one mechanic.”
  • graphics44 mentions

    The game's graphics are primarily pixel art, with mixed reviews; some players appreciate the beautiful backgrounds and overall aesthetic, while others criticize the character animations and sprite quality as rough and unpolished. Despite the appealing retro style, issues with readability and animation quality detract from the experience for some, leading to a perception of the visuals as merely decent rather than spectacular. Overall, the graphics evoke nostalgia but may frustrate players due to their execution.

    • “As a 2D side-scrolling hack and slash, this game presents itself with beautiful pixel graphics and a combat system that makes relevant how you'll strike with your sword, 'footing', and, of course, positioning.”
    • “The background, animations, all the details, and soundtrack, when all put together, make this a great artwork.”
    • “This game has the perfect combination of beautiful artwork, a great soundtrack, and the ability to make you more mad than you have ever been in your life.”
    • “The graphics exclusively use pixel art but the character sprites don't look very good; however, this is more than likely due to the poor animations rather than the pixel art itself (although the main character looks particularly atrocious, especially their walking animation).”
    • “Sluggish controls and passable graphics... this is totally unflattering.”
    • “This game is hard merely because of the wonky controls... had they spent more time with the graphics and controls, I may have tried this out, but as it is it feels like a clunky SNES bargain bin game, and it's priced comparatively.”
  • story42 mentions

    The game's story is minimalistic, conveyed through still images resembling propaganda posters after each level, leaving much to player interpretation. While some find this approach intriguing, many reviewers criticize the lack of a coherent narrative or character development, deeming the story almost non-existent and irrelevant to the gameplay experience. Overall, the absence of a substantial plot detracts from the game's potential, with players expressing a desire for more depth and storytelling elements.

    • “What's more fascinating is that these still images resemble propaganda posters, which is especially interesting because it could mean that the main character is, in fact, the villain in this story. I always think that this is an enthralling plot device when used correctly.”
    • “That aside, the sprites aren't animated very well, but some of the backgrounds are surprisingly pleasing to look at. The music is unexpectedly good but forgettable, and the story is compelling and very minimalistic in nature, so it's left entirely up to your interpretation.”
    • “The story is distinctly minimalistic and is explained entirely through a still image with no text after the completion of each of the five levels.”
    • “There's no story, no change in your character, and no progression beyond the backgrounds changing.”
    • “It might as well say no story, plot, or motivation; no reward in any form or meaning; no real game.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is perceived as tedious and lacking depth, with players feeling that once they have mastered stage enemies, the encounters become monotonous. The need to repetitively engage with weaker foes to learn boss patterns adds to the frustration, as the game's mechanics feel clunky and unrefined. Overall, while the core concept is appreciated, the execution leaves much to be desired in terms of polish and engagement.

    • “The main issues are that once you've bested the stage enemies once or twice, they're both easy and very boring to fight. Your character moves like a moss-covered sloth, and you are most likely not beating a boss without grinding through goons to learn his moves by muscle memory because you likely won't be able to do it by eyesight alone.”
    • “That's a big problem with this game in general - it feels like it needed a lot more polish. The idea itself is very solid and cool, but it ends up with some really cool bits and fights, and quite a few tedious, clunky, bordering on obnoxious fights.”
    • “Its nature makes it out to be very tedious as is, and it is very skill-based.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Overall, the game has limited replayability, with some users suggesting it offers less value than other inexpensive entertainment options. However, it still garners positive feedback for its initial enjoyment, making it a worthwhile experience despite its lack of long-term engagement.

    • “Just don't expect a lot of replay value out of it.”
    • “This bastardly game costs less than the last beer I bought (and it has at least twice the replay value), so for the unmedicated masses, I enthusiastically give this gem two baby thumbs-ups!”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game exhibits significant stability issues, particularly causing hard freezes on PCs when switching from windowed to full screen, necessitating a hard shutdown. This problem has been reported multiple times by users, indicating a critical flaw in the game's performance.

    • “This game hard freezes my PC every time I switch from windowed to full screen, forcing me to do a hard shutdown.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of "A Bastard's Tale" is highly praised for its atmospheric soundtrack and beautiful aesthetics, which together create a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic games like Moonstone. Players appreciate the game's ability to deliver a challenging yet fair experience, enhanced by its immersive environment.

    • “A Bastard's Tale is an overlooked gem that presents a punishing but very fair experience through tight controls, an atmospheric soundtrack, and wonderful aesthetics that evoke the memories of old masterpieces like Moonstone.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The game features a straightforward monetization model with no collectables, microtransactions, or other common monetization tactics such as loot boxes or skins, providing a more traditional gaming experience without additional financial pressures.

    • “No collectables, microtransactions, skinner boxes, loot, XP, or skins.”
    • “The game is devoid of collectables, microtransactions, skinner boxes, loot, XP, or skins.”
    • “There are no collectables, microtransactions, skinner boxes, loot, XP, or skins in this game.”
    • “The absence of collectables, microtransactions, skinner boxes, loot, XP, or skins is disappointing.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

56% average critic score

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
3-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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