Bard to the Future

About

"Bard to the Future" is a side-scrolling 2D platformer where a battlebard travels through time to race against a cyborg pirate to find a lost treasure. The game features 7 time periods, 26 levels, and unique enemies in each era, as well as challenging boss fights and Steam Cloud Save. It also includes an original soundtrack and voice work in Story Mode and Time Trial modes.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

44%

Audience ScoreBased on 45 reviews

story6 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The game features a fun storyline and humorous writing that keeps players engaged.
The graphics and art style are charming, fitting well with the game's theme.
Some players found the gameplay enjoyable, especially in the early levels, and appreciated the challenge it presents.

The controls are imprecise and unresponsive, making platforming frustrating and difficult.
Hitboxes are inconsistent, leading to unpredictable deaths and aggravation during gameplay.
The voice acting quality varies significantly, with some characters sounding amateurish and distracting from the experience.

gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
65%
18%
The gameplay of this title has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the controls, platforming mechanics, and unpredictable hitboxes, which detract from the overall experience. While some users found the game enjoyable and fun, praising its music and humor, others felt that the gameplay was frustrating and repetitive, ultimately overshadowing any positive aspects. Overall, improvements in gameplay mechanics could significantly enhance the game's potential.
- “When I got this game, I didn't touch it for a bit, but I did install it and decided to play it. It turns out to be really fun! It has good gameplay, good music, and is just a good game to play. I recommend you add it to your Steam library.”
- “I really enjoy this game; the story is funny, and the gameplay is fairly simple.”
- “I love the gameplay style; it's simplistic.”
- “This one seemed promising, but the controls and platforming mechanics are awful!”
- “If the mechanics were cleaned up, hitboxes revamped, and abilities of the character made at least reliable to use, if not fun or varied, then you could slog through the 25 mini levels and see if there is a funny narrative in this title.”
- “As for the gameplay, it's buggy, it's frustrating, and it commits the ultimate platforming sin: the hitboxes are unpredictable, which makes it impossible to tell whether you'll stomp on one of Bard to the Future's swift, erratically-moving enemies or be killed by it.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's story is a mix of humor and absurdity, featuring a medieval battle bard transported to modern times via a portable toilet, which some players find entertaining and fun. While the narrative is described as ridiculous and simple, it adds to the overall enjoyment of the game, making it a worthwhile experience despite its brevity. Overall, the story is appreciated for its comedic elements and engaging concept.
- “The game does have a fun storyline and characters which wouldn't make your purchase a total waste.”
- “This game has a good story, an amount of difficulty, and fun.”
- “Great storyline and finding it really enjoyable so far!”
- “The story seems to be about some kind of battle bard from real medieval times being teleported to modern times by the use of a portable toilet found at construction sites.”
- “The story isn't good either.”
- “The story mode is quite short.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as somewhat hit-or-miss; while some players find the characters and writing genuinely funny and enjoyable, others feel that the humor does not compensate for the game's mechanical shortcomings. Overall, the humor is appreciated by some but criticized by others for being awkward or not particularly original.
- “Great game with great humor; it's very nice to play with a wide skill improvement.”
- “I really enjoy this game; the story is funny, and the gameplay is fairly simple.”
- “Very funny and fun.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming 2D art style and character portraits, while others criticize inconsistencies in pixel size and overall quality. While the visuals are deemed better than average by some, they are not enough to compensate for deficiencies in gameplay and other areas. Overall, the graphics are seen as a positive aspect but not a standout feature that elevates the game.
- “The graphics style perfectly fits the game, in my opinion.”
- “It gets some style points for the graphics.”
- “I appreciate the art style.”
- “The humor is not spectacular enough to justify going through the aggravation, and the cutesy 2D graphics are charming enough not to condemn this game on looks, but certainly won't be pretty enough to encourage anyone to overlook other areas where the game is deficient.”
- “Okayish idea for a game with acceptable graphics and sound, killed by utterly frustrating gameplay.”
- “Graphically, the game would be much better if it picked a pixel size and stuck with it.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it enjoyable and fitting, while others criticize it for being repetitive and poorly looped, leading to an annoying experience. Overall, the soundtrack is described as average, with moments of engagement but also significant flaws that detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “When I got this game, I didn't touch it for a bit, but I did install it and decided to play it. It turns out to be really fun! It has good gameplay and great music, making it a good game to play. I recommend you add it to your Steam library.”
- “Its character portraits, writing, music, and voice acting are great; its in-game graphics and actual gameplay are seriously lacking.”
- “+ music is engaging.”
- “The music can be acceptable at best and annoying at worst.”
- “The loop is so unclean it plays over itself while transitioning back to the beginning of the song, so it sounds like a DJ mixing two songs who's way off beat.”
- “Annoying music - it's always the same loop over and over again.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, user experiences with stability are mixed; while some report smooth controls, others encounter significant gameplay bugs, particularly with unpredictable hitboxes and frequent freezing during dialogue. This inconsistency contributes to frustration, especially in platforming scenarios.
- “I don't know about the others, but the controls weren't buggy at all for me.”
- “As for the gameplay, it's buggy, it's frustrating, and it commits the ultimate platforming sin: the hitboxes are unpredictable, which makes it impossible to tell whether you'll stomp on one of Bard to the Future's swift, erratically moving enemies or be killed by it.”
- “It often freezes when skipping dialogue.”