The Bard's Tale Trilogy similar games & best alternatives

The Bard's Tale Trilogy

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One • 2018

Should you play it?

The Bard's Tale Trilogy is a complete remaster of the iconic series that helped define the RPG genre. Featuring updated graphics and optional quality of life gameplay features, this is the ideal way to experience the dungeon crawling challenge that made the original games beloved classics.

What works

  • Faithful remaster with quality of life improvements
  • Strong nostalgic appeal
  • Engaging tactical combat and exploration
  • Automapping and modern ui features
  • Good value for price with trilogy included

Things to keep in mind

  • Grindy and repetitive gameplay
  • Minimal story and roleplaying depth
  • Some difficulty spikes and tedious puzzles
  • Limited social or multiplayer features
  • Graphics modest compared to modern rpgs

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Paper Sorcerer

  • The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition

  • Last Dream

  • Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition)

  • Path of the Abyss

  • Shadows of Adam

Less leadership-focused

Games that feels like The Bard's Tale Trilogy but with less leadership over others

  • Erannorth Reborn

  • OFF

  • The Elder Scrolls: Arena

  • Strife: Veteran Edition

  • Potato Flowers in Full Bloom

  • Castlevania Dominus Collection

More intense

Games that feels like The Bard's Tale Trilogy but with a more intense feel

  • Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

  • Wizardry: The Five Ordeals

  • Etrian Odyssey II HD

  • Vestaria Saga I: War of the Scions

  • THYSIASTERY

  • Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls

Less social

Games that feels like The Bard's Tale Trilogy but with less teamwork and cooperation

  • Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society

  • Knights of Pen and Paper 2

  • Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk

  • Seer's Gambit

  • Etrian Odyssey HD

  • Dawncaster | The RPG Cardventure

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

  • TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2

  • TY the Tasmanian Tiger 4

  • Blade Kitten

  • Toy Soldiers: Complete

  • TY the Tasmanian Tiger

Similarity map

How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

The Bard's Tale Trilogy: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Violence, Survival, Fellowship, Intimacy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Cooperation, Relaxation.

Last update: 03/08/2026