Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate

The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate is a fantasy role-playing game created by Interplay Productions in 1988. It is the third chapter of The Bard's Tale's series. The game was released initially for the Apple II and Commodore 64, then later ported to DOS and Amiga.

Thief of Fate marks the conclusion of the famous trilogy created by Michael Cranford on the Apple II. Cranford did not work on this installment, which was developed by a team that included director Brian Fargo, producers David Albert, designers Rebecca Heineman, Bruce Schlickbernd, and Michael A. Stackpole, with programming by Rebecca Heineman.

The game expanded upon the formula established in The Bard's Tale and The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight, refining its mechanics while introducing new features that made it one of the most ambitious RPGs of its era.

The story picks up immediately after the events of The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight. The evil archmage Mangar has been defeated, but the victory is short-lived as the Mad God Tarjan unleashes chaos upon the land. Players must again take control of a band of adventurers, exploring various dimensions to gather strength and defeat Tarjan. This multi-dimensional quest sets Thief of Fate apart from its predecessors, adding a greater sense of scale and variety to the adventure.

The core gameplay retains the classic first-person dungeon-crawling mechanics, but several improvements make this third chapter a more user-friendly experience. Leveling up is now tied to experience points rather than requiring trips back to a guild, and characters can ascend into new advanced classes, providing more depth to party progression. The game world is also larger, featuring new realms beyond the traditional medieval fantasy setting, including a journey through different planes of existence, such as Valhalla and the Realm of the Dead.

Technically, the 8-bit Apple II and Commodore 64 versions were the foundation for all other ports. They featured a simple but effective interface, displaying the 3D dungeon-crawling view alongside party stats and text descriptions. The Amiga and MS-DOS versions improved upon the visuals significantly, offering enhanced 16-color graphics that brought the environments and character portraits to life. The Amiga version, in particular, benefited from a richer color palette and superior sound, thanks to its advanced audio hardware. The MS-DOS version, while visually close to the Amiga release, had more limited sound capabilities.

Despite its improvements, its 8-bit origin was a limit, and Thief of Fate arrived at a time when the CRPG genre was evolving rapidly. Games like Dungeon Master and Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge were introducing more interactive worlds and tactical combat, making The Bard’s Tale III feel somewhat dated in comparison. One year later, Eye of the Beholder would set a new standard.

Ultimately, The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate stands as a landmark RPG, closing out one of the most beloved dungeon-crawling trilogies of the 1980s. While its mechanics may feel old-school today, its multi-dimensional setting, improved character progression, and rewarding exploration make it a classic worth revisiting.