Bard's Tale IV behind-the-scenes video focuses on environment design

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As I write this, The Bard's Tale IV has attracted nearly $200,000 more than its $1,250,000 target, so it's a safe bet the game will be made. InXile is currently in the early stages of development, with a lot of the focus on world design. It makes sense that you'd start from there, and as the video above demonstrates, the studio has made some solid progress.

I'm no game designer, so it's especially fascinating to witness some of the asset creation. The studio photographs a real tombstone and manages to render it digitally in-engine, lending an air of authenticity to the ancient Scottish ruins you'll be exploring in the game.

The Kickstarter still has a couple of days to go, but it's still well short of the Chris Avellone $1.9 million stretch goal. For more in-engine footage, cast your eyes over this earlier trailer.

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.